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The artists original photograph Sharjah, U.A.E.: Princes and Dignitaries, 1996. © Wouter Deruytter
Sharjah, U.A.E.: Princes and Dignitaries in rug form. Exhibited in the "Ridderzaal" (The Hall of the Knights) in Castle Rumbekem, Roeselare as part of “Life is Theatre.” © Wouter Deruytter 2013
Wouter Deruytter
The Belgian born Photographer Wouter Deruytter is an international artist who lives and works in New York. His work offers a view into worlds not usually opened to us. Always on the lookout for adventure, he likes to see himself as a modern day Tintin, photographing his experiences along the way. In his photographs Mr Deruytter tries to find both the extreme and the intimate of these private communities. He tries to tell us that it is possible to exist outside the grand happening of things, that although always changing, people can live outside the times they live in.
The Arabian Knights series taken between 1996-1997 is a superb example of this approach. Here he travelled to the United Arab Emirates; giving us a unique and very human insight into the mythical world of the Arabian people, dignitaries and Royal family.
Mr Deruytter approached us as part of his solo "Life is Theatre" exhibition to reproduce two photographs from the Arabian Knights series "Princes and Dignitaries" and "At the Royal Wedding." The artist explains:
Castle Rumbeken, Roeselare
The artist with both tapestries in the "Ridderzaal" (Hall of the Knights) in Castle Rumbekem
© Wouter Deruytter 2013
The final pieces were an incredible 3 meters in size and used a luxurious hand tufted New Zealand Wool quality with a pile weight of 5kg per meter; a very dense cloth was used in order to achieve the most beautiful and sensitive reproduction of Mr Deruytter's stunning photographs so the overall pieces had a weight of 8kg per meter per rug. The artist explains how he found Rug Couture and the working process:
The final graph of Sharjah, U.A.E.: Princes and Dignitaries from which the rugs were made.
Sharjah, U.A.E.: Princes and Dignitaries as a finished rug prior to being taken off it’s frame.
Hanging work of this value and scale was of the utmost importance. The artist "specified to have overlaps added to the top so that they could be hung using a steel bar." The rugs themselves weighed around 55kgs each so the canvas loops had to be sturdy to take the weight of the entire rug.
In it's entirety "Life is Theatre" by Wouter Deruytter offered visitors the chance to experience fourteen different bodies of Deruytter's work in the form of an Art Parcours across eight unique locations across Roeselare, the Belgian city where Wouter was born. The opening of this incredible show took place on 14th March 2013 and ran until 5th May 2013. Transportation was organised to allow visitors to see every exhibition within the space of a single day.
The Private view of “Life is Theatre”
The Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.: At the Royal Wedding (I), 1997 rug. © Wouter Deruytter
For more information about Wouter Deruytter and his work please visit his website: http://www.wouterderuytter.com/
