By KRISTA HUNTER
An exhibition and sale of hand-knotted carpets coming to Timaru could represent a dying art.
More than 50 traditionally crafted Tibetan carpets will be on display at the Landing Service Building from Friday .
The exhibition of fine work is by Tibetan refugees now living in India and Nepal. The carpet-making skills are a legacy of more than 100,000 refugees who fled Tibet in 1959, to live in exile after the Chinese invasion of their country.
The carpets have been brought to New Zealand by Trade Aid and they provide a viable means of income for refugees, Trade Aid co-founder ViCottrell said.
But she said the Tibetan art of carpet making may die out.
“Young people don’t see sedentary, time-consuming work as a contemporary way to earn a living and they’re looking for other livelihoods. When the older craftspeople go, there may be none to carry on the tradition. The future of carpets like these has to be in question.”
Carpets have been commonly used in Tibet for at least 900 years, and the ones in the exhibition vary in size from chair mats to large floor rugs.
The hand-knotting creates the Tibetan rug’s characteristic dense pile, and the traditional designs are hand-sculptured after weaving. As well as Buddhist symbols, the designs include characters from Tibetan mythology, such as the snow lion, and Chinese motifs like the dragon.
Trade Aid deals directly with carpet producer co-operatives run by the weavers themselves. This fair trade practice cuts out the chain of middlemen who dominate the Asian carpet industry and return none of their considerable profit back to the artist weavers and their families. The carpet industry in Asia also has a reputation for using bonded or child labour.
“As a fair trade organisation, Trade Aid guarantees its carpets are bought from groups that reward the weavers fairly and provide good working conditions,” Ms Cottell said.
There will be a wide range of carpets and styles on display at the Landing Service Building From Friday until Sunday. All will be for sale.
