62-year-old Zekiye Gürsoy, who lives in Bolu, keeps the local clothes of the people in Mudurnu, Göynük and Dörtdivan districts alive in the dolls she prepared using corn cobs.
Gürsoy, who lives in Beşkavaklar District, took three-dimensional relief and wood painting training in courses opened by the municipality years ago, and then turned to making dolls from corn cobs, which he saw on social media.
Gürsoy, who learned the processing, drying and shaping of corn cobs in the course at Bolu Public Education Center, colors the cobs with fabric dyes without disturbing the natural texture of the cobs he dried in the room of his house, which he converted into a workshop, and creates original designs by shaping them one by one.
Gürsoy, who prepares traditional clothes from the Mudurnu, Göynük and Dörtdivan regions with fabrics and applies them to the dolls she makes from cob, also produces lotus flowers, door ornaments, flower arrangements and decorative objects.
Gürsoy told the AA correspondent that he takes care to bring together imagination and local culture in each of his works.
Stating that he was inspired by the local clothes of Mudurnu, Göynük and Dörtdivan, Gürsoy said, "I prepare the decorations and details of the clothes myself at home. I want each baby to have a different story and character. With the products I make, I both introduce our culture and try to keep forgotten handicrafts alive." he said.
Gürsoy stated that it takes an average of three days to prepare a corn doll and explained that each product requires great patience and effort, and that the cobs are dyed one by one, dried and shaped in layers.
Stating that it was not easy to find corn cobs, Gürsoy said, "I dried and saved the corn cobs I collected from the environment. When the course was about to open, I took large bags full of corn cobs and shared them with other trainees. Thus, we all had the opportunity to work together." he said.
Gürsoy pointed out that it uses completely zero waste materials and continued as follows:
"I dry the corn cobs and paint them. Then, I shape them one by one and make dolls, lotus flowers and door ornaments. It gives me great pleasure to create products that people have not seen much before. This endeavor, which I started as a hobby, turned into a business that generates income over time. I love working on orders. It makes me happy that people choose the products I make for their homes or as gifts for their loved ones."
Stating that producing gives him both morale and new life energy, Gürsoy added that turning a material that is considered waste in nature into a work of art makes him very happy.