Objects of Wonder: Marian Bantjes
Objects of Wonder: Marian Bantjes
The sellers hung the older rug on a wall and performed a light trick on it: a whole rack of lights of different temperatures, which they switched to show us how the colors in the carpet changed. While it’s obvious that colors change under different lighting conditions, this was part of the magic of the sale—a three-day journey of discovery and persuasion, with tales being spun for us over more tea as we began the long process of haggling over the price. We laughed over the strange pleasure of it all and still believe we got two exceptional carpets.
Photo by Marian Bantjes.
My ex kept the bigger one, and this smaller, older carpet has hung in my home for decades now. It fills me with wonder over its history: its time spent in a nomad’s tent; its time spent in a dusty shop; the memories it holds of travels with my ex-husband; and yes, how the colors change under different light conditions. The patterns are inconsistent and my eyes wander through them, thinking about meaning and mistake; whose hands made them and what they thought about in the making. I see it every day but never take it for granted, because although I own it, it has never felt really like mine. It belongs to a dwindling tribe on the other side of the world, in the desert sand.
Marian Bantjes is a Canadian graphic artist, designer, and writer. Her work, while variable in style, is usually rationally ornamental and imaginative. She has written (and designed) two books: I Wonder (2010, 2018) and Pretty Pictures (2013), both published by Thames & Hudson.
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