Mumbai-based architect Padmini Pandey teamed up with Hands Carpets and nine designers across nine countries to create a collection of carpets that symbolise the world’s unified stance against the sweeping impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
One Love is a collection of 10 handmade carpets, curated by Pandey, and brought to life by innumerable discussions over transcontinental video calls – as is customary to the ways in which we work today.
A part of the proceeds from the collection will go to Project Mala, a special programme dedicated to the education of children. The sale of each carpet will sponsor a year in the primary education of one underprivileged child residing in and around the carpet-making centres of India.
The nine designers involved in the collection include: Pamela Caspani from Australia, Regina Davila from Guatemala, Padmini Pandey from India, Sheena Poerwantoro from Indonesia, Luisa Scanu from Italy, Karla Celorio from Mexico, Katia Santillan S. from Peru, Svetlana Selivanova from Russia and Tuna Meier from Turkey.
“We, as architects and designers, have the power to shape and mould societies. We must exercise this power of design to contribute to the welfare of society,” said Pandey, who is known for her award-winning design and architectural work within hospitality and luxury residences.
“When creativity is used in the case of adversity, it empowers the concept of humanity rising above all odds one,” she added.
From the vividly coloured Australian reefs and the complex patterns of Russian ice fractals to origin of human civilisation in Turkey and the contemporary icons of Italian architecture, each designer brings in their distinct local cultures and artistic influences.
The carpets feature fluid forms, organic motifs and contemporary aesthetics, and while all carpets are of the same dimensions, the 10th carpet is a collaboration between four designers, and breaks the traditional form of its counterparts.
A juxtaposition of the projections of the designers’ hands, this carpet captures the essence of all 9 designers and their unique cultures, offering a reflection of humanity’s fortitude that goes beyond all limits to connect and empower.
The intricacies and nuances of the colours used in the design of each carpet have been developed to precision by Hands, which have been hand tufted in wool, bamboo silk and botanical silk. Each piece is unique and takes up to ten weeks to craft.
“This tenacity to not just survive but to evolve in the face of adversity is inherently human,” said Ravi Patodia, managing director at Hands. “One Love is a reflection of the resilient human spirit that is driven by pure artistic instinct.”
