Hello,

I am Andrey Budko, product designer.

HEAR MY ROOOAR is a wool felt trophy carpet with CNC embroidery. It was first shown at SaloneSatellite 2019.

HEAR MY ROOOAR is a next chapter of my project CARPET LIKE A RUSSIAN (first part won a special mention at SaloneSatellite Moscow 2018 Awards).

Wool felt carpet with CNC embroidery

Dimensions: 140x450 cm; 5 mm (thickness)

Materials used: Wool felt (same as in traditional russian boots "valenki") and ceramic thread

Production processes: embroidery on CNC embroidery machine (2 million stitches)

Carpet on the wall is an inevitable part of the typical USSR interior and childhood memories of my generation. Our parents apartments were all proudly displaying orient-style carpets on walls in living rooms. Our grandparents apartments had rugs with pretty reindeers and playful bears – carpets usually were hung above the sofas and beds. We all have that distant memory of falling asleep staring at these ornaments and bears. It just so happens that the carpet has become a part of childhood mythology alongside with the goodnight stories and fairytales.

HEAR MY ROOOAR researches the evolution of technologies and cultural heritage in modern world. It is the result of a study of northern Russian traditional crafts and the fairytale bestiary.

In my study I have discovered two main directions.

Firstly, technology and material. Embroidery is a craft, which was a part of traditional costumes and daily household items, but nowadays it has completely vanished to museums and historical exhibitions. Felt as a material is best known thanks to traditional winter boots "valenki" that are quite obscure now and seem to be a souvenir more than practical footwear. My idea was to find a new life for both technology and material using what digital era has to offer as a method and make the combo practical again.

Secondly, I was following the original imagery of fairytale creatures – wooden threads around windows, stone carvings in churches, Northern clay six-legs toys called "polkanchik". They made me think about what magical spirit animal can modern Russia have? And of course there came The Leopard – the notorious pattern that is classy and trashy at the same time, and incredibly popular. And quite magical too.

Bringing these two directions together brought me to a logical illogical creation, both magical and modern, a new fairytale forceful creature in a form of a very practical carpet with digitally embroidered spots.