Sublime

Mark Handforth 🕯Italy, 2017. @mark.handforth #structuredmag

Formafantasma, Oltre Terra | NAM Nasjonalmuseet, Oslo NO Section 8. Wool carpet made from neglected Italian wool. @cc_tapis This carpet addresses the theme of discarded wool, as well as acting as a tactile surface on which to sit and watch the film. Produced in Italy thanks to @cc_tapis the carpet is made from the wool of 12 different sheep breeds common throughout the Italian territory: Sopravissana, Merinizzata Italiana, Gentile di Puglia, Tacola, Biellese, Bergamasca, Laticauda, Turchessa, Matesina, Comisana, Valle del Belice, Leccese. Wool from these sheep is rarely used and is difficult to dispose of. The quality of the fibres is generally considered too low for clothing industry standards, because of their thickness and consequent itchiness on the skin. The increasing standardization of materials and products and the introduction of cheaper alternatives such as cotton and synthetic fibres have reduced wool to 1% of the global textile market. Of this 1%, a large share is held by a few countries such as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, which have historically invested in intensive Merino sheep farming, a breed whose wool has long, thin fibres which are soft to the touch. This combination of factors has led to the collapse of the infrastructure that had previously collected, washed, and distributed local wools, leaving them extremely uncompetitive to the market. The carpet is an attempt to resist a simplistic definition of quality when it comes to wool fibres and proposes one example of how this kind of wool can actually be used. The straightforward design encourages appreciation of the differences in texture, thickness, colour, and tactility of the different wools. In addition, it is a reminder of the availability of such wools, which by virtue of their origin defy the illusion of an endless supply of uniform material. Video: Formafantasma, Wool carpet made from neglected Italian wool, 2023. Produced by @cc_tapis #formafantasma #oltreterra #NAMoslo #nasjonalmuseet #design #research #wool #exhibition @nasjonalmuseet