david hanauer: google earth worldwide carpets

‘6th and flower st’, one in david hanauer’s ‘worldwide carpets’ series that makes persian-style rugs patterned from google earth images

the ‘worldwide carpet’ project by munich-born designer david hanauer reinterprets the tradition and craft of oriental rugs into a contemporary language, creating carpet patterns from google earth images.

hanauer first began designing the aerial montages in 2008, after becoming interested in the suburban planning of las vegas, which he found surreal in its uniform, top-down approach. indeed many of his designs focus on los angeles and las vegas, by which hanauer adds a level of conceptual interest to the pieces through his visual examination of city planning, in addition to exploring through the craft of rug-making the lines of diversion between the traditional and the modern.

the ‘worldwide carpet’ patterns draw from the language of traditional rugs, frequently featuring a symmetrical pattern with a center medallion and border. hanauer first selects an interesting section from the 3D satellite maps from google earth, making only minor retouches before repeating and reflecting the design. in his work he seeks not to create a new image but rather to visually express the structure and rhythm of the city, emphasizing the extent to which this mode of urban planning is removed from the physical. in some cases, traces of his process are left intentionally intact, such as with a visible ‘google’ watermark on the rug.

the patterns are printed commercially onto durable fabric, whose reverse is finished with an anti-slip rubber coating. the finished rugs can be used independently as small mats or tiled into rows of varying dimensions.

installation view of tiled ‘worldwide carpets #1: 6th and flower st’