It's a good chance for me to talk with Pelin, She is a felted artist who used the wool or the pet's hair to manually re-engraved the pet's original appearance, making forms like brooch, necklace, and ring. Many of her customers are owners who lost pets, and each pet accessory is made for a specific customer.
Before the interview, I listed some questions which I care for and related about my research question — How can jewelry be considered as a therapeutic tool? I think that her works usually have their healing function for her customers. The following is our interview:
1. Q: How long have you been working with felt?
A: I think it's been almost three years.
2. Q: What is your reason for doing this job? what's your inspiration?
A: I was working as an engineer, but I always wanted to find a hobby or just do something related to art. At first, I began to draw some pictures or used concrete to create some art pieces, and I also I wanted to lean wool felting in personally. Then, I searched some course about it, needle felting and wool felting. Beginning to do some wool ball at first, I found a lot of interesting, the work are so reach to people, It's also possible to do lots of things.
3. Q: I noticed that the main material of your work is wool, what kind of feeling do you think this material brings to you?
A: Actually, I don't think that it's positive feeling, sometimes it has issues in my mind. But I have to say, It's amazing. And I still enjoy this material, it's available in different colors, If I can not find a perfect color, I mixed two color of wool to get something more comfortable what I imaging or what I design in my mind.
4. Q: Do you think the material can express the emotions of the artist?
A: Yes it can. For example, a painting portrait show some kind of illustration, they usually related to the painter himself. So, it's a same thing. Another example, I have a dog, I love dog so much. When I using wool to felt dog project, I always so happy. I mean when you put your emotion into a work, it's usually better than other work, and that material like a tool to express your emotion.
5. Q: which piece of work impressed you most? why?
A: This one! (As shown in the figure above)， you can see it only has one eye, I don't want to emphasize its missing eye, so just making some hair to cover. This work has emotion，because I can understand my customer‘s feeling. So I work with different mental situation state.
6: Q: Do you have any thoughts during the making process?
A: There are four steps in the process. First, I think Ok, I will do perfect work. Second one, Omg, this interesting thing I ever had, I think I can success it. Third one, I think It will be well. Forth step, I don't wanna send this work to my customer, it should be mine, I should keep it.
7. Q: How do your customers react after receiving your work? Will the owners who have lost their dogs feel comforted?
A: Some of them crying. After I sent the work to my customer, they usually crying a alt. Because they lost their pets, but these work looks like pets still alive, and company them. I never received negative feedback or reaction, they always fell very comforted and happy. This is also good thing to me with is happiness.
8. Q: Jewelry can be used as a way of expressing your personality. As a handmade artist, do you think jewelry can express negative emotion？
A: I think it should be like that by the way, because when I visit a museum, I can also feel the artist's emotion from the art works in my heart. For example, when I wear my dog portrait brooch, I feel safe and comfortable, but I don't know why, it has healing function. But when a piece of thing remind you unhappy memories, maybe people won't buy it or wear it, It decides by different people, someone are willing to do that.
9. Q: Do you think jewelry can be therapeutic tool for people? For example when people wear a jewelry, they can feel relaxing and healing.
A: I have a example for you. My parents lived in Turkey, before they moved to London, they left their dog for 3 months and my mom always feel loneliness. I made the dog jewelry for my mom, and she said " when I wear this dog necklace, I won't feel lonely, because I can feel my dog stayed by my side." So I think you are right, it is possible. For me, is possible.
10. Q: Do you think jewelry making can be one form of art therapy? why?
A: Yes, why not? Especially, for wool felting work, you need to roll the wool again and again, at that time, my engineer work is stressful, so when I doing this kind of thing, It help me a lot to relax. I am surely it helps. In turkey, there are a lot of disable people who did jewelry or art pieces, they can attend some market, they can use their work to earn money by themselves, and the will feel better when they do this kind of work.
After talking with Pelin, I begin to think the reason for Pelin thoughts about her jewelry's healing function. I believe that there are a lot of emotional stories behind her jewelry; these stories are the bridge between Pelin and her customer or audiences. Recalling the last presentation, I notice that my salt project lack of narrative, I should find a 'bridge' between salt, negative emotions and public people.
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