Regularly working in the medium of flowers and living plants, artist Jeff Leatham is known for creating living installations that transform interior and public spaces into imaginative landscapes. Despite involving an alternative medium, the same results can be expected with Bloom, a collection of 14 handmade wool and silk rugs that were artistically interpreted by Leatham and hand-knotted and woven by the artisans of Tai Ping.

With Bloom, the artist and artisan sought to venture beyond their individual comfort zones. Bloom marks Leatham’s first foray into handmade textiles. “Jeff comes from flowers, it is true, but they are a medium that he goes beyond to create a kind of poetry. As makers of rugs, we aim to go beyond too, to challenge ourselves and our collaborators to express sensuality and savoir faire in new ways,” says Tai Ping’s Global Creative Director Jean-Pierre Tortil.

Focusing on Leatham’s strong compositional skills, the collection was led by a unique sense of colour and the marriage of organic forms inspired by solid, liquid and vapour. Multiple shades of deeply saturated wool and silk enhance visual appeal, while organic forms create movement and texture.

A refined juxtaposition is achieved through the differentiation in piles, knots and yarns, creating a variegated and tactile effect that invites the user to touch the rugs. Colour graduation – a signature element of Tai Ping – is also prominently featured in the collection.

“I wanted to achieve a harmony of colour and shape with this collection, with a result that wasn’t just something to look at or walk on,” says Leatham. “In the way we’ve mixed colours and shapes of the patterns, to me there’s a romanticism and modernity to Bloom, which I love.”

Jeff Leatham
jeffleatham.com

Tai Ping
taipingcarpets.com