– Lecture and live music –
The mention of Persian carpets conjures images of realms of colorful woven materials as well as perhaps the materialistic and tangible value they hold. Mehdi Aminian aims to investigate the intangible dimensions of carpet weaving in Iran, focusing in particular on the singing cultures surrounding carpet weaving. The focus is represented by the yet to be investigated phenomena of Naqshe Khani (Pattern Singing).
Carpet weaving in Iran, which has formed throughout history synergic exchanges between labor and artistic creation, has developed its own unique style of work melodies intertwined with the weaving process. Despite the widespread culture and variety of traditions in carpet weaving across Iran, no studies on the intangible cultural heritage around carpet weaving could be found. Many of these traditions, along with the accompanying craftsmanship, are vanishing rapidly, which in turn has highlighted the urgency of conducting this research.
Mehdi Aminian has completed studies in IT, Humanities, Music and Ethnomusicology in Bosnia, Malaysia, The Netherlands, Romania and Austria. Being employed at the Commission of Vanishing Languages and Cultural Heritage at Austrian Academy of Sciences (OEAW), he is currently conducting a PhD Research on the intangible cultural heritage around carpet weaving in Iran at the University of Vienna. He has dedicated the past ten years developing and implementing international music and research projects within the association Roots Revival, which he founded in 2013. These projects are at the confluence of Humanities and Musical Traditions in the process of establishing a dialogue between different musical traditions around the world.
