Weaving Collaboration: a community rug

“One can tell by looking at the rug that there are a million different stories written all over it, it’s noisy, and that’s what makes it brilliant," says Mason Studio Project Designer, Nautica Holdip.

We are reflecting on Mason Studio’s amazing team and their contributions. This rug, woven by our own Project Designer, Nautica Holdip, began as a project during our 2033: An Optimistic Future exhibition as part of DesignTO 2023.

The result is a vibrant, community-made rug that is a grounding welcome to Mason Studio’s atrium. It evokes awe and wonder, is built with connection and exploration and inspires us to stay uplifted and curious as we embark on the work we are so passionate about. A daily reminder that carries us through and supports every step of the journey.

“It was such a heart warming and gratifying experience working on this rug. Something I loved about this process was the community had shaped how the rug was going to come together. Normally, when tufting, one projects their design onto the canvas and draws over the projection - almost as if they were colouring in a colouring book – but with yarn,” Nautica says of the process.

“This time around it was entirely left to the community’s imagination. The 75% of the rug that I completed outside of the DesignTO exhibition was shaped from the stories others told with their path of yarn. To see it come together as though it was this canvas of abstract art, knowing that there was energy put in by over 100 people is a beautiful thing and truly priceless.”

Check out more images of the final product here.

More on Nautica’s experience working on the community rug during DesignTO exhibition, 2033: An Optimistic Future
It was such a heart warming and gratifying experience working on this rug. Tufting is something that is quite inaccessible, so giving the opportunity to the community to experiment and experience the world of tufting was amazing to see. Something I loved about this process was the community had shaped how the rug was going to come together. Normally when tufting one projects their design onto the canvas and draws over the projection, almost as if they were colouring in a colouring book – just with yarn. This time around it was entirely left to the community’s imagination. The 75% of the rug that I completed outside of the DesignTO exhibition was shaped from the stories others told with their path of yarn. To see it come together as though it was this canvas of abstract art, knowing that there was energy put in by over 100 people is a beautiful thing and truly priceless. You couldn’t purchase something like this anywhere.

What inspired the design and elements of the rug creation?
The inspiration behind the design was drawn from expression. The intention by providing many colours of yarn with different ply thicknesses was to allow the user to have a choice. For example: ‘If I’m feeling happy I’ll pick up a bold bright colour,’ or ‘if my favourite colour is banana yellow, maybe I will use that.’ it was really to give everyone a choice on how they wanted to express themselves through this experimentation process. One can tell by looking at the rug that there are a million different stories written all over it, it’s noisy, and that’s what makes it brilliant.

What did you learn from the process?
Mason Studio an advocate for having the community apart of everything they do. I thought it was only fitting to propose something that would be new for everyone where we could all collaborate and bond over making something that can serve a purpose in many ways. It was less about making the rug appealing and more about the greater message. I learned how important it is to give equal opportunity to everyone, and lots of freedom. Things like this can open people’s eyes and change perspectives. Who knows, maybe one person who contributed is now taking up rug making as a hobby or career. I really hope those who participated are proud of what they contributed to.