Looking at a rug or carpet as a valuable and pretty piece of art is nothing new. From Navajo Indian rugs to Persian rugs to 18th century french rugs, the value as well as the craftsmanship has long been heralded. But Madeleine and Dudley Edwards of the UK have taken the art of the rug one step further. It's now 'conceptual'.
In addition to their talent for combining shapes and color, they have created carpets that conjure up nature, technology, spirituality and even trompe de'leoil. By carving textures such as tire tracks, garden mazes, footprints of humans and animals, the raked sand of a zen garden, crop circles and even the illusion of a broken window, their products become more than functional and beautiful, they become conceptual art.
Just take a look at a few of their creations below.
As applied artists Madeleine & Dudley Edwards of Amazed LTD. enjoy the opportunity of working with Architects and Interior Designers. The following quote is taken directly from their website:
“Bouncing ideas back and forth can be fertile ground bearing rich fruit. We often feel like session musicians being invited to jam. And like any good session musicians the first attribute is a willingness to ‘listen’ to what others are trying to achieve and to respond accordingly, whilst bringing something ‘uniquely ours’ to the mix. Reacting positively to other peoples creations can serve as a metaphorical springboard helping us to achieve greater heights. This symbiosis can bring about something entirely new that wouldn’t have been possible from working in isolation. For our modus operandi – we always aim to harmonize or contrast with the surrounding architecture thereby ensuring that our artwork would be an integral/indivisible part of the whole”. In turn, Interior Designers and Architects view their rugs and wall hangings (with the tactile soft warmth and sound insulating properties) as ideal compliments to today’s hard cold surfaces like laminates, glass, steel, marble and stone.
Together or independently Madeleine & Dudley have exhibited at the following gallery/venues:
Robert Frazer Gallery, London; Arts Council Touring Exhibition to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Cardiff; Madam Tussauds, London; The British Gallery, Atlanta, USA; Galerie 5, Geneva, Switzerland; The Association of Illustrators Gallery, London; Allgood Plc, London; The British Interior Design Association, London; Sothebys, London; Bonhams, London; The Dean Clough Gallery, Halifax; The Musee d’ Histoire Contemporaine, Paris; The V&A, London; The Tate Gallery, Liverpool; The Schirne Kunsthalle, Frankfurt; and The Kunsthalle Vienna.
Forthcoming shows:
Dudley’s work will be exhibited at The Whitney Museum of Art in New York May 07.
Their rugs don't just adorn the walls and floors of just anyone's home or office. Take a look at a few of their clients:
CORPORATE CLIENTS:
The British Pavilion, Montreal; Admiralty House, London; The Central Office of Information, London; Wolf Olins & Partners, London; The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defence, Riyadh; Jones Lang La Salle, London; Eversheds, Manchester; Qatar Bank, London; HQ Global, London; St James Homes, London; ISIS Asset Management Group, London; Urban Splash Properties, Liverpool & Manchester; Hirsch Bedner, Hong Kong & USA; the Sheraton Ocean Grande Resort, Japan and Laing O’Rourke, London.
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS:
Lord Snowdon, Sir Paul McCartney, Lord David Queensbury, Ringo Starr, David Bailey, Mary Quant, Lord Lew Grade, Tori Amos, Prince Abdul Aziz-Zaidan, Hugh Grant, Jonathan Cainer, Andrew Rosenfeld, Christen Ager Hanssen and Daniel Bedingfield. The late - Henry Moore, Sir Hugh Casson, Reynor Banham, Lord Paul Reilly and Dudley Moore.
