SAHAR COLLECTION.
- All Sahar images are close up representations and are seen in sections only. For full images of these rugs please contact us.
The Sahar Collection is based on traditional gabbeh rugs that are hand woven by Tribal Weavers of South West Iran and designed by American Haynes Robinson. Sahar, Farsi for "dawn" was originally a collection of colourful, abstract rug designs. The bleeding of colour and design is inspired by the untouched environment where the weavers live. They represent sunsets, sunrises and local horizons with the weavers including their own artistic character which Robinson encourages.
The organic dyes and wool are taken from the lands where the rugs are woven and this year Haynes has developed three additional Collections which have a more contemporary edge and detail with the use of silk.
An introduction from the designer.
People often ask what I was thinking when I left my home in Atlanta Georgia and travelled to Fars Region of southern Iran to start the project which became Sahar. Why would an American travel half way around the world to start a carpet production with nomadic tribes people in such a remote location? Persia has always been known for having the best weavers and the finest raw materials for carpets in the world. I had the concept to bring the modern and the primitive together, to infuse modern design with tribal spirit. This was my dream.
Sahar is a Farsi word meaning "dawn", the boundary between day and night. I chose this name because of the fade or transition in colours which define Sahar.
The Sahar concept is to use colour as the subject material. Most Persian Gabbeh carpets are woven with objective elements from nature such as trees, people, mountains etc. By using colour as a universal design concept both the weaver and the collector are connected regardless of geographic location, culture, religious background or political orientation.
Colour creates an emotional response in people. Colour does not conjure a thought but instead awakens a "feeling". I wanted these carpets to stir an emotional reaction not a critical response. With a Sahar you cannot say "I don't like the execution of this flower" or "I think this is a beautiful tree". One can only react to the colour composition. The emotion is beyond words or description. The carpets make you "feel".
My educational background is in psychology. Sahar is very much a psychological experiment in that it is possible to see aspects of the weaver's personality in the work. Some weavers are very precise and organised in there interpretation of the colour proportions and transitions. This indicates a more conservative personality generally comfortable with more structure. There are other weavers that take greater liberties with the design and colour transitions. This indicates a person with a bolder, risk taking type of nature. Part of the enjoyment of Sahar is to understand and appreciate this element individually.
The beautiful carpets flowing from this process represent a fusion between east and west, modern design as seen and interpreted by the tribal artesian. We hope you will agree that Sahar is a truly unique textile art in its highest form and unlike any other carpet production in the world today.
Cheers, Haynes Robinson
