jan kath press booklet

Transcription

The Designer
bochum, berlin, …, new york
Quality and Manufacturing
Our Self-image
Hand knotted
hand tuft
info & photo-Download
www.jan-kath.com
Jan Kath
Press
Booklet
Erased Heritage
lost weave
Riot
Erased Classic
bidjar Evolution
Radi deluxe
Sari Deluxe
Spacecrafted
Tagged
Precious Panel
Le maroc blanc
Haîk
From Russia with love
Heiter bis Wolkig
Boro
Artwork
sliced
jan kath
Press booklet
Mauro & Spice
Tokio
2014
Information
unknown Artists
Page
01
Press contact
Gaby Herzog
RueckerstraSSe 7 10119 Berlin Germany
M: +49 (0) 163 776 70 53
gabyherzog@jan-kath.de
www.jan-kath.com
Jan Kath
Press
Booklet
www.jan-kath.com
Jan Kath Design GmbH headquarters
Friederikastrasse 148 44789 Bochum Germany
T: +49 (0) 234 941 23 44 F: +49 (0) 234 941 23 90
Press contact
jan kath
jan kath
Press booklet
info@jan-kath.com
Page
03
jan kath
Press booklet
He consciously breaks with traditional ways of seeing and throws strict rules of
composition out of the window. While an entire generation once rolled up their
grandmothers’ Persian rugs and exiled them from the living room, Kath’s designs
are now bringing them “back to the floor.” “Nobody feels really comfortable in
clinically styled apartments with highly polished concrete floors,” Kath explains.
“Our carpets are an organic dotting of the ‘i’, islands of wellbeing with a healing
effect in cool interiors – without destroying the overall style.” With his interpretation of the modern carpet, Kath has developed an unmistakable signature that
defines style and is one of the most important carpet designers on the international stage today. His concepts have earned numerous accolades, including the
Red Dot award and Carpet Design Award. More and more of his work is now appearing in museums that showcase art and design such as the Frankfurt Museum
of Applied Art, the Beijing International Design Triennial, Art Museum Riga
Bourse and the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich. Kath is an autodidact. The matrix
for his innovative designs is formed by a relationship to carpets with deep emotional roots: he is from the third generation of a family of carpet dealers who have
branches in the Ruhr and in Berlin. When he was just a young boy, he and his father, Martin Kath, used to visit manufacturers in Iran and Nepal. These experiences trained his eye and awakened a fundamental understanding of color combinations and proportions. At the same time, Kath never wanted to follow in the
footsteps of his parents, and he never intended to continue running the business
for them. In order to find his own way, he traveled through Asia and the Middle
East when he was 20 years old. During this trip, he wound up, more or less accidentally, in Nepal. There, friends of his family offered him the opportunity to start
working as a quality controller in their carpet production business. His “connection with the world of carpets” was reestablished. Later, Kath took control of the
manufacturing process and began to produce his own designs. Inspired by numerous trips through vibrant world cities such as Paris, Istanbul, New York, Tokyo, Beirut, Sydney, and, last but not least, his home – the Ruhr, with its archaic
industrial culture – he quickly developed an individual signature. Although the
allure created by imperfection, erosion, and transformation plays a central role in
his designs, Kath is “uncompromisingly conservative” where quality is concerned.
the designer
jan kath
You can be cool while still keeping your feet warm! With his
modern designs, Jan Kath (born 1972) is creating a completely
new perspective on carpets. Guided by a bold approach in his
work, Kath, originally from Bochum, combines classical elements of Oriental carpets with contemporary, minimalist
design.
www.jan-kath.com
THE
designer
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05
jan kath
Press booklet
Large-format carpets made of wool, shimmering silk, and stingingnettle fibers are shown to their best advantage in a light-flooded hall
that has the rough charm of the industrial culture of a past age. By prior
appointment, carpet dealers and their customers are allowed to have a
look around the private gallery, which adjoins the showroom. JK collections are sold around the world by selected trading partners. In recent
years, Jan Kath has developed into a very strong brand with a major
influence on trends in the carpet design industry. At one time, customers
used to look for a particular kind of carpet whose pattern was represen
tative of a certain region or people – for example a “Bidjar”, “Afghan”,
“Buchara”, or “Keshan”. Today, however, the most important factors are
the designer and the variety of ideas he or she has to offer. “People don’t
search through large piles of carpets looking for just any pretty pattern,”
explains Kath, pointing out that most customers ask explicitly for a
certain designer. “People want to see the individual signature in the
work – a concept that they can understand.” For this reason, Jan Kath
opened his first flagship store in the fall of 2011. His most recent collections are displayed in a 150 square meter gallery located at Brunnenstrasse 3 in the Mitte district of Berlin (near Rosenthaler Platz).The JK
store in Stuttgart (Wilhelmstrasse 8b), which opened its doors in 2012, is
100 square meters in size. In 2013 a store was opened in the Hafencity
district of Hamburg (Am Sandtorpark 14) in the immediate vicinity of the
traditional warehouse quarter, which for centuries has been one of the
largest marketplaces in the world for Oriental carpets. Jan Kath describes the 320-square-meter store in Cologne (Venloer Strasse 16) as a
carpet cathedral. The carpets are displayed on the six-meter-high walls
on the first floor, while the historical catacombs in the basement provide
a fascinating counterbalance. He also exhibits his designs in a 350
square meter converted loft close to the Marlborough Gallery and Pace
Gallery in New York (555 West 25th Street). The British magazine COVER
celebrated the inauguration of the Manhattan store with the words “Kath
is going global” and predicted that “it is only a matter of time until another Jan Kath shop pops up in a town near you …”
bochum, Berlin ...
showrooms
The Jan Kath Design creative center is located in an
old, 1,000 square meter factory loft at Friederika
strasse 148 in Bochum. The new collection is presented on temporary walls in the showroom, beneath old
steel beams and lifting cranes.
www.jan-kath.com
bochum
Berlin
Cologne
Hamburg
Stuttgart
new york
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07
Bochum
showroom
Am Sandtorpark 14 20457 Hamburg
T: +49 (0) 234 941 23 44 F: +49 (0) 234 941 23 90
T: +49 (0) 40 228 69 39 0 F: +49 (0) 40 228 69 39 09
info@jan-kath.com
Info@hamburg.jan-kath.de
Cologne
Store
Berlin
store
Jan Kath store Köln
Jan Kath store Berlin
Venloer Str. 16 50672 Köln
BrunnenstraSSe 3 10119 Berlin-Mitte
T: +49 (0) 221 94 967 940
T: +49 (0) 30 48 49 60 90
info@jan-kath-koeln.de
info@jan-kath-berlin.de
Stuttgart
store
new york
showroom
Jan Kath store Stuttgart
Jan Kath showroom Kyle and Kath LLC
Wilhelmstrasse 8b
555 West 25th St 2nd Floor
Ecke Heusteigstrasse 70182 Stuttgart
New York, NY 10001 United States
T: +49 (0) 711 518 90 350 F: +49 (0) 711 518 92 625
T: +1 646 74 52 555 F: +1 646 74 52 554
SHOP@STUTTGART.Jan-kath.de
info@nyc.jan-kath.com
jan kath
Press booklet
Jan Kath store Hamburg
Friederikastrasse 148 44789 Bochum
bochum, Berlin ...
showrooms
www.jan-kath.com
Hamburg
Store
www.jan-kath.com
Page
09
With regard to size, format, and materials, the carpets can be made
according to individual wishes. Even items from the collections can be
freely combined with one another in a kind of modular design system.
Yarns from wool, silk, and stinging nettles are available in a range of
over 1,200 colors. Kath’s modern designs first take shape on computers in the creative center in Bochum in the Ruhr district of Germany
and are sent electronically to be made in Nepal, Thailand, India, or
Morocco. Nevertheless, he relies on long-established production
methods for the realization of his ideas. The carpets are handwoven in
the Himalayas in Agra, the ancient Mogul capital in India or in the
Atlas mountains of Morocco in line with centuries-old traditions and
at manufacturing sites that are often still run as small family businesses. There are between 100 and 450 knots in every square inch of
carpet (6.45 square centimeters). It takes three to four months to
weave a carpet measuring 2.5 × 3 meters. For the collections made in
Asia, the basic material is Tibetan highland wool, which is of the highest grade and has the most robust quality available. Shepherds use
yaks to bring the wool from the mountains to the base station, where
it is washed in the river before being carded (combed) and spun by
hand. Only ecologically tested dyes that are purely natural or specially
produced in Switzerland are used in the dyeing process. In addition to
the wool, the finest Chinese silk and yarn from stinging-nettle fibers
help create appealing reflections and an exceptional haptic experience. One-of-a-kind natural materials in combination with manual
production techniques lend each carpet its own particular character,
making it a unique piece.
jan kath
Press booklet
Jan Kath is one of the most important carpet designers
on the international stage. His carpets can be found
everywhere – in the homes of Arabian royalty, in the
Washington residence of former US President Bill
Clinton, in the villa of rock star Anthony Kiedis in
Hawaii, in private suites at the “Four Seasons” in Cairo,
on the luxury yachts of multinational oil conglomerates, and in the showrooms of important Parisian fashion labels.
Quality and
Manufacturing
Quality
and
Manufacturing
info & Photo-Download
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Page
11
STEP was founded as an independent non-governmental organization
in 1995 by well-known aid organizations such as Bread for the World,
Caritas, and Swissaid. It has an active local presence in all of the
major carpet-producing countries, including Afghanistan, India, Iran,
Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, and Turkey. Independent inspec
tors regularly visit production sites to check the working conditions.
Based on current market prices, Label STEP calculates the wages required by carpet weavers and other workers to cover the cost of food,
health care, living, energy, clothes, and education for themselves and their families. Both STEP and Jan Kath are firmly against
exploitative child labor. A system of fair trade and rigorous regulation
helps to prevent child labor and also combats its causes by improving
working conditions and increasing wages. It also creates prospects
for young people: only when parents earn enough to secure a livelihood for their families, can they afford to send their children to school
instead of letting them work. “I’ve lived and worked in Nepal and
Mongolia for several years myself,” says Kath. He feels a close con
nection with the locals in these countries and visits the production
facilities every month. “Of course, it’s a moral imperative. But it’s also
in our own interest as a business to make sure that we provide the
right working conditions. We set up day cares so our employees’
children don’t run around playing between the weaving stools. This
gives our workers the peace and quiet they need to concentrate –
many of our designs are highly intricate and difficult to create. We also
want to keep the craft of weaving appealing. After all, we need a
motivated skilled workforce in our factories, both for today and in the
future.” To find out more, visit www.label-step.org
jan kath
Press booklet
Fair payment and good working conditions are a
matter, of course, for Jan Kath. Together with Label
STEP, we are fully committed to adhering to strict
social and ecological standards in the production
of carpets.
Our Self-image
Manufacturing
Our
Self-image
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jan kath
Press booklet
To produce a piece that is 2.5 meters wide, four or five carpet weavers sit
side by side on a bench. Stretched out in front of them on the loom are
the warp threads, which form the basic frame of the rug. The carpet
weavers need to work in complete harmony and at an equal pace. This is
because our rugs grow horizontally. Once a row is complete, the knots
are fixed in place with the “closing thread” and packed tight using a
comb hammer. Only then is it possible to begin the next row of knots.
It requires real teamwork. The more complex a design is, the more
detailed the knot pattern becomes, and the longer it takes to realize a
piece in textile form. JAN KATH has always supported the traditional
method of tying knots by hand. Although his designs break away from
traditional ways of seeing the world, he favors styles of craftsmanship
that have existed for hundreds of years when it comes to production. For
16 years now, the factory workers in Kathmandu, Nepal, have used
Tibetan techniques. However, it goes without saying that the art of weaving by hand is not confined to the Himalayas. Many countries and cultures have produced carpets with their own individual character. In
Persia, the birthplace of the rug, it is not uncommon for techniques and
signature features to vary from village to village. “I adore these different
forms of expression, and I have made it my mission to keep them alive,”
explains Kath. “In Morocco, for example, we use a nomadic Berber technique that results in a rustic, archaic effect.” This seemingly unsophisticated method causes the yarn to open on the surface, which is the only
way to allow the rich sheen of the white wool from the Atlas highlands to
come into its own. Jan Kath also uses the Turkish knotting method,
which has transcended the geographical boundaries of weaving regions.
“We use this technique for projects in Anatolia and Agra, in the ancient
Mogul capitals of India and in our experimental workshop in Afghanistan.”
After the carpet has grown inch by inch over several months on the loom
and the last knot has been tied, the second stage can begin: washing.
This is an important process that has a major influence on the final look
of a piece. It can bring out the brilliance of the colors or give them an
emphatically subdued appearance. The wash is therefore responsible
for deciding whether a carpet looks brand new or centuries old. In order
to give pieces their final shape, they are stretched on a frame when still
wet and carefully laid out to dry in the sun in inner courtyards and on the
roofs of houses. It is a sophisticated art to get the finer details just right.
HAND-knotted
Manufacturing
A carpet grows very slowly. Row by row, centimeter by
centimeter, the pattern appears like a page emerging
from an inkjet printer. When a hand-made rug by JAN
KATH is created, it takes between 100 and 450 knots to
complete every 6.45 square centimeters, or one square
inch.
www.jan-kath.com
HANDknotted
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hand tuft
jan kath
Press booklet
HAND TUFT
M anufacturing
His customers include Tiffany, Boss, Ferragamo, and one of the most successful
names in French fashion. The quality of JK tufting is extremely robust. In com
parison to handwoven items, tufted carpets can be produced at a significantly
faster rate. In summer 2011, a TV audience of 30 million looked on as Prince
Albert II and his bride Charlène walked down the aisle at their fairytale wedding
in Monaco. The aisle was covered with a truly magnificent piece – designed by Jan
Kath – a 103-meter-long red carpet, weighing 1.3 tons, and with a fine white silk
border. It was produced in Thailand in just two months; had it been handwoven,
production would have taken at least three years. The main feature of the manual
tufting method is that individual threads are not individually tied around a warp
thread, but are shot from a tufting gun onto a prepared base material. Thanks to
this technology, production times are shorter and it is possible to create carpets
of a much larger size. The tufting process has now been refined to such an extent
that almost every well-known Jan Kath design can be realized in this way. These
carpets have a special depth and power of expression with their combination of
winding and velour textures, diverse use of materials (silk, wool, rayon, and even
hemp), and varied pile heights. For large projects, Jan Kath guarantees a delivery
time of between 8 and 10 weeks including delivery, setting new standards in the
tufting industry.
www.jan-kath.com
Jan Kath considers himself a couturier for floors. For
large projects such as luxury hotels and exclusive shops or
VIP lounges in airports he also produces high-quality handtufted carpets made in factories.
HAND TUFT
M anufacturing
jan kath
Press booklet
www.jan-kath.com
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www.jan-kath.com
Erased
Heritage
ers around the world read the pattern from a drawing,
directions for pieces in the Erased Heritage collection are
sung aloud. The loom master, head of the carpet weavers,
sits with a drawing of the knotting instructions opposite
the workers. From this position, he reads out commands
such as “seven coral red”, “five garnet”, “two beige”, and
so on. He then translates this information into a kind of
chant and sings the next steps to those tying the knots in a
rich, sonorous voice. “This unorthodox process is used by
small family businesses,” notes Kath. “It’s extremely laborintensive, and not at all straightforward to apply these old
production methods to my designs. But the effort is definitely worthwhile. The results are carpets with a revolutionary look that combine old and new in a way that has
never been done before.”
erased heritagE
collection
But the simple reproduction of old ideas is not the “JK”
philosophy. The inclusion of the word “Erased” in the collection name is a clear indication that Kath incorporates
his trademark alienation effects in these creations. A specially developed antique finishing technique makes it look
as if new rugs have already been lying on the parlor floor
of a manor house for years on end. “Just like every Bavarian village has its own traditional dress, every community,
region, and cultural group in the East has developed a
particular style of carpet. It’s fascinating how, over the
centuries, different areas have developed such different
signature features and styles,” explains Kath. “With the
Erased Heritage collection, we are helping to make sure
that these ideas survive into the modern age.” This is true
not only for the patterns and materials used, but also for
the unique method of production: while most carpet weav-
jan kath
Press booklet
Back to the roots! The “Erased Heritage” collection pays homage to the traditional Oriental
carpet. Finding inspiration from old patterns, techniques, and standards of quality, Jan
Kath also turns to old master weavers to bring these designs back to life. Knot by knot,
they hand produce Egyptian Mamluks, Iranian Bidjars, and Turkish Konyas using the original colors.
erased heritagE
collection
jan kath
Press booklet
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lost weave
says Kath. “Using nothing more than their gut instinct, these
women create masterpieces of design.” Gebhart Blazek, a
friend of many years and the owner of the Berber Arts
gallery in Graz, Austria, is an internationally recognized
expert in old and ancient textile art from Morocco. “Gebhart
finds the most beautiful examples of these boucherouites,”
Kath explains. “His fine sense for quality, rare designs and
wild coolness has influenced me a lot, and it is always a
pleasure to work with him.” A number of carpets from
Blazek’s collection were also an inspiration for LOST
WEAVE. Fragments were adapted and pieced together in
new compositions. For materials, Kath does not use old
clothes, but hand-processed highland wool from Tibet, Chinese silk and nettle fiber. He has these yarns woven in the
Wang Deng style – a technique that was also used to produce cushions for Tibetan monks. In this collection from Jan
Kath, methods, materials, colors and inspirations are
brought together from various continents to create something completely new.
lost weave
collection
Jan Kath plays with the emotions of people who view his
work. “The charm of this carpet is that it seems to have
been left to chance with a thirst for anarchy,” the designer
explains. However, this vitality has been skillfully arranged
and can be reproduced. “Of course, every single knot has
been planned with precision and is realized in the
workshops of Nepal with close attention to detail.” However, the inspiration for LOST WEAVE does not come from
the Himalayas, but from Morocco. Carpets in this country
known as boucherouite are hand-made by women at home
for their own use. When many nomadic tribes from the
Atlas mountains began to settle in the ’60s and ’70s, the
change in lifestyle meant that wool became scarce. As an
alternative, people began to make traditional carpets out
of recycled clothes, cloth and even strips of plastic. The
term boucherouite comes from the Moroccan Arabic “bu
sherwit”, which can be translated as “a piece made from
second-hand material”. “For me, this is one of the most impressive forms of organic art I have seen in a long time,”
jan kath
Press booklet
The weavers of the LOST WEAVE collection appear to have chosen the colors as the mood
took them: a few knots of white wool with a scattering of black or lemon yellow here and
there. The basic pattern of vertical pink stripes is only hinted at and is often interrupted.
Dabs of blue wool – a mistake? Or perhaps even a spot of ink?
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www.jan-kath.com
Jan Kath has been breaking with old visual styles and conventions in his work for a number of years. He plays with
classic designs and combines various materials and knotting techniques. He brings new subject matter to the
carpet that has never before been discussed and makes it
acceptable, setting new standards in the process. Only the
shape of the classic carpet has provided him with a firm
framework to date. This has all changed in the RIOT col
lection. The rectangle has been replaced by an incredibly
detailed shape that seems to have grown almost organically. Light indentations and gentle curves, but also harsh
spikes form the outline of the carpet. Yet these effects and
the multilayered shades of color do not come about by
chance. They can be precisely reproduced. The unusual
shape is described in detail in the design template and set
up accordingly in the frame before knotting even begins.
Architects and designers who wish to work with this collection are very welcome to develop their own shapes and they
can also define other details such as the pile height and
color combination. RIOT has a densely packed surface
consisting of silk and hand-carded and hand-spun Tibetan
highland wool. It is around three centimeters high and
weighs approximately five kilos per square meter, making
it one of the most opulent carpets in the Jan Kath collections. From a technical perspective, the collection, which is
made in the workshops in Nepal, is a huge challenge, but
at the same time it provides a sound basis for really new
ideas …
Riot
Collection
A piece of handmade felt? A bed of dense forest moss? A piece of oxidized copper? Handmade
paper with frayed edges? This organic-looking hand-knotted carpet triggers many different associations.
jan kath
Press booklet
riot
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www.jan-kath.com
This is how the ERASED CLASSIC collection was born – an
entirely new formal language that Jan Kath is constantly
developing. Professor Volker Fischer from the Frankfurt
Museum of Applied Arts writes, “Jan Kath is the poet of
the past and currently the most distinguished designer of
‘memento mori’ products.” The aesthetics of mortality
and decay represent a driving force to Jan Kath. In this
regard, he has been inspired by his visits both to the
world’s largest cities and, very significantly, by his own
home, the Ruhr. Derelict mines, weathered old storehouses, and the reclamation of space by nature are of
particular interest to him, as is the tension between old
and new. The photo shoot for the current carpet catalog
was set in industrial sites; the destroyed ornamental elements of the carpet are the link between the raw look of
the buildings and the refined materials. “Perfection and
smoothness are boring for our eyes,” says Kath. The designer explains his fascination of handwoven carpets:
“Machines don’t make mistakes. While it is true that our
weavers at manufacturing sites in Kathmandu strive for
perfection, irregularities still arise from the manual weaving
of natural materials. These ‘programmed errors’ are what
make the carpets so inspired and alive. To a large extent,
they are what create the depth of the design.”
erased classic
collection
Motifs taken from Italian wall coverings and Indian saris form the basis of this multiaward-winning collection. The strictly ordered ornamental elements of traditional
carpets are broken up. In some places, the patterns, which were originally repeated per
fectly, seem to have been obliterated, soaked with acid and corroded.
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Press booklet
Erased Classic
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www.jan-kath.com
bidjar
EVOLUTION
bidjar EVOLUTION
collection
The fun factor, which gave the collection the second part of its name, “ENJOY,” does not end
with these intense, positive colors. During a soccer match between two teams in the German
Bundesliga (a relegation game between VfL Bochum and Borussia Mönchengladbach), the
designer traced the ball’s path using a digital pen on the monitor. He then combined the
jumble of lines resulting from all the passes and shots on goal with the BIDJAR pattern. The
“offshoot” of the carpet had been created by the twentieth minute of the game, and its
“little brother” was complete by half-time – in this way, a trilogy came into being that has
now been creatively developed to result in a quintet of carpets. The original Bidjar (not its
namesake, which was sold during the heyday of the Oriental carpet) has always been
synonymous with quality and extreme robustness. In keeping with tradition, Kath therefore
uses a particularly dense and thick pile for the BIDJAR EVOLUTION collection. The carpets
are knotted by hand over a period of months using hand-spun Tibetan highland wool, silk,
and stinging-nettle fiber. The opulent “mother carpet” is made with traditional tassels while
the four eroded “offshoots” of the carpet have a colorful kilim border. This gives the carpet
additional strength and underscores its high quality like a flamboyant stroke of the brush.
Designers and architects can now treat the collection like a modular system.
jan kath
Press booklet
The original basic pattern that inspired this collection comes from
north-west Persia – a carpet made in small villages close to the
border between Iran and Turkey: the “Bidjar”. Jan Kath has invented a
new take on this floral design with his repeating patterns, reinter
preting the “Bidjar” in seven contemporary color combinations.
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The choice of powerful fluorescent colors such as neon
green, orange, bright purple, and electric pink means that
motifs borrowed from Italian wall coverings and Spanish
carpets that usually have a simple, noble effect are given a
completely different mode of expression. The two designs,
which are not at all alike, are not intended to compete with
each other. Instead, they blend together to create a new,
unexpected sense of vitality. The carpets are both fas
cinating and bewildering to behold. People who see them
will ask whether the decoration was added after the
carpet was made, or whether some of these features were
removed later in the process. “The best way to solve this
puzzle is to use your hands,” explains Kath. “Anyone who
runs their palm over the combination of material – wool,
silk, and stinging-nettle fiber – will easily notice that the
erosion is nothing more than an optical illusion. Both the
pattern and the background are designed with precision
before each individual knot is tied by hand to make the
carpet a reality.” Jan Kath has also resurrected tassels in
this collection. Long and brightly colored, they give these
carpets an additional, slightly “hippie-esque” touch. Kath’s
building-block concept also holds true for Radi Deluxe –
customers are free to choose not only the design combi
nation, but also the colors, materials, knot density and size.
radi deluxe
collection
Everything is allowed, as long as it’s fun! In “Radi Deluxe”, Jan Kath has freely combined his
two most successful collections. Radi forms the background with its dynamically organic
design. On top of this are elements from Erased Classic that provide the carpet with a
pattern and a new structure.
jan kath
Press booklet
radi
deluxe
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www.jan-kath.com
sari
deluxe
sari Deluxe
collection
The saris are first cut into fine strips, which are then painstakingly separated,
cleaned and sorted by color before being used as pile material. With bright azure
blues, radiant moss greens, and bold garnet reds, it is an uncommon vibrancy of
color that makes these carpets so unique. Throughout the city of Agra, in the
heart of the former Mogul Empire, factory workers make the carpets by hand.
Originally from Persia, the Moguls introduced the craft of carpet-making to the
subcontinent in the 16th century. It is an area where the art is very much alive to
this day – a testimony to the Islamic rulers of that time, just like the Taj Mahal,
the world-famous tomb. Some of Kath’s designs are carpets on which the sari
silk is knotted in geometric patterns in line with Oriental tradition, but he also
creates carpets using gradations of just one color. “Particularly with the tonal
varieties it is clear to see just how complex the material is,” Kath explains. Even
when the colors are separated by hand, they are never completely identical. Here
and there you can see a thin strand of gold thread in the fabric or a dab of neon
red. “Every sari we use has a story of its own – and this is what they tell us when
they’re in our carpets.”
jan kath
Press booklet
We want more color! In his “Sari Deluxe” collection, Jan Kath
focuses on the electrifying radiance of traditional Indian
dress. In doing so, he uses only the very finest silk cloths
worn by Indian women for special celebrations. The designer
refers to this as “luxury recycling”.
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“For years I had wanted to use the images of this awe-inspiring stellar spectacle in my textile work,” says Kath.
“But only now, with 15 years’ experience and a huge pool
of expertise, are we technically in a position to produce
these images in the highest resolution. The result is photo
realistic and quality of this kind has never before been
achieved on the market.” Only a small, select group of
highly qualified weavers in our workshops in Kathmandu
have the skills to take on this challenge. Just like a pixel in
a digital photo, each individual knot has to be added and
inspected. There are 150 to 200 knots in every square inch
(23 – 31 knots per square centimeter) and up to 60 colors
are used, vividly reproducing even subtle asteroid nebulae
and the most delicate gas clouds. It appears as if the in
visible has been rendered visible. Besides excellent technical skills, the use of the finest raw materials also plays
a central role in achieving such a perfect result. A high
percentage of Chinese silk and hand-carded and handspun Tibetan highland wool is used in SPACECRAFTED.
The material mix significantly contributes to the fact that
the designs possess unique power and depth. In contrast
to a photo, these carpets have a third dimension. Spacecrafted takes the beholder on a long journey. The collection
conveys a sense of wanderlust, desire, and adventurous
spirit and – from a technical perspective – it represents a
departure into a new carpet dimension …
SpaceCrafted
Collection
Infinite expanse, distant galaxies, inconceivable depth, and an aesthetic that mankind could
never create. During his travels in the Himalayas, on the Roof of the World, Jan Kath was
especially fascinated by the unique night sky in Nepal, far away from the light pollution of
our civilization. Yet it was the shots taken by the Hubble Space Telescope that first gave us a
glimpse of the hitherto only imagined majestic splendor and colorful opulence of space.
These images served as inspiration for the SPACECRAFTED collection.
jan kath
Press booklet
Spacecrafted
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37
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Tagged
as if silk is bubbling out of the background. “Until now
there was a clear rule: either tuft OR knot,” the designer
explains. In the world of graffiti, a “tag” is the name given
to an artist’s signature, and in this JK collection, a tufting
gun is used much like the spray can of a graffiti artist.
“We have created a brand new genre with this method,
setting new benchmarks in the world of art and design.”
The two manufacturing processes do not compete in any
way. In fact, one emphasizes the unique character of the
other. The hand-knotted foundation acts as a stage for
the tufting, while the monochrome high-tech structure
underlines the depth of the traditional production technique.
TAGGED won the “Carpet Design Award” in the category
“Best Innovation”and it was shown in several art exibitions.
tagged
collection
With each hand-tied knot using traditional templates in
small factories, a classic Oriental rug serves as the
foundation for this exclusive, unique work of art. The wool
is hand-spun and dyed using natural pigments. A specially
developed antique finishing technique makes it look as if
the rug has been lying in the salon of an old manor house
for years on end. In other words, it’s a new “old” rug. “It’s
actually perfect the way it is now, but perfect is boring,”
says Kath before moving on to the next step and applying
the rug’s signature feature – a bright pink, golden, or
vibrant blue silk. Using a special technique, graphics, and
slogans such as “Make Rugs, not War”, “Sex, Rugs, and
Rock ‘n’ Roll”, and “This Is a Rug Revolution” appear like
graffiti on the traditional knotted surface. It almost looks
jan kath
Press booklet
Is that even possible? In this collection, Jan Kath combines a centuries-old knotting
technique with modern hand-tufting technology. The result is a whole new look that will
captivate the attention of everyone who sees it. The designer calls it “Tagged”.
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The carpets in the PRECIOUS PANEL collection are knotted
by hand in the workshops in Nepal with a density of 100
knots per square inch (16 knots per square centimeter). It
is this exceedingly fine knot density and the skilful combination of various color tones that produces the metallic
effect. The generous use of the finest Chinese silk and especially high-quality, hand-combed Tibetan highland wool
gives the carpets their special luster and sheen.The collection is especially geared toward architects and designers
who develop entire living concepts and for whom these
carpets are intended to be a link between the color scheme
of the room and the furniture. Accordingly, Jan Kath is
reacting to current trends in fashion and interior design,
which feature a mix of metals and materials. Like almost
all JK carpets, the various designs in this collection can
be produced in any size. In close collaboration with the
customer, it is also possible to modify the metal tone in line
with individual wishes.
Precious Panel
Collection
Jan Kath’s maxim: “You can be cool without getting cold feet,” is particularly apt for this
new collection. In PRECIOUS PANEL, the designer creates a kind of confusion which is cool
to look at, yet warm to the touch. At first glance it appears as though a barely five-milli
meter-thick solid metal sheet is lying on the floor. Only at close range does the beholder
realize that it is not a solid piece of copper, brass, or brushed aluminum, and that no
metallic materials or special chemical dyes have been used at all.
jan kath
Press booklet
Precious
Panel
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41
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These pieces filled the tents – voluminous, rustic carpets
that served to insulate the floor from cold, and to make the
space more livable. This ancient, high-quality weaving
tradition has always fascinated Jan Kath, and he decided
to revive it in his collection Le Maroc blanc. In keeping with
tradition, he has the carpets manufactured according to
old methods. Whether the yarn is white, brown, or even
deep black, the wool comes from Moroccan sheep in the
Atlas Mountains, and retains its natural color. To a large
extent, the designs are also based on ancient, traditional
Berber patterns, and are woven by the grandchildren and
great-grandchildren of the nomadic women. Because the
weaving chairs are now located in small mountain villages
surrounding the city of Azilal and no longer need to be
transported, the formats can be larger. It is no longer rare
to find Berber rugs by Jan Kath measuring 4 x 5 meters –
vast pieces that transform a room in a unique way. Kath
leaves nothing to chance. As organic as the knots might
seem, every deviation and irregularity in the pattern is
intentional, creating a highly unusual, vibrant look.
le maroc blanc
collection
These carpets make you want to lie down and sleep on them. Just like flat Kilim carpets,
the naturally white, fluffy Berber rugs have a tradition in Morocco that is centuries old.
At their small, portable weaving chairs, nomad women wove carpets that were narrow but
often quite long.
jan kath
Press booklet
le maroc blanc
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43
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Haîk
the cloths. Every woman lets her imagination run wild and
they are also inspired by the work of others. These ancient
production methods and the highly intuitive approach to
using colors and patterns also form the basis of the Haîk
collection from Jan Kath. The kelims are weaved and subsequently finished in small workshops in the High Atlas in
Morocco. “It is the colors of the desert that bring the
warmth of Africa to the living room,” explains Jan Kath. It
goes without saying that each carpet that is commissioned
is also based on a detailed design template. “Since our
hand-carded and hand-spun wool is highly individual and
vibrant, it absorbs the color in a slightly different way each
time, making every carpet truly unique.”
Haîk
collection
Their so-called Haîks are made from finely spun sheep’s
wool on simple, transportable looms. The initially offwhite cloths, which are wrapped around the body, get their
special charm from the rustic patterns, for which the
women use special natural colors extracted from plants
and minerals that they find in their surrounding area.
Various brown tones are produced from boiled acorns and
tree bark. Flower pollen provides bright yellow, henna a
deep orange, and dark red is obtained from the peel of
pomegranates. The cloths are often embroidered before
they are dipped in the dye bath. The color pigments are
unable to work their way into the covered areas and this
produces an attractive pattern once the threads are
removed again. There are no strict rules when designing
jan kath
Press booklet
New apparel for the floor. In the Haîk collection, Jan Kath transposes the patterns of
traditional Moroccan robes to the carpet. The clothing and headscarves still lovingly
made at home by the nomadic women in remote regions of North Africa serve as his
template.
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This produces not only rustic, but also elegant designs and they suddenly take on
a completely different form. The Mauro Verona is an especially interesting example of this. In the Mauro & Spice collection, the Verona design with its classic
ornamentation is transformed into a design with an additional level. Just like the
hand-carded and hand-spun Tibetan highland wool used by Jan Kath, the nettle
fibers are also harvested in the Himalayas. After harvesting, the stem of the plant
is dried, split, and splayed out. It is subsequently washed gently and then spun
into a thread by hand. The thread resembles raw tussore silk. In short, Mauro &
Spice = pure organic luxury!
Mauro & Spice
Collection
Nettle fibers form the basic material in the “Mauro & Spice”
collection, giving the carpets a special vibrancy and depth.
Only individual accents are set using wool and silk. The ma
terial composition gives the carpets an unspoiled natural
charm. The choice of dyes is also characteristic: plants are
increasingly being used alongside tested natural dyes.
jan kath
Press booklet
Mauro
& Spice
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47
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The collection is also inspired by carpets made in Karabakh
and other provinces in southern Russia around 1900. The
patterns are created using rich, bright colors of Tibetan
highland wool and Chinese silk, making each final product
a unique and emotionally powerful piece of art. These
carpets dictate the character of the space they are in and
create a focal point of interest. Jan Kath’s trademark
alienation effects are not missing from the From Russia
with Love collection. The customer can choose from the
complete traditional pattern or a variation of this. Sometimes the decoration looks like it has been cut out with a
fencing foil, while other varieties look as if a careless
decorator has left large blobs of paint on the carpet. The
inclusion of the phrase “disco gol farang” in the collection
title is Kath’s reference to old carpet traditions. “Gol farang”
is Persian (Farsi) for “foreign flower”. In a more precise sense,
the word “farang” is a malapropism of the Franks that was
used to describe carpets characterized by influences from
other countries. It was not uncommon for royal houses in
France and Poland to have carpets made in Persia according
to their own ideas. In this way, they impacted design ideas in
the traditional countries of production. “It’s fun to make
changes,” remarks Kath. “And I don’t want to make the
same thing forever.” He plays with long-established motifs,
reinterpreting them as the trademark Jan Kath signature
continues to evolve.
From Russia ...
collection
It would be difficult to surpass the opulence of this design. Magnificent roses and lavish
floral wreaths form the basic pattern of the carpet. The petaled motifs are reminiscent of
the traditional shawls and headscarves still worn by old Russian women in rural areas to
this day.
jan kath
Press booklet
From Russia
with love
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49
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Always in motion – clouds are impressive snapshots in
time. For his new heiter bis wolkig collection, Jan Kath
was inspired by the works of the baroque painters of the
16th and 17th centuries, who he discovered on his travels
through the Alpine region. The artists captured a piece of
idealized sky in the domes of magnificent churches. The
Dutch masters and their archaic sea battles in oil also influenced this collection. In heiter bis wolkig, Jan Kath
brings the sky to the living room floor. Even though the
featured weather conditions are still as dramatically
opulent and powerful, the carpets never appear brash, but
have a calming effect on the soul and eyes. The collection
is also a technical challenge. To render the images of the
sky as realistically as possible in all their multilayered
glory, even the smallest color nuances and shadings have
to be reproduced. Up to 30 blue or gray tones are used in
the carpets. The material mix so typical of Jan Kath’s
carpets – hand-carded and hand-spun Tibetan highland
wool and Chinese silk – gives the designs a special depth
and three-dimensionality. Every knot is carefully planned
beforehand and perfectly reproduced by the weavers in
the workshops in Kathmandu … The interplay between the
design and the high-quality raw materials also turns the
cloudscape into an experience that you can almost feel …
as if the clouds were actually under your feet.
Heiter bis Wolkig
Collection
Living in the clouds ... The view of the sky has fascinated us since the beginning of time.
Promisingly bright when the cumulus clouds build up like thick, white balls of cotton
wool. Disquieting and full of energy when a storm is brewing over the sea.
jan kath
Press booklet
Heiter bis wolkig
Page
51
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The carpets have a multilayered effect. “The look reminds
me of a wall that has had many layers of paint applied to it,
one on top of another, which are now peeling away,” Kath
explains. “This is an image you see every day in the Ruhr.
The post-industrial charm of dilapidated mining sites has
always interested me. With the Boro collection we are
breaking through geometry, scratching at the straight line.
Because of this, the pieces never seem cold and static.”
The selection of materials also makes an important con
tribution to the vitality of the carpets. The hand-combed
and hand-spun Tibetan highland wool, Chinese silk, and
stinging-nettle fibers create varying light reflections, giving
the carpets their almost transparent depth. The traditional
manufacturing process can be sensed when you look at
the carpet. The pieces are woven by hand and slowly come
into being over a period of months. As a result, each carpet
has its own individual history. The Boro line can also be
merged with other collections by Jan Kath. One example of
this is the model Boro 10. Behind the even strips that run
vertically over the carpet, individual ornamental elements
from the Erased Classic collection emerge. Like the
design itself, customers can freely choose the size, knot
density, color, and materials of the carpet.
boro
collection
The inspiration for the “Boro” design is ancient patchwork art from Japan, which involves
sewing together long strips of worn materials to form exclusive wall hangings. Jan Kath
has found a new interpretation for this idea in his designs.
jan kath
Press booklet
boro
Page
53
www.jan-kath.com
Jan Kath has transposed the profound color spectacle to the carpet. In the ARTWORK collection, wool is used to “paint” instead of a brush. What appears to the
beholder to be random has actually been precisely specified by the designer in his
template and can be perfectly reproduced by the experienced weavers in the workshops in Kathmandu. To reproduce the complexity of the design as precisely as
possible, the weavers often change the material knot after knot. As such, up to
24 colors may be used in a single carpet. The material mix of the finest Chinese
silk, Tibetan highland wool, and nettle fibers gives the carpets exceptional depth
and expressive power. The abstract ARTWORK collection is a new, further enrichment in the design portfolio of Jan Kath. Like almost all collections, it goes without
saying that alterations and adjustments of all kinds can be made depending on the
project.
ARTWORK
Collection
Rich color pigments, arranged on top of one another layer
by layer on a canvas, appear to form the basis of this collection. Over the course of time the colors are eroded, scraped
off, and wiped away. Time is the artist behind these works. A
touch of white peers through the top layer; the pink underneath shimmers through only very gently. The red tone blazes
more clearly elsewhere and sets a bold accent.
jan kath
Press booklet
ArtWork
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55
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Although these pieces have a cool marble appearance,
they are made from warm Tibetan highland wool combined
with a very high percentage of silk, which creates a fasci
nating contrast that holds the viewer’s gaze. They ennoble
a room in the truest sense of the word. It is as if a centi
meter-thick slice of radiant blue agate with crystal
inclusions and faults developed over millennia were lying
in the living room or entry hall. “With the Sliced collection
we are demonstrating once again that you can create a
cool look in a room without risking cold feet,” Kath explains.
The realization of the design is an extremely timeconsuming process. Since there is no recurring pattern, it represents a special challenge to even the most experienced
weavers in the small workshops of Nepal. “The structures
are so varied and deeply filigreed that the craftsmen often change the material from knot to knot,” Kath notes.
“But it is precisely this natural anarchy of thousands and
thousands of color points that makes the pieces unique.”
Sliced
collection
Jewelry for floors: emerald, hematite, quartz, and agate. In the collection “Sliced”, the design template is derived from nature. Jan Kath’s carpets reproduce “cross-sections of elegant” precious and semi-precious stones – an idea that earned him the “Wallpaper Design
Award” for best rug.
jan kath
Press booklet
sliced
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57
www.jan-kath.com
tokio
tokio
collection
Carpets become art, and art becomes carpets. In this process, millions of pixels
from the digital original are translated knot by knot into silk and wool – a
technique that demands the highest level of skill and presents the craft of carpet
making in a new light. The concept also attracts an entirely new clientele.
Carpets in the Tokio collection are a phenomenal play of colors. On closer
inspection, the observer will begin to recognize night scenes from the Japanese
metropolis: high-rise buildings, illuminated advertising, bicycles, posters, and
people. The motifs overlap on many levels, melting into each other. Some
images are reflected, while others multiply – a kaleidoscopic effect that draws
your gaze into this extraordinary carpet. Details that went unnoticed now come
to the fore: a small kitten on the corner of the road, share prices on a display
screen, the face of a young woman as she sneaks a glance from beneath her
umbrella. Above all of these details, almost like a secret message, Japanese
and Chinese lettering shimmer on the surface. “It doesn’t matter whether
you’re standing on the carpet, looking at it on the ground from further away, or
admiring the work as a wall hanging – it will always offer you a different,
captivating picture,” says Kath. “The carpet has become a canvas that you can
walk on and feel with your hands, which is a revolution in the way we normally
perceive the world around us.”
jan kath
Press booklet
You could get lost in these carpets. In his “Tokio” collection,
Jan Kath recreates the pictures of famous artistic photographer Stefan Emmelmann as pieces of textile artwork.
It is an entirely new dimension in the world of decorative
carpets.
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www.jan-kath.com
In the UNKNOWN ARTISTS collection, Jan Kath has
now brought the designs of unknown graffiti artists
from New York City, Los Angeles and other major cities
onto carpets, raising the curtain on a new stage for
street art. Even the finest gradation of color is reproduced
using some 150,000 knots per square meter, taking four
experienced carpet weavers three months to create the
elaborate fabric mural out of wool and silk. “I get the
inspiration for my carpets when I am traveling around
the world,” explains Kath. He shows an equal interest in
traditions that are hundreds of years old and contemporary underground culture. “I try to bring these two
worlds into contact. I am fascinated by the power and
decisiveness of graffiti artists. Kyle Clarkson, my friend
and business partner from New York who also manages
our showroom in Manhattan, discovered and photographed many of these works. By copying the feats of
anonymous artists using an elaborate manual process,
we aim to give their work a new dimension and to generate new perspectives.”
UNKNOWN ARTISTS
collection
In a brief moment when nobody’s looking, usually in a matter of mere minutes, the walls of
houses are sprayed with graffiti. People have acknowledged for a long time that, more
often than not, such graffiti is an exciting work of art, a powerful expression of the
zeitgeist and the mood of an entire generation – not just smears of paint.
jan kath
Press booklet
UNKNOWN
ARTISTS
Press contact
Gaby Herzog
RueckerstraSSe 7 10119 Berlin
M: +49 (0) 163 776 70 53
gabyherzog@jan-kath.de
www.jan-kath.com
Jan Kath Showroom Bochum
Friederikastrasse 148 44789 Bochum
T: +49 (0) 234 941 23 44 F: +49 (0) 234 941 23 90
info@jan-kath.com
Jan Kath store Berlin
BrunnenstraSSe 3 10119 Berlin-Mitte
T: +49 (0) 30 48 49 60 90
info@jan-kath-berlin.de
Jan Kath store Hamburg
Am Sandtorpark 14 20457 Hamburg
T: +49 (0) 40 228 69 39 0 F: +49 (0) 40 228 69 39 09
info@hamburg.jan-kath.de
Jan Kath Showroom New York
555 West 25th St 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10001 United States
T: +1 646 745 2555 F: +1 646 745 2554
info@nyc.jan-kath.com
Jan Kath store Cologne
Venloer Str. 16 50672 Cologne
T: +49 (0) 221 94 967 940
info@jan-kath-koeln.de
Jan Kath store Stuttgart
Wilhelmstrasse 8b 70182 Stuttgart
T: +49 (0) 711 518 90 350 F: +49 (0) 711 518 92 625
SHOP@STUTTGART.Jan-kath.de
ConCept & Design
www.oktober.com

jan kath press booklet

Transcription

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