Selcuk Gurisik - Contemporary Designer Employing Traditional Craft

Interior design products of Selcuk Gurisik

One of the most ancient textiles known to humankind, felted wool has been getting a lot of attention among designers around the world in recent years. Those with an interest in exploring traditional craft and a concern for sustainability have found felted wool to be one of the most versatile, durable and remarkable textiles due to its unique properties: fire-retardant, self-extinguishing, dampens vibration and absorbs sound, can hold large amounts of fluids without feeling wet, can be molded into a multitude of forms, resilient - returns to original dimensions after compression and homogenous structure - won't fray.

One of the designers I have found particularly inspiring who is working with this remarkable medium is Selcuk Gurisik of Turkey. After studying architecture in the early 1970's, he went on to study textiles and fashion as well as art and design, gaining a PhD in art and design with a focus on Anatolian Felt-making. During his work on the PhD, he participated in a number of international interior design projects. In the early 1990's, he set up a design studio and today he is active in both design work and lecturing and teaching workshops on traditional Turkish felt-making in both Turkey and the UK. 

I am particularly intrigued by Gurisik's use of bold colours and patterns in his work. I am strongly drawn to and inspired by felted wool and its limitless applications,  so when I saw the immense array of his designs, ranging from clothing, to floor and wall coverings to furniture, I was so excited.

Here are a few of his pieces that really stand out to me. You can find more information on Selcuk Gurisik and his designs at http://selcukgurisik.wordpress.com/.

"Matisse"

Hand felted Ottoman couch

Felted wool upholstery with gold-leaf paint

Silk and felted wool with hand painted gold leaf

Undyed felted wool chair with gold leaf paint

Installation

Beeswax Candles to Ignite Your Inner Light....and Purify Your Air

(image courtesy of http://www.beeswaxcandleco.com/our-candles/)

I love lighting candles in my home this time of year. In addition to a warm glow, candles bring a sense of magic. We light candles when we are about to share a meal (sometimes even at breakfast when we rise before the dawning day) or when we are about to share a story or play a family game. The candle seems to bring us closer in to each other as we cluster in its glow. My children love the small ritual of making a wish each time we blow out a candle (we do this whether or not the candle happens to be on a birthday cake!).

In Waldorf schools around the world, children celebrate St. Martin's Day in early November with a Lantern Walk. Each child makes their own lantern. Just as dusk sets in, they light the lanterns and walk in a procession singing "This Little Light of Mine". They do this as a demonstration of how we can get through the darkest season by bringing the light close and focusing on our inner light. We are reminded that even when the world around us is dark, our inner light, that which connects us with the Divine, can always shine bright.

There's a reason why, in many spiritual traditions, we light candles as the Earth tilts us farther from the sun and we experience the season of shorter days and longer nights. The darkness of this season represents a time for introspection and staying close to the hearth fire. The world outside lies dormant, seeds and bulbs are nestled into the Earth awaiting their time to awaken. The air is chilled and we pull inwards to a kind of hibernation. Lighting candles in our homes brings the waning light of the sun closer to us and reminds us to cultivate our inner light. We light candles when we pray and it makes us feel closer to God somehow to be next to this sacred light.

However, not all candles are created equal! Many candles actually contain poisonous chemicals and leave toxic residues in the air. Paraffin, a component in most commercial candles, is a by-product of the petroleum industry.  "According to the American EPA, paraffin candles are known to release carcinogens like benzene and toluene." (http://www.santafecandle.com/learn/beeswax/whybeeswax.htm)

Beeswax candles are a natural, non-toxic and sustainable alternative to paraffin candles. I am especially fond of 100% pure beeswax candles for a number of reasons. Not only do they emit a beautiful golden glow and a naturally sweet honey scent when they burn, they also clean the air. Beeswax candles create negative ions which actually pull odours, pollens, dust, viruses and allergens out of the air we breathe. Negative ions are also known to promote a host of other health benefits from improved sleep to balancing hormones and a sense of wellbeing (see the above link for more details).

The Santa Fe Beeswax Candle Company refers to beeswax as "Solid Sunlight" because it is "made from flowers by honeybees". How fitting to have some "Solid Sunlight" in our homes while we weather the cold and dark of winter and bring the sun closer to reflect to us our inner light as we breathe deep of our pure air.

(credit: Scott Bauer, USDA/Agricultural Research Services)

Recycled Textile Designs by Jana

A hooded tunic made with recycled silk and leathers.

I was given an old sewing machine when I was in my late 20's and since then, I have been nurturing a passion to create with textiles. I am completely enthralled with the process of taking a 2 dimensional piece of fabric and engineering it into a 3 dimensional garment. Combined with my love of colour and texture, sewing became a natural fit for me.

This meandering path into expressing myself creatively with sewing lead to an interest in hobby crafting specifically with recycled materials. As a virtually untrained seamstress (unless you can count junior high home economics classes), I found I was much too timid to cut into new, virgin fabrics - petrified at the prospect of wrecking an expensive piece of fabric.

Eventually, I discovered great joy in treasure-hunting in thrift and consignment stores, yard sales and clothing swaps: finding interesting items, taking them home to my sewing machine and customizing them into one-of-a-kind garments. There is a lot of freedom to explore in this modality because I can easily try new things and make mistakes without too much financial risk. I found all kinds of textiles and garments to work with, most at an average price of about $5 - $10 each.

The possibilities are limitless and I am endlessly inspired by things I find when I am treasure-hunting and dreaming up new shapes, dimensions and incarnations for them.

I took this brocade Asian vest and tailored it by adding the eyelets and lacing.

A Studio of One's Own

A photo I took of myself in my new sewing studio

I was so thrilled when I moved to a home 3 years ago that had a little abandoned out-building in the back yard. The space was full of junk, cold, damp, moldy and leaky, but I saw great potential for finally creating my very own sewing studio.

My little studio before it was rescued from obscurity

I set about clearing and cleaning the space. Although small in square footage, it had large heavy sliding glass doors and several electrical outlets at counter height on the walls all the way around the room. This, I felt sure, was intended to be a workshop or studio of some kind. I removed approximately 20 garbage bags of moldy stuff that had been stored there over the years.

After MOST of the random junk had been removed...

When I finally completed the clean up, hired a friend to fix the leaky roof and another to build my work table which included a number of "guest workstations" and brought in a dehumidifier, I was ready to launch my studio with a great party!


I created an event which consisted of an all-day open studio (open house) and clothing swap. All the guests were invited to bring gently used clothing that they were no longer interested in wearing. They were welcomed to choose items that others had brought to take home in exchange for the clothing they were leaving behind. We had a huge pile of clothes on the living room floor. I served mimosas as a daytime aperitif cocktail and finger-food appies. The guests rummaged through the pile of clothes, finding treasures and then we spent time in the studio altering and customizing our selections.

Clothing swap!

Try it on!

Customizing our clothing at guest workstations

Turkey Casserole by Jana

Many people are left wondering after the big Thanksgiving dinner: what in the world do I do with all this leftover turkey? Yesterday, I dreamed up a turkey casserole dinner for my family and it actually passed the Kids' Taste-Test (and they can sometimes be chef mom's worst critics!!).

This is a dairy-free and gluten-free casserole that's pretty simple to assemble. I used a slow-cooker to make the sauce ahead of time, but it can also be done using a regular saucepan.

Sauce:

1 Tblspn olive oil
1 1/2 cups turkey broth
1/2 medium zucchini, cubed*
1 medium onion, chopped small
3-4 large basil leaves, whole
2-3 large cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 cup coconut milk
2 medium potatoes, cubed*
1 - 1 1/2 cups turkey, tear into bite-sized pieces or chop
1/3 cup brown rice flour
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

*the neat thing about this recipe is you can also use some or any of your leftover vegetables from Thanksgiving dinner too (ie. any roast potatoes or yams, carrots, etc)

Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker croque pot, stirring well. Set slow cooker on low heat for 5 hours or high heat for 3 hours.

Casserole Assembly:

340g gluten-free penne or macaroni (I used brown rice pasta but the Go-go Quinoa brand is also nice)
3/4 cup Daiya dairy-free shredded cheese substitute

Towards the end of the sauce cooking time, prepare the pasta by cooking it in salted boiling water until just al dente (usually about 8-10 minutes for the brown rice pasta). Combine the pasta, the sauce and the Daiya shredded cheese substitute in a large bowl until well mixed. Pour into a 9x9" casserole baking dish. Bake at 350 F for 30-40 minutes, or until top is just golden. Serve with salad or steamed veggies.

Before and After - a home transformation

When deciding to sell your home, to get the most value out of your investment, it can be worthwhile  to do some easy remodelling and redecorating. Simple superficial changes, such as tackling flooring, repainting and getting rid of clutter can go a long way to ensure that your home shows in it's best possible suit. Below are some before and after shots of one such project.

Kitchen

The kitchen is the place where families spend most of their time and the one spot in the house that probably gets the most traffic. This kitchen is already busy and the bright yellow paint only assaults the senses further.

A simple toned down colour on the walls, some new tiling on the floor to modernize the look and some cleaning and de-cluttering recreates the kitchen into a tranquil and functional space.

Living Room

With small children, the living room can become another playroom. This is fine at times, but what do you do when you want to entertain guests in this mess?

Again, toning down the bright colour of paint on the walls, removing the clutter and simplifying the space makes it into a tidy and inviting place.

Leaving only a few key pieces creates refined simplicity.

 Children's Bedrooms



Lily's Room

The children have so many beautiful things, but even too many beautiful things cause clutter and make a space look "trashy" and busy. Children can sometimes have a hard time letting go of their pretty things, so we started by just filing some of those things in a box or bin. The kids liked the idea that they still HAD those pretty things, they just didn't have to stuff their rooms full with them.

The paint in Lily's bedroom (above) was originally meant to be whimsical and playful but it ended up just adding to the clutter. Choosing one simple colour made the room much more neat and refined in appearance. As well, taking out the old, shag carpet and replacing it with laminate flooring opened up and cleared the space.

With loads of pretty things and unused items (call them "memorabilia") safely stored away in bins, the room became much more functional with only those things that were needed in attendance, and carefully stowed in organizer boxes on the shelf so that the over-all effect is one of clear space. Even Lily appreciated having space to move and play with ease in her room.

Mia's Room

Like Lily's room, Mia's was stuffed with too many pretty things and unused items that made it overwhelming for her to even consider "tidying" her room, let alone sleeping peacefully in it!

We got rid of the old, dirty carpet in this room, painted the walls a softer, gentler colour and built a bunk bed to make use of the space under the bed as a little reading nook. One small wall unit with pretty figures and crystals and the rest carefully stored away (perhaps for a future garage sale??) and now Mia has a relaxing space to enjoy herself in.

Dining Room

Since we rarely had occasion for formal dining events in our busy family home, we used the dining room as a crafting room for projects, hobbies and another repository for aimless toys. For the purpose of selling the house, we decided it would be best to return this room to it's original function of being a dining room.

This transformation was mainly a process of delegating crafting items to another dedicated space in the house, tidying up and moving a dining room table into the space. Voila! Family dining room! From that point on, we enjoyed many family dinners in this room before the house was sold.

Good Earth Builders - Cob Kitchen Project 2008-2011

About four years ago, I joined a group of individuals forming a natural building collective, inspired and mentored by the renowned Mud Girls Natural Building Collective of Lasqueti Island (http://mudgirls.wordpress.com/).

During my years working with the group, which came to be known as the Good Earth Builders Natural Building Collective, I had the opportunity to participate in a number of projects and workshops on the Sunshine Coast. Most of our projects were small (no more than 100 sq ft) because natural building is completely new to the building inspectors who adhere to the standard building codes and there are currently no standard natural building codes as of yet - any structure under 100 sq ft does not require building inspector approval. So, we built things like garden sheds, benches and cob ovens.

Building with cob can be a slow process which can take years to complete, depending on the size of the project, due to the fact that it is labour-intensive and here on the "Wet-Coast," we have a much shorter dry season in which to build. The following photos highlight one of the projects I was able to see through from start to finish at a local farm and retreat centre called Deer Crossing the Art Farm (or the Art Farm, as it was nicknamed). We were commissioned to build a cob kitchen space (separate from the main house) for the use of guests.



Getting Started

Most projects begin with the laying of foundations, structural columns and roof rafters, around which we will position the cob. Once that is done, we begin mixing cob - and LOT'S of it!! Cob is made up of a mixture of clay and sand (ideally found in the land on-site, or brought in from local sources nearby) and water and straw. Normally, people involved in larger projects will use technology such as a rototiller to mix large batches of cob, but because as a natural building collective, we are a hands-on bunch, we mix cob in smaller batches with our feet!

Laying Cob

We typically have teams of people mixing cob and teams of people laying cob to build up the walls of the structure and then at some point we switch so that everyone gets a chance to perform all the different roles. In the following photo, my partner, Nina, and I are working together to build up the wall equally on either side (inside and outside) of the structure. You can see in this photo that we are in the process of embedding a glass brick into the cob wall. Once the walls begin to get higher, we need to stand on scaffolding or straw bales to reach the top of the wall.

Nadi is sitting on one of our straw bale scaffolding units....

When we start getting really high up on the walls, it is more efficient for people down below to pass up the cob mixture to us. Sandy is "serving up a platter of cob" to the people on the scaffolding.

Once we have completed as much cob-building as we can in one dry season, we wrap up our building to weather the rainy winter season until spring when we can continue building again.

Cedar Shake Roof

The following dry season, we had the Mud Girls come and teach a workshop in making cedar shake roofing. In this way, we have a group of people learning how it is done, getting the practical, hands-on experience and a work party of many individuals to get it done. Everyone benefits! Below is a shot of the cob kitchen with the walls completed up to the rafters and the cedar shake roof completed.

Plastering

This is a shot of the kitchen from the back view. This picture also shows the building when it is finished being plastered. The plastering happened at the end of the second building season. Typically, natural plaster is composed of fine clay, sifted straw and sifted, fresh horse manure. Yes, we all wore GLOVES for plastering!

This picture shows the inside of the kitchen with the sunlight coming through the coloured glass we embedded in the cob during the wall building phase. It also shows the layer of coloured plaster we did on the inside walls.

Below is another interior shot showing the variance of colour and texture that is possible with natural plastering. For the interior plastering of this kitchen, we were very lucky to have the expertise of a local business owner, Keetah Bryant of Canadian Coastal Clayworks (http://www.canadiancoastalclayworks.ca/ - there are more photos of the Art Farm kitchen in Keetah's photo gallery on her site).

This photo also shows one of the common natural building techniques of making dry stack foundations (at the bottom of the wall). "Dry stack" refers to building without the use of a mortar. One of the advantages of using dry stack foundations is that because the rocks are not fixed in one position, they can easily shift in the event of an earthquake and remain stable.

Cob Flooring

Here we see a freshly laid cob floor in the kitchen and more detail on the dry stack foundation and it's aesthetic value to a completed building. The shelf beside the window was embedded into the wall during the cob-building phase, as was the window. Also, the wooden studs were embedded into the cob wall during building. They will be used later to affix a wooden bench to the cob wall.

Versatile and Sculptable Cob

Below are some photos of completed cob homes showing the possibilities for living in a natural structure made of earth.

cabin by Meka Bunch of Wolf Creek, Oregon

http://www.builditgreen.co.za/GoingGreen/EarthHouses.aspx

A Few Reasons Why I Love Cob

I love how sculptable cob is and I love that we make these buildings with our hands and feet in the earth. I love how beautiful and dynamic the finished product is and that we can build furniture (such as the seating areas in the two photos above) coming right out of the wall, so that the wall becomes an extension of our lifestyle and home decor in an artistic and highly unique way. I love that cob buildings in the British Isles have been standing (and housing people) for over 500 years.

RAW MOCHA CHEESECAKE

At the beginning of 2012, my daughter and I were placed on a gluten-free and dairy-free diet due to allergies. It has opened up a whole new world of cuisine for us through our explorations in finding foods we like to eat which do not contain dairy or gluten (some of our past staples). When my birthday rolled around this year, my family and I were in a conundrum about what kind of a birthday cake we could make. Certainly there are plenty enough gluten-free cake mixes and dairy-free icing mixes out there, but my other criterion was that I wanted to find something we could make that was also sugar-free, since I want to be conscious of our sugar consumption as well.

We were delighted to find this great recipe in Sweet Gratitude: a new world of raw desserts by Matthew Rogers and Tiziana Alipo Tamborra. At first my kids thought a "raw cheesecake" without any cheese would be awful, but in the end, everyone appreciated the great flavour and texture of this cake. As well, my daughter, who helped me make it was amazed at how easy it was to put together. We highly recommend this rich and delicious cake!

Chocolate Almond Crust

1 3/4 cups dry almonds

5 Tbspns cacao powder

3 1/2 oz date paste (weight) = soaked dates

1 tsp liquid vanilla

1/8 tsp salt

Process all ingredients in food processor until well integrated and sticks together when pressed into a ball. I always add a tiny bit of water if it's too dry. Press the crust into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a spring-form cake pan and set aside for filling.

Mocha Filling

3 cups soaked cashews

1 1/4 cups cold espresso (I used grain coffee so it would be kid-friendly)

3/4 cup almond milk

1 cup agave syrup

2 oz cacao powder (weight)

1 Tbsp liquid vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

3 Tbsp lecithin

1 1/4 cups melted coconut butter (low heat - it doesn't take much to melt coconut butter)

Blend all except last 2 ingredients in blender until smooth and creamy. Add lecithin and coconut butter and blend until well integrated. Pour filling into spring-form pan and place in the freezer about 2-4 hours to set (2 hrs for grain coffee, but 4 hrs for espresso - espresso increases setting time substantially). Cheesecake will keep about 4 days covered in the fridge.