Mona Diniz
Tapestry maker
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
When design finds tapestry craftsmanship
- Mona creates hand-embroidered tapestry frames which she learnt to make on her own
- She uses tapestry as a medium to express her contemporary design vision
- Her tapestry can be seen in home decoration pieces as well as carpets and even jewellery collections
Although Mona Diniz, born and raised in Belo Horizonte, has a degree in Design and Photography, her curiosity for manual values led her towards tapestry. “I carry the idea of design in my work and it manifests as different colours and formats that allow me to develop series and collaborations,” says Mona. Many of her contemporary designs are inspired by architecture, especially Brazilian modernism, with its shapes and modules. She was invited to demonstrate her techniques on a TV show and was later invited by Casa Vogue in São Paulo and Argentina to participate in various workshops. This recognition for her work opened doors to new collaborations for Mona, giving life to her designs through more unexpected interpretations such as tapestry in jewellery.
INTERVIEW
Ever since I graduated in Design and Photography, I felt the urge to continue experimenting creatively, first with ceramics, then with tapestry. Even though I am self-taught, I consider my first master to have been my grandmother, who enchanted me with manual activities from an early age.
Long before technical excellence – which is obviously essential – I take a conceptual and formal approach to my work. I use research and references to develop the designs, I study colours. Everything needs to be well thought out to reflect the values my studio TapeTo stands for.
Tapestry is often mistakenly seen as a purely technical craft, and sometimes people are surprised at how much design and artistic thought goes into each piece. Each time I see my ideas materialised into something real and tangible, I am amazed by the process.
One of the first pieces I made when I opened my workshop in 2017, I named Yara, as a tribute to my grandmother. It still remains an iconic TapeTo piece and its design has been applied to carpets and even jewellery. I love the idea of using tapestry in unexpected ways.
