Dila Demircan Özer

Modern societies are blind to waste as it remains hidden from plain sight; as the saying goes, “out of sight, out of mind.” Whether in a bin, a backyard, or a landfill, cities have perfected to keep waste invisible to our sights. However, waste keeps growing distant from our perception, becoming a massive planetary problem through water pollution, methane emissions, and the invasion of microplastics. In our project we use carpets as an inventory of symbols, meanings, and narratives that extend beyond their function. Traditional carpet-making often manifests the weavers’ hopes, desires, and anxieties. By using motifs in an altered form, we will investigate how an alternative carpet design can trigger a conversation around waste production by criticizing the ineffectiveness of hiding waste as if it is being swept under a metaphorical carpet. We will also ponder what materials and symbols a new generation of carpet weavers could use for a carpet in the Anthropocene age.