We made an interview with our art teacher about handcrafts, because there are a few studies on handcrafts in Turkey.
Can you talk about yourself?
I am Kuharik Üstün. I was born in Hatay. I studied at Mimar Sinan University Faculty of Fine Arts Ceramics Department. I have been working as an art teacher for 20 years.
What do you think about handcrafts? In your opinion, how was it invented?
Handcrafts are as old as the human history. Before the invention of the tools, people had been making the necessary products by using their hands. And it became an art, when people began to reflect the cultural emotions, characteristics and tastes through them.
Can you talk about the turning points and prominent figures in the history of handcrafts?
Handcrafts emerged due to the daily needs of people, but they were also affected by environmental factors. The materials used in clothes, shoes, carpets and so on differ from region to region. And embroidery and weaving styles have also different aesthetic characteristics in different regions and cultures. They use bird, animal and flower patterns. Then, these crafts became professions that are handed down from parents to their children.
How old is the history of handcrafts in Turkey?
It is very old. As a nomadic society, they made mostly carpets. They mastered crafts like weaving, leather, carpentry, forging and collage work. Today, most of them are produced in the factories.
What is your advice to people who are interested in handcrafts?
They have to love art. They have to research and examine the old works. In my village, needlework is excellent. In the past, some families had been making their living by needlework. I believe that we have to preserve such crafts and hand them down to the next generations.
