Water Objects, 2024

Installation

Elhamra’s terrace, which offers a wide city view, is also a part of the Çini making process. The “4 plaster mud containers found on the terrace” have been waiting for us to tell their story and function since they were last used in 2002. Different soils brought from the mountains around Kütahya are mixed in the pools of the studio according to the recipe determined by the masters based on years of experience. They are then filtered and carried inside buckets to the terrace. The liquid mud is poured into the containers spread on the terrace. The water evaporates and the mud gradually thickens. Then, the mud that has reached a dough-like consistency is removed from the containers and taken to the studio below, to be shaped on the work bench.
The white containers used in the “Water Objects” installation were first sealed. Then, they were once more filled with the water evaporated in time. The brass forms placed on top were inspired by the patterns found in the archives of Elhamra. The patterns, which have been the mirror of society for years, become the mirror of the disappearing craft through their reflection on the water.

“Elhamra: Learning From Craft”, 2024

Solo Exhibitıon @ARTonGallery, Istanbul

Curator: Lydia Chatziiakovou 

Production assistant: Emrullah Büker 

Photo: Kayhan Kaygusuz

Thank you to Mustafa Kerkük, third generation master of Elhamra Çini for sharing the story of his family, their studio and archive.