Mat / Card Weaving
Mustafa Rustami / Shahla Amini
Reprinted from: Honar Nameh, University of Art, Tehran, No. 15, Summer 2002 (A brief of the article)


Mat Weaving, by Mustafa Rustami
Since long ago man has been preoccupied with the idea of a ground cover to sit on for his peace of mind. People of each land have produced ground covers in a variety of forms, textures and patterns out of different native materials at their disposal.

Mat weaving is one such craft that man has employed since earliest times to make ground covers and other equipment and utilities, and continues to be perfected today.

"Koub-bafi" is the authentic native mat weaving technique of the people of northern Iran (the most humid seashore of Caspian Sea), especially Mazandaran province. It is well adapted to the climactic condition there.

For natives, it symbolizes nature, feelings, peace of mind, and "Life" in general. This craft is well worth preserving, as it would help the region economically as well as preserving its culture forever green land.



Card Weaving, Shahla Amini
Weaving and textile have always served as vehicles for creating works of art, expressing beauty and covering man's inner feeling and emotions. Even primitives have made use of designs and colors to enhance the beauty of their textiles.

Weaving a narrow band or a rug to cover the ground, or clothing to protect his body against wind and rain must have been for him a source of pride and grandeur.

Not only have colors and designs been innovatively achieved using simple or complex and real or abstract patterns, but also man's creativity reveals itself in the innovation of techniques, forms, and weaving looms in order to produce ever more varied, beautiful and complex textiles.

These innovations cover elementary looms and computerized jacquard systems used in big textile factories, card weaving, and other purely manual techniques, such as macramé or even the oversized hangings called "soft sculpture" and "fiber art".