The journey of a rare carpet, an artistic collaboration with a purpose

Hands and Senses create ‘carpet of tolerance’

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - October 26, 2019:    Hands, the creators of exquisite handmade carpets since 1881, has once again collaborated with the Senses Centre for Special Needs, in celebration of the Year of Tolerance in the UAE.   

In June 2019, the children at Senses displayed their artistic talents in creating artworks to be incorporated into the design of a special carpet, using the leaves and branches of the Ghaf tree to apply the paint instead of a paint brush.  These artworks were then assimilated by the Hands design team and have formed the basis of a one-of-a-kind piece that will be completed by end-October, creating a masterpiece more than 4 months in the making.

31 colours making 54 combinations were used, with at least 25 different hands involved in various parts of the process of creating this hand-tufted carpet, including design, dyeing, weaving, backing and finishing.  The tree, its leaves and the black leaves are all made with fine pure silk and the background with fine New Zealand wool.

The finished piece will be on display at Downtown Designfrom 12-15 November 2019. 

“After holding our first event at Senses during Ramadan earlier this year, we knew that we wanted to continue our support of this incredible facility,” said Gavin Lewis, General Manager, Hands Carpets Middle East.  “To mark the Year of Tolerance in the UAE in our own unique way, we proposed the idea to ‘weave tolerance’ into the social fabric of our society through the creativity of these gifted children.  The very nature of threads in various colours and textures mixed together and then being so tightly woven is suggestive of a society without division. We are grateful once again to Nadia Khalil Al Sayegh and the team at Senses for putting their trust in us” he concluded.  

Senses, a completely nonprofit organization, is the first and only residential care facility for People of Determination in the Middle East, many with severe physical and learning difficulties. Through specialised programs that combine speech and music therapy, art, life skills, sports and physiotherapy, children from the age of two to nineteen with mild or severe physical disabilities and Down Syndrome receive the care they need.  

“We are delighted to once again partner with Hands Carpets in promoting such an important message of tolerance in our society, and giving our children the opportunity to be part of this message, through their creative talents and spirit,” said Nadia Khalil Al Sayegh, Founder of Senses.