EVENT: Friends of the UWA Library Speaker

Presentation synopsis

In Turkey, works of art cover the floors. The region has long been known for its carpet-weaving traditions. From nomadic tribal flatweaves and knotted pile carpets to the luxurious silk textiles of the Ottoman court, rich colours and bold geometric designs have expressed the aesthetic heritage of Anatolian people throughout the centuries.

This talk focuses on only one small part of that cultural legacy - woollen pile carpets handknotted by village women in the Aegean region of Western Anatolia. In particular a carpet-weaving project called DOBAG, acronym for Dogal Boya Arastirma ve Gelistirme Projesi - the Natural Dye Research and Development Project - supervised by Marmara University in Istanbul. Established in 1981, the project successfully reintroduced natural dye methods in carpet-making villages and revitalised an indigenous textile art. In the process it was responsible for greatly improving the economic and social conditions of the women weavers and their families.

Carpets from the DOBAG project have been acquired by the British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, All Souls College at Oxford University and numerous other museums around the world - all testament to the authenticity of the carpets produced by the project.

About the speaker

Terry Hoyne has been the Australian representative and dealer of carpets from the DOBAG project since 1993. While travelling overseas in that year Terry and his wife Pam came upon the DOBAG project while visiting Turkey. They met with the founder Dr Harald Boehmer a German chemist originally from Delmenhorst, near Bremen and then teaching at Marmara university in Istanbul. Terry has a passionate interest in Tribal rugs and traditional weaving methods in particular the use of natural dyes.

Since 2002 Terry has been leading small group tours to Turkey where they visit the DOBAG weaving villages and see first hand the making of a carpet using the traditional methods as well as visiting the many highlights of that fascinating country. In 2008 they commenced leading tours to Morocco where they visit a similar project in the Atlas Mountains.

Cost: $5 donation