Uprooted

FROM OLIVE ROOTS TO DEAD-STOCK WOOL: UPROOTED RUG BY JORGE PENADÉS IN COLLABORATION WITH CC-TAPIS

Following its debut at Matter and Shape as part of the Uprooted V02 project, Jorge Penadés' Uprooted Rug enters the cc-tapis Special Projects collection as a made-to-order design. Developed through cc-tapis' experimental Made in Milan platform, the reversible wool rug marks the first textile iteration of Penadés' ongoing Uprooted research, translating the textures, structures, and material intelligence of Mediterranean olive roots into a richly tactile woven landscape.

The launch represents a significant new chapter in Uprooted, Penadés' long-term investigation into how materials shaped by agricultural systems can be reimagined through contemporary design. While previous editions focused on the untapped potential of Andalusian olive tree roots as a material for collectible furniture, the project now expands into wool, another material deeply embedded in Mediterranean cultures and their rural economies. 
 

Crafted from dead-stock, undyed wool sourced across Southern Europe's Mediterranean regions, Uprooted Rug recreates the grain, density, and irregular character of olive wood through a sophisticated interplay of texture, pile height, and yarn thickness. Three natural wool yarns are layered to generate a richly dimensional surface that echoes both the complexity of olive roots and the landscapes from which they emerge. Conceived as a reversible piece, the rug embraces the raw, irregular qualities that define the Uprooted visual language. Subtle shifts in texture, tone, and composition reveal themselves across both sides, reinforcing the project's commitment to material authenticity and natural variation.

"Rather than focusing on the material itself, I am interested in the systems behind it. Olive roots and wool come from different industries, yet both reveal shared relationships between landscape, labour and production. Through this project, I wanted to explore how materials shaped by different rural practices can enter into dialogue and reveal the cultural and ecological connections that link them.”

- Jorge Penadés