Umai Itapi by Marina Begman is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Ifeza in Igishushanyo cy'Imitako Competition Category.

IfezaImitako· 2020

Umai Itapi

by Marina Begman

Client: Marina Begman

Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Ifeza Winner in Imitako Category

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Umai Itapi

Yakozwe mu buhanga bwa kera bwo kwimuka, irinzwe n’Urutonde rwa UNESCO rw’umurage ndangamuco udasanzwe ukenera kubungabungwa byihutirwa, iyi tapi izana ibyiza mu bwoya kubera igicucu cy’ubwoya buhoro buhoro hamwe no kudoda intoki nziza bitera ubwuzuzanye. 100 ku ijana byakozwe n'intoki, iyi tapi ikozwe hifashishijwe igicucu gisanzwe cyubwoya wongeyeho ijwi ryumuhondo risize irangi ryigitunguru. Urudodo rwa zahabu runyura muri tapi rutanga ibisobanuro kandi rwibutsa umusatsi utembera mu muyaga - umusatsi wimana wimuka Umay - urinda abagore nabana.

The Recognition

About the Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Ifeza

Umai Itapi ni uwegukanye Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Ifeza, ishimwe ridasanzwe ry'agaciro gakomeye ritangwa ku bishushanyo byo ku rwego rwo hejuru, byiza kandi bikora ku mutima. Abegukanye Ifeza ni ibihangano by'ubuhanga bukomeye kandi bifite guhanga kwinshi, bigaragaza ubuhanga bwimbitse, impano n'ubushishozi bw'ababihanze. Umai Itapi biteganyijwe ko izaba igihangano cy'icyitegererezo, gifite ubunyamwuga bukomeye n'udushya twimbitse. Iki gishushanyo cyegukanye Ifeza ni igihangano kizwi kandi gishimwa, gifasha kugura imbibi z'ubuhanzi, ubumenyi, ubushushanyo n'ikoranabuhanga. Umai Itapi ni igihangano benshi bifuza, gikangura ibyifuzo, gitanga amarangamutima meza kandi gitera igitangaza.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: One hundred percent natural sheep wool hand-felted and hand-stitched, dyed with herbs. Wool texture comes out beautifully through natural color combination and detailed stitching. Using an ancient and rare nomadic technique of rug making, included in UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safekeeping, the best of natural material is brought out, making it state of the art rug or wall decoration for modern home
Dimensions & Packaging: 3000 mm x 2000 mm x 15 mm
Tags: felt, wool, handmade rug, shyrdak
Production Technology: Creating Hair of Umay is a complex endeavour, following ancient techniques of shyrdak making and research of central asian legends included interviewing the elder women artisans in Naryn. Wool, the primary material, is sheared from sheep in the spring. It is then washed, dried, coloured, and pressed into sheets. The sheets are cut into beautiful patterns and hand stitched together. These patterns are quilted onto a large piece of plain wool base, creating a soft, thick, high-quality carpet.
Design Challenge: The rug is fully hand-stitched, cannot be imitated by a sewing machine. It takes one experienced woman-artisan 3 days to stitch one m2. It takes 6 sheep to make one rug of 3m by 2m size. The whole process is hand-made and very labor intensive.
Research: First, the technique itself was researched. Secondly, the ancient legends of central asian nomads were learned.The technique research included academic research about shyrdak making, traveling to Kyrgyzstan to remote mountainous region Naryn, where this technique is still kept by elder women, interviewing them, as well as participating in shyrdak making to experience and understanding the technique firsthand.
The research of nomadic legends included reading central asian literature and interviewing a university professor on Kyrgyz literature and history.
Inspiration: Inspired by a legend of Turkic and Mongolian people, about ancient goddess Umai - a benevolent spirit, the patroness of children and women. The mother goddess was depicted with golden hair, with a comb-shaped hairstyle. The rug drawing is depicting her loose hair in the wind
Project Duration: A custom rug takes two months to make including delivery. Workshop is located in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Operation Flow: It is a piece of art that could decorate your floor or wall.
Also helps with acoustics to limit noise pollution. It retains warmth when it is cold, and keeps a space cool when it is hot. It's antibacterial, and doesn't absorb odours.
Team Members: Aliya Rakhman
Image Credits: Image #1: Photographer Dias Nurmagambetov, Variations, 2020
Image #2: Photographer Dias Nurmagambetov, Variations, 2020
Image #3: Photographer Dias Nurmagambetov, Variations, 2020
Image #4: Photographer Dias Nurmagambetov, Variations, 2020
Image #5: Photographer Dias Nurmagambetov, Variations, 2020