Langhorne Carpet Proudly “Greets” Pope Francis Upon His Historic Arrival In Philadelphia

Custom Cardinal Red-Gothic Gold Custom Carpet Welcomes The Pope

Photo: Philadelphia International Airport

              

(Pope Francis, greeted by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput and dignitaries, stepped off his American Airlines flight from New York City and onto the specially designed, woven wool Langhorne carpet at PHL September 26^th)

Suburban Philadelphia’s Langhorne Carpet Company, established in 1930, is honored to have designed, woven, and donated three wool carpets – including the captivating 9’ x 75’ ceremonial red carpet - for the Pope’s momentous Philadelphia visit on September 26-27.  Langhorne’s unique role in the Papal visit was a result of its close collaboration with the hosts Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015. All three carpets featured the mill’s iconic, one-of-a-kind “Medallions of Hope” design, greatly influenced by the contemplative and colorful stained glass panels in Philadelphia’s Cathedral Basilica of Saints. Peter and Paul. Besides the runner, the ‘Weave Team’ at the Jacquard Wilton mill loomed two loop pile, Evergreen and Gothic Gold accent carpets that were featured floor coverings in two rooms of the Rectory of the Cathedral during the Pope’s visit.

All three distinctive Langhorne carpets, which are now deemed historic objects and become the permanent property of the Archdiocese, were the subject of significant public and media attention before and during the Papal visit that attracted more than one million people to Philadelphia and a global television audience in the hundreds of millions.

Photo: Philadelphia International Airport

"We remain honored and humbled to have been a part of the Pope’s visit, and thrilled that the labor of love of our Weave Team members was featured on a world stage associated with a truly extraordinary, inspiration international leader,” explains William Morrow, President of Langhorne Carpet Company. “His message of peace, hope and harmony resonates with everyone and our participation exemplifies the importance of our ‘Carpets of Caring’ program.” Morrow commented, “From a design standpoint, we were delighted that our partners permitted us to design outside the traditional, solid-red box of ceremonial runway carpets. The Gothic Gold medallion border was respectful, distinctive but not dominant.”

Langhorne’s role involved many firsts for the small custom weaver:  the first carpet woven for a Pope, as well as the first time any of its carpets had been blessed. The Rev.  Robert Gross of Our Lady of Grace in Penndel, PA, and a neighbor of the mill, presided over the blessing ceremony that was attended by numerous government officials, friends and mill family members. And local and national media.

It was also the first time a Langhorne carpet received a lights-and-siren police escort. Penndel’s Police Chief led a UPS Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV), donated for the occasion by the global carrier, the 32 miles from the mill to the staging area at Philadelphia’s airport.

As a result of the Papal visit experience, it may not be long before Langhorne Carpet, long regarded as the foundation of fine interiors, is also known as the gold standard of red carpets.

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Weaving Art: Mika Tajima Presents Negative Entropy

From a distance, Mika Tajima’s Negative Entropy series appears to be a collection of colorful, abstract paintings. But upon closer inspection, they are revealed to be finely woven textiles. What is even more fascinating is the subject of each piece. Each one of Tajima’s pieces is not merely an abstract work of art but an acoustic portrait, a visual image of the sounds of traditional wool weaving technology.

To create this series, Tajima visited previously booming industrial centers in Southeastern Pennsylvania and recorded the sounds of old factories, specifically of industrial textile Jacquard looms and server colocation centers –both of which represent endangered technology.  The locations she visited include Langhorne Carpet Mill, Caledonian Dye Works, Material Technology & Logistics, and Philadelphia Technology Park.

A woven work from Mika Tajima’s Negative

Entropy series depicting the sound of 

Langhorne Carpet Mill (Photo credit)

Tajima’s Negative Entropy series subsequently showcases artwork produced through the same process that they depict. After turning the sounds into digital images, Tajima translated the images into woven Jacquard patterns. A Jacquard weave is produced using a special loom that creates complex designs. The process for making these fabrics is time-consuming and labor-intensive and requires extraordinary skill. Langhorne Carpet Company has been around for over 80 years and specializes in Jacquard-Wilton carpet weaving. To learn more about Langhorne Carpet, click here.

In a New York Times review of Negative Entropy, Roberta Smith writes, “Not unlike the music rolls for a player piano, these [recorded sounds] become templates for softly optical Jacquard patterns that suggest waves of both sounds and lights and also have a quaint, modern, wall-hanging numbness...There is nothing very groundbreaking here, but contributions are made to the continuing discussion about beauty and the diverse ways it can be achieved and the hands-off legacy of Jackson Pollock. Object making has never been Ms. Tajima's thing, but these imply a promising trajectory." Read the full New York Times article.

Installation view at Eleven Rivington, NY, 2014
Photo credit

Mika Tajima is a New York City artist born in Los Angeles. She received her B.A. from Bryn Mawr College and her M.F.A. from Columbia University. She exhibits her artwork all over the country and around the world. Her past exhibitions have been at Centre Pompidou in Paris, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in California, The Aspen Art Museum in Colorado, The Seattle Art Museum in Washington, Bass Art Museum in Florida, X Initiative in New York, The Kitchen in New York, Swiss Institute for Contemporary Art in New York, The Mori Museum in Tokyo, South London Gallery in London, and many other notable locations. Her Negative Entropy series was first displayed at Eleven Rivington in New York. Visit Mika Tajima’s website here for more information on her work and exhibitions.

Labor of Love

As the longest continuously operated Wilton carpet mill in the United States, Langhorne has had many years of successes and struggles. Langhorne is a family run business that has had to continuously prove its worth for 85 years. However, after 85 years in its red brick mill, Langhorne’s direction and goals are still clear and in reach. Making its carpets is a labor of love and this fact shines through in all of Langhorne's work.

Because of Langhorne’s dedication and skill, it has had its fair share of noteworthy customers and important tasks. Its ability to reproduce the most complex of designs is unmatched and widely admired. Langhorne has created carpets with designs ranging from simple patterns to family crests to historic reproductions. For example, Langhorne has made reproductions of historic carpets for the Frederick Douglass house in Washington, the Congress Hall of Philadelphia, and the Rutherford B. Hayes home in Fremont, Ohio.

However, behind the extravagance of Langhorne’s carpets and customers lies a rather humble story. The Wilton carpet mill was born when Henry Ford sold some unused looms to the great-grandfather of Langhorne’s current president, Bill Morrow. Even now, Langhorne buys a lot of its machinery from other companies that have closed down. But although the equipment is old, it produces wonderful carpets. Langhorne only uses wool of the highest quality, imported from Britain and New Zealand. Furthermore, the craftsmanship of Langhorne’s specially trained employees is unparalleled and these factors combine to produce superior carpets.

Even though Langhorne is known for its history and traditional way of doing things, Langhorne has learned the importance of adapting and growing. In a world where most carpets are made of synthetic material and are mass-produced, it can be hard for mills like Langhorne to remain in business. However, Langhorne constantly makes the effort to be flexible and learn new things and has seen great successful. For example, Langhorne in recent years figured out how to die Kanecaron, a fake fur produced in Japan, for one its projects. Langhorne is proud to keep its traditions, but it is also proud to learn and grow.

After 85 years in the business, the love that Langhorne’s employees have for their work continues to grow. They continue to ensure the highest quality in every phase of the carpet and the highest quality of customer service. Langhorne’s story is both humble and extraordinary, traditional and changing, which is what is required for a labor of love.