| In this world of mass produced, global marketed, and tourism packaged goods, how can we possibly say that purchasing a carpet or kilim in Turkey could still be a sane thing to do? |
Therefore, when asked to explain myself to visitors in our shop, curious why a reasonably intelligent woman chooses to spend her days in a place which sells lovely Turkish handmade items, but face it, IS a carpet shop, this is what I tell them. It's the difference between art and commerce. |
Our kilims, carpets and textiles are handmade in the traditional styles and patterns from the Anatolian peninsula to the regions of the Caucasian and Central Asian Republics. Spend a few days, wandering into shops, if you can be left alone long enough to really look. You will begin to see the difference between old and new, to recognize the spirit, the lack of perfection, that makes art. We buy these pieces a few pieces at a time, never from a factory. |
Not that there is anything wrong with mass production (except for a certain absence of individuality, and the likelihood of cheap and child labor in those factories). But we love the character that comes from a piece woven from the heart. Most of our pieces are at least 25 years old, often much older, made back in the day when women learned the art of weaving at their mother's knee. |
They were made by the women of these semi-nomadic tribal cultures as floor and wall coverings, for eating and praying and other personal uses, and occasionally for trade, like having a bank account available to pay an urgent bill. The wool yarns used are handspun, using natural vegetable dyes, not machine made, using synthetic dyes. |
| There are carpet shops, and worse, touts, lurking on every Turkish street in the many towns that visitors frequent, all offering a dizzying array of color, pattern and fiber guaranteed to be "authentic". It's enough to make one's head spin, I should know. It is how I met my husband, so you can SEE the inherent dangers. |
| Our rugs were intended to be used for years. We think of them as heirlooms to be passed down through the family...in fact, several of the rugs on this page were made by women in Abit's family a generation ago. Kilims and carpets are handcrafted works of art that will increase in value over time with proper care. To see more... |
Copyright1999-2009 Bazaar Bayar/Gallery Golden State All rights
reserved
Bazaar Bayar
| Selcuk, Izmir Turkiye 90.538.783.5709 ccsbayar@gmail.com |
| Give a disappearing artform a home... |
| Vintage Turkish & Central Asian Treasures Selcuk, Izmir Turkiye 90.538.783.5709 ccsbayar@gmail.com |