”Human, creative biointelligence woven into the form of a material object

is a highly subversive act. It is the individual uncensored as the perfection

of pure love in total autonomy.”              Dr. Jacqueline Hobbs

In the 20 th century carpets were no longer considered simply the product of manual labor In Europe. They were creations requiring creative and conceptual abilities. Non-European art, the tradition of nordic weaving as well as  contemporary art and the exploration of new materials could lead to an ironic and also playful approach like in this case:  Starting with an A this handwoven carpet  is made from lambswool and newspaper fitting to the theme:

The Renaissance of Handwoven Carpets 

To weave carpets and tapisseries was - and in certain countries still is - a millennia old tradition. As a natural part of day-to day life they were used not only to cover floors but also as walls and even as doors. Last  but not least tapisseries were an essential part as decoration in private homes or even as precious artwork and picture of an historic event in palaces and public buildings.

Leo and Gretl Wollner started their career in the 50-ies of the last century. They were influenced by the tradition of the Wiener Werkstätte, the famous Viennese art and design movement of the beginning 20th century. For the artists and designers of the Wiener Werkstätte carpets were integral part of the whole.

They continued the tradition of hand-weaving for individual homes and public spaces. At the same time they developed carpet design for the industrialised production.  In their opinion it was essential to use their practical know-how and experience also for the industrial design in order  to master the industrial process in innovative ways.

Over six decades they continued to design and to weave carpets. Each new carpet was first developed from a range of paintings. Below there is an example from 1991.  One carpet design was chosen from  a range of paintings concerning a specific theme.  As you can see the painting is not identical with the carpet below but one can definitely see that it derives from the same theme. The reason being that the chosen design was used in the production process and therefor cannot be shown any more.

Another example from  1992: A range  of black and white figures - from which one was chosen to be woven:

Most of the carpets have a logo with black and white squares.  The logo was created by Leo Wollner following  the tradition of the Wiener Werkstätte where each  artist had an  individual signature.