On the occasion of Milan Design Week 2024, cc-tapis’ Headquarters had been transformed into the first of Bethan Laura Wood’s traveling Bluestocking salons: a space for gathering, sharing and discussing. Continuing the designer’s recent body of work for the MECCA x NGV Women in Design Commission, Kaleidoscope-o-rama, cc-tapis and Bethan Laura Wood produced 3 new color variations of the “fancy woods” carpet, creating a space of intimacy and sociality which brings people, spaces and objects into dialogue.
ABOUT THE RUGS: Mary, Hester and Jane
Originally designed to complement a 360-degree rotating bookcase which Bethan Laura Wood designed for her MECCA x NGV Women in Design Commission at the 2023 NGV Triennial in Melbourne. A nod to the power of textiles within “women’s work” and a reference to the Bluestocking Salon, which explores the gender-related aspects of historical methods of acquiring and disseminating knowledge.
Hester, Jane and Mary
400×350 cm Himalayan wool
Starting from this custom project, cc-tapis PROJECT worked with Bethan Laura Wood to develop a collection of “kaleidoscopic” rugs: Kaleidoscope-o-rama. 3 colourways, named after 3 women from the Bluestocking Salon in the early feminist movement: Mary Delany, Hester Thrale and Jane Loudon. Each piece is made of complex patterns of colored yarns dyed by hand, which are then handtufed by expert artisans. Bridging hand and machine, the yarns are tufted in the direction of the grain, creating abstract visuals and shapes which are open to multiple interpretations. Pushing the boundaries in handcraftsmanship, Kaleidoscope-o- rama illustrates the potential of cc-tapis PROJECT.
Going beyond the simple decorative function, brightly coloured pieces create a new environment within an existing one.
Kaleidoscope-o-rama was on display during Milan Design Week at the cc-tapis Headquarters and at Alcova: Villa Bagatti Valesecchi.
