Crafting Artistic Carpets from Upcycled Cotton – Levada

Ira Konakova (age 53) an artist based in Ukraine combined art and sustainability in a unique way.

She creates carpets woven from old clothes with vibrant colors and abstract designs and she calls it Levada.

”Levada in the Ukrainian language means a blooming bank of the river, where there are no trees, only grass, where water from the river spills from time to time, and therefore this land is very fertile.” - Ira Konakova

Ira says upcycling is the traditional way of life for the people of the Soviet Union.

Since The Russian Military Invasion Of Ukraine Weaving Has Become A Meditative Escape For Ira From Reality.

"How many things are thrown away, I thought about how to use this cheap resource, that's how the idea arose to weave carpets from T-shirts, using them as paints." - Ira Konakova

Upcycled art raises concerns about excessive consumption leading to environmental degradation.

Every year 15 kg of textile waste is generated by each European & 70% of the textile can be recycled as per McKinsey & Company analysis.

Ira uses 100 multi-cultured products that are turned into one carpet thereby creating art from waste.

A great amount of discarded clothes are transformed into an object of art!

Ira uses one common symbol in different variations in all her carpets which is an “eye”.

She says that she uses the “eye” to raise awareness regarding environmental conservation.

Since the Russian military invasion of Ukraine weaving has become a meditative escape for Ira from reality.

"Weaving is kind of a meditation for me, I listen to music or audio books and a colored ball in my hand turns into a flower or a curl. I work without a sketch, and forms are created spontaneously." - Ira Konakova

Her Carpets contain certain subliminal ideas, events, thoughts and messages which she hopes provoke the viewers to ponder and reflect.

She says “I work without sketching, and forms are created spontaneously.” she also actively donates and supports the Ukrainian army.”