A design award

TEHRAN – Iranian handcrafter, woodcarver, and designer Mohammad Ali Vadood has won a prestigious award for his marquetry work dubbed “Forest Heart Wood Picture” at the A’ Design Award and Competition, Mehr reported on Wednesday.

His art project, according to the organizers of the Italian award, tries to fulfill the purposes of taking a fresh look at wood to explore a new perception in it and to harmonize with its pure nature as well. “So, we can come up with original ideas to create real art; Applying an innovative technique in working with wood and also in using common tools so we could achieve adequate quality in our performance; Discovering, creating and defining new ways to gain desired images by tracing natural patterns in pieces of wood and making a synthesis between them.”

His work that bears the indigenous Naqshbandi method was created in Tehran, started and finished in 2010, and to find appropriate woods they were provided from different places. It took six months to accomplish the project as it turned out to be time-consuming to find desired wood pieces.

Naqshbandi is a new method or attitude which is used to create this piece and aims to benefit from connecting lines, expanding textures from one piece to another, and deciding upon the true light shade, not just the color contrast and various tonalities as it is usual in other works of marquetry. It requires the artist to make a full-hearted attempt to harmonize themselves with the nature of wood as much as possible, and help them grow a clear perception of their work and gain direct inspiration from natural fortuities given by wood. So, the whole thing will finally sound like the art of nature in the eye of the beholder.

Vadood is a life-long artist and designer who works in the field of wooden arts. His works include wooden sculpting, carving, and marquetry. As an art instructor, he has always done his best to help his students think creatively. As an artist, reviving old forms of art from ancient Persia has been something that he highly regards with respect and enthusiasm, especially when it goes to Old Iranian wood carving and its design.

AFM/MG