Marc Phillips: Resurrect Collection

The rug thing was something new. Marc Phillips came to RETNA with this idea — take what he does on walls and put it on the floor. Handmade in Nepal, wool and silk, the whole thing built by craftsmen who’ve been weaving rugs for generations. They wanted his alphabet translated into thread.

He sent them his patterns, the same symbols he uses on concrete and canvas. They wove it into something you could walk on. Black and white, some in deep blue and gold. The characters took on a different kind of life in wool — softer edges, more depth. Looked like ancient manuscripts spread across a room.

People ask why rugs. He tells them art isn’t just on walls. It’s in your space, under your feet, part of your everyday. These pieces let someone live with his alphabet in a way they can’t when it’s on a building across town. The symbols stay the same. The feeling stays the same. Just a different surface to land on.