Tufting Workshop Reinventing the Carpet

Given the success of the first tufting workshop, we return to this contemporary textile technique with the artist Francisco Couto. In the month that celebrates Islamic Art, we begin by looking at Persian, Mongol and Transcaucasian carpets of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Taking these as their models, participants will be invited to reinterpret motifs and patterns and create a tapestry of their own. Today, tufting is a technique widely used in textile design: a tufting gun pushes woollen yarn through a backing cloth to create textured, colourful surfaces in relief. The workshop is led by the textile artist Francisco Couto and includes a presentation of the carpet collection by the Museum’s technical team. Participants are guided through their own individual project, from designing the motif to completing the piece. After the workshop the piece is finished by the artist-tutor and can be collected over the following 2 weeks. No previous experience is needed. Materials are provided by the Museum.