Kilim Series
My own Jewish-Arabesca:
I use the Hebrew Aleph letter as the element that builds
the design patterns on the "Kilim Series" , creating thus
a kind of "Jewish-Arabesca".
I got acquainted with kilims* during my trips to Sinai,
Turkey and India. I immediately felt attracted to their
designs and colors, as much as to their rustic style.
The kilim reminds me of the bedouin tent, a place
where people gather together, share their food and
drink. It is for me the symbol of hospitality, and in the
Israeli context, a symbol of co-existence. It reminds me
of Sinai's hot afternoons, when we sit together on the
kilim, Israeli and Arab people, all looking for a shelter
from the burning sun rays.
The kilim is for me also a symbol of simplicity, as an
opposite to the luxurious and commercial. I remember
that rug seller in Srinagar, Kashmir, how he showed me
his most precious kilim, a one with food stains that
belonged to a Tibetan family. I could imagine the family
members sitting together on the kilim, inside a rustic,
snow covered wooden house on the Tibetan heights.
They had probably weaved the kilim by themselves, as
most authentic kilims are made. Each member of the
family sitting on his/her corner, holding a wool thread
and weaving his/her kilim portion.
For me, a kilim gives the sensation of being at home.
That is why I use their designs as a base to some of my
artworks. These works, more than anything else,
represent my longing for a home where peace and
humanity dwell. I try to represent in my art works the
result of this very unique culture fusion, or maybe even
to foresee it.
Silvia Licht
*A Kilim (or Kelim) (or berr in Kurdish), is a flatwoven rug, taking its name from the Turkish word for prayer rug. Kilims
are produced by tightly interweaving the warp and weft strands of the weave to produce a flat (i.e. pileless) surface.
definition extracted from Wikipedia
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