Digital Phase Wool Blanket – North Winds Series

One foot in the future and one foot in the past, Native people walk in two worlds. Sixth-generation Navajo weaver Michael Teller Ornelas walks the line between tradition and technology with his Digital Phase Wool Blanket, which combines ancient weaving symbols with contemporary digital design. "I take inspiration from both traditional Navajo designs as well as pop culture references like video games," shares Michael. "This blanket combines and synthesizes traditional Navajo designs and modern video game pixel philosophy." Michaels' design is reminiscent of the low-poly video game graphics of the 80s and 90s, with blocks of color crisscrossing the blanket. The name—Digital Phase—is a nod to the categories of Navajo chief blankets and our modern era. "This blanket is a riff on the first, second, and third phases of Navajo blankets," shares Michael, who also honors the global digital era we currently inhabit. The Teller-Pete-Ornelas family is known the world over for their incredible wool