“My design was inspired by Moroccan culture – the historic architecture and mosques as well as their Islamic art.”
A University of Wolverhampton student is laying the groundwork for a career in textiles by flooring the competition to take third prize in a national competition recently.
Lina Osman, 22 from Eritrea, Africa, studying for a Textiles degree in her final year, claimed the prize in a carpet and flooring design competition held by global company, Brintons.
The Brintons FX Carpet Design Competition 2020 winners were announced earlier this year after the deadline was extended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The competition criteria was to design a carpet based around the theme ‘ritual’ which can mean different things to different people.
The brief outlined the following – ‘Culture, history, spirituality, and traditions are often connected to the idea of a ritual. It could be a simple everyday ritual, a sequence of words, gestures, a recurring behaviour, or a treasured object. Through pattern and colour, can you represent and bring to life your own interpretation and relationship with the word ‘ritual’?’
Competition entrants were required to design a commercial carpet for Brintons to manufacture for the hospitality market using a maximum of 12 colours.
Lina said: “My design was inspired by Moroccan culture – the historic architecture and mosques as well as their Islamic art. I became instantly fixated on the intricate handmade scriptures that are engraved on the walls of the mosques in Morocco and how they are dispersed all around the cities, where they can be found on almost every corner.
“Their daily ritual of prayer and the interior architecture within the mosques was such an inspiration and gave me an insight into their daily Islamic rituals within these beautiful buildings. Focusing on the wall tiling, I have translated aspects of some of the features using the vibrant colours found in their markets of spices, such as warm ochre mustards, the use of turquoise, and the tones in between, to create a harmonious and sophisticated colour combination.
“I have ended up with this repeat carpet design that I believe reflects my ideas as well, as it is quite a vibrant and contemporary colour scheme that pushes the boundaries of the timeless muted tones that we are familiar within the carpet industry.”
The Judges, which included senior designers from Brintons, said: “Lina used an extremely sophisticated colour palette for her design. The colours are vibrant and contemporary and connected Lina’s inspiration of Moroccan culture into her carpet design perfectly.”
