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27.08.2024
Museum für Islamische Kunst
On 23 September 2024 the participatory project “Cultural x Collabs – Weaving the Future” will celebrate its first anniversary. One year ago, on 23 September 2023, during the refurbishment of the Pergamonmuseum, the Museum für Islamische Kunst launched its innovative international project, the aim of which is to highlight ways of cultural exchange, promote transregional participation, and make social connections tangible. The anniversary celebrations will be accompanied by a quiz that will be open to the public until 23 September 2024.
At the heart of the “Cultural x Collabs” project is the reinterpretation of a Caucasian dragon carpet from the 17th century, which was damaged by fire in the course of the Second World War. The carpet in question, which was repiled by Rug Star, was cut into 100 separate pieces, each of which was sent out on its own individual journey around the world. The fragments of carpet are accompanied by a selection of stories and personal experiences, which are shared on the Museum für Islamische Kunst’s Islamic Art online portal and on social media platforms.
Over the course of the past year, the carpet fragments have made their way to cultures and communities around the globe. For example, fragment #5 celebrated the Chinese New Year and the arrival of the Year of the Dragon, artist Khandoker Upama Kabir demonstrates how the shape, colour and texture of fragment #66 inspired her to engage in a micro-collaboration, and Juan Carlos Barrientos, a member of the Heritage Volunteers Network, shares his experience at the conference in Lithuania where he presented fragment #93 to a large audience. Glass artist Nadania Idriss has created a reinterpretation of fragment #36, which takes the form of a glass carpet produced via the process of glass fusing… Each fragment serves as an ambassador for cultural exchange, promoting understanding and fostering interpersonal connection.
Each story vividly illustrates the range of different opportunities and interactions facilitated by the various fragments. From personal experiences and cultural discoveries to creative projects and collaborative initiatives, each story highlights the unique journey undertaken by each individual fragment and the bridges built between people and cultures. Over the past 12 months, the carpet fragments have travelled to more than 50 cities and 25 countries around the world. And now, to mark its one-year anniversary, fragment #32 will depart from Earth to explore the unchartered realms of outer space with its current caretakers Sent into Space.
To mark this anniversary, the Museum für Islamische Kunst is holding an anniversary quiz, which will run until 23 September 2024. Every Monday at 8:30 am CET, a question pertaining to the “Cultural x Collabs” project will be posted on the Islamic Art online portal. Respondents will have one week to submit their answers. There will be a total of three weekly prize draws, each offering respondents the chance to win two miniature carpet fragments. Every correct submission will also be entered into the main prize draw, which is set to take place on 23 September 2024, where there will be more exciting prizes to be won.
In the meantime, the carpet fragments will continue to travel the world collecting new stories until the planned partial reopening of the Pergamonmuseum in 2027. When they return, they will be displayed in the newly refurbished exhibition spaces at the Museum of Islamic Art alongside the original dragon carpet. The signs of wear and tear and the stories that have been woven into the fabric fragments will transform the carpet into a living conduit of new object histories and will provide viewers with a visual representation of humanity’s commitment to cultural exchange.