Azernews.Az

Laman Ismayilova

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The International Carpet Forum, focused on Traditions and Innovations in Carpet Weaving,has taken place at the Baku Business Center and included five insightful sessions, Azernews reports.

The event attracted approximately 200 professionals from the carpet industry, including top experts, designers, manufacturers, and researchers from 11 countries, including Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tatarstan, Romania, Latvia, Iran, Japan, and the UK.

This forum was held as part of the International Carpet Festival, co-organized by Azerkhalcha OJSC and the Administration of the Icherisheher State Historical-Architectural Reserve with support from the Azerbaijan Economy Ministry and the Export and Investment Promotion Agency of Azerbaijan, AZPROMO.

The first session drew attention to the international cooperation and global practices in carpet weaving, with presentations from Irina Koshoridze, Professor at Tbilisi State University (Georgia), Inese Baranovska, Director of the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design (Latvia), Linda Rosenthal-Rose, representative of the Liepaja Museum (Latvia), and Dr. Ajap Bayriyeva, ethnographer and art historian (Turkmenistan).

The second panel provided insight into the traditions, changes, and cultural connections in carpet weaving, featuring Sumiyo Okumura, an expert in Islamic and Turkish art (Japan), Chinara Beksultanova, PhD in History of Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyzstan), Stefano Ionescu, an independent researcher on Oriental carpets (Romania), Lucy Upward, Editor of Cover magazine (UK), and Karim Mirza, Professor at Tabriz Islamic Art University (Iran).

The third panel explored the intersection of carpet weaving and contemporary art, with insights from Olga Selezneva, Director of Faig Ahmed Studio, Aydan Salahova, renowned artist and sculptor, Alsu Miftakhova, Director of the Resource Center for Innovation and Tradition Preservation in Tatarstan’s Cultural Sphere, and Saadat Alakbarova, Scientific Secretary of the "Icherisheher" Museum Center.

The fourth session addressed the significance of handwoven carpets in the modern world, with remarks from Ayjan Bekkulova, Chairperson of Kazakhstan’s Artisans Union, Amina Malikova, Director of the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, Rena Nasirova-Mustafayeva, Deputy Head of Apparatus of the “Icherisheher” State Historical-Architectural Reserve, and Elmira Gül, Professor at Uzbekistan’s State Academy of Art.

The fifth and final session highlighted innovative approaches to carpet weaving, featuring speeches from Rashad Alakbarov, a prominent Azerbaijani artist, and other specialists.

The event concluded with an engaging Q&A session.