Interview with Étolie from Paris | Asli Emek
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1∙ Can you both present very briefly who you are and your backgrounds?
Gizem: During many years, I have worked as a lawyer in Istanbul before founding our brand Edetri. I have always felt a need to create and I was knowing that somehow I could never be fulfilled without following my inner calls. This is what led me to follow arts in many ways. I wanted to stick to my nature, to embody fully my own creativity. Initially, while being still a lawyer, we launched Edetri; Now that I have left that profession, I can devote myself solely and completely to our brand.
Aylin: I was born in Kiev to a family of mixed Ukrainian and Turkish heritage, where my interest in the arts was nurtured from a very young age. I was given numerous opportunities to explore various art forms, and all this helped me discover a deep passion for artistic expression. Therefore, I relocated to Istanbul and got a degree in textile and fashion design from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (Istanbul). Currently, I am now working as a designer in the textile industry.
We wanted to create our own space where we could catch our instincts: not only by designing objects but also by setting up table installations for building different relations with food. Ultimately, we would wish to connect with people around our experimental dinners. We are interested in what "the table" can bring us. We look at it in a cultural, creative and interactive perspective.
2∙ What does Edetri mean and why did you choose this name?
“Edetri” has no preconceived meaning and is not inspired by any word. So, it does not refer to anything that exists and has thus no boundary. We invented it… And to be honest, we had a hard time finding it! We wanted to create a name that was abstract and at the same time direct, a bit like a first name that makes a person unique. It is a way for people to have a more intuitive and fluid relationship with our brand.
3∙ Why did you choose ceramics as medium? Do you think using other materials such as glass for your next collections? Or do you think adding more colors or shapes to your collections in the future?
Our focus at Edetri is on creating table installation that brings food rituals to life in our way and awakens forgotten senses and memories. We believe that objects have a powerful evocative ability and this is why we first wanted to create our own products. Ceramic is very suitable, as a first medium, for seeing the idea you want to model just by touching with your hand directly and intuitively. Clay is something alive for us, one that responds to our touch and reflects the rhythms. To work with ceramics is to enter in a dialogue with this element to listen to conversation and follow its lead. It is for this conversation that we have founded our brand.
From the beginning we have wished to bring different materials, shapes and colors to our tables as we have also wanted to benefit from what the experimental process could bring. We don’t restrict ourselves only to creation of objects but also to see how the material can shape us.
These days we are working on our glass design. We also work with fabric and try to include them in our brand. So, this question is coming just in time!
4∙ We love your minimalistic, natural and sculptural designs. What’s the idea behind it and what does it mean to you?
We are not only business partners but also very close friends. Whenever we were together, we found ourselves drawn to nature, often traveling, camping and immersing ourselves in the great outdoors. It was during one of these trips that we first conceived the ideas for our brand and began designing our ceramics. We feel the resonance of everything we see is somehow leaving a trace in the psyche of Edetri. We saw the essence of Edetri in the mountains, shaped by the wind and water-eroded stones, and we were inspired to bring the dynamism of nature to our designs.
While nature evokes our primal sides, we were also fascinated by the idea of food as an instinct, food as a culture, food as an interaction. We discussed the power of food rituals and how they can evoke memories and emotions. We wanted to create Edetri as a totem that would embody all of these feelings. This is why it is more sculptural. And while creating a sculptural look in this way, we also made a lot of technical effort to make the product very light, almost weightless, in the hand. We love to be able to add such a subtle and fragile feeling behind such a solid look so as to surprise people when they hold our products.
5∙ Where do you take your inspiration from (in general but also for the forms, we love the small details and the deformation of the the shape with the balls etc.)?
Inspiration is not something linear, it’s more a complex spiral for us. For us, it can come from anything around us : from more intellectual grounds to associations created by random realizations in everyday life. But if we need to be specific, Constantin Brâncuși and Isamu Noguchi have been a good source for us in preserving our sculptural structure and bringing it to the table. Our aim was not just to create functional tableware, but objects that could be used beyond their practical purpose. We wanted our designs to have no boundaries, giving people the freedom to use them as they wished - whether as a cup or just as an object. We wanted our designs to be adaptable to the individual's desire.
Even the ball is a timeless and universally recognized form, yet it can be manipulated and reimagined in countless ways. On Edetri designs were inspired by the concepts of essence and external influence. In our first ceramic collection, we used the ball as a metaphor to how the external world shapes our nature and to what extent we allow it to affect us.
With the interaction, our essence becomes stronger and more defined over time as we undergo changes in response to our environment. It is possible that in this process of transformation and growth, our designs may also undergo changes and ,who knows, the balls may take on new and unexpected shapes. spoiler alert!
6∙ What about Istanbul? Do you take any inspirations from the city you live in, Istanbul?
Actually, it is possible to compare Istanbul with our ball. It is a very intense city where you are getting literally impacted, ıt constantly reminds you of dynamic and complex relations between you and the environment, movement, people - more than any city. We don't know if there is another place that simultaneously takes and gives so much energy.
Both of us are more attracted by nature, we often complain about the chaos of the city. However, we have to admit that Istanbul’s vibrant, exhausting environment, filled with diverse human interactions, has allowed us to appreciate the impact of external influence on our lives. You have more various space to receive influences to creative vision.
7∙ Why are you thinking Edetri more like a ritual? What does it mean to you and how do you practice it?
We believe that food rituals provide a unique opportunity to reflect on the past and celebrate the present. We are fascinated by the ceremonial nature of these rituals, which have a symbolic and transcendent quality that can transport the participant to a world of mystery and magic. Our aim is to create a harmonious union between the food and the moment, evoking the senses and emotions and reminding them of their connection with their innermost essence and the world around them. To achieve this, we want to set our table installations in different natural locations, where people can fully immerse themselves in the experience and connect with their surroundings.
8∙ Before you go, do you have any food spots that you find ritualistic in Istanbul ? Since you are talking about gathering around a table and eating ritual.
Istanbul has incredible gastronomic variety, it is very easy to see many different kind of daily eating rituals. But our favorite spot is “Vefa Bozacısı” in Fatih.
Especially in Europe, Boza is not well-known unfortunately. Boza is fermented cereal flour drinks produced in Anatolia and Mesopotamia since the 8th millennia BCE. It is generally consumed during the winter months. Storing boza at 12 degrees celsius is very important for preserving its taste and fermenting properly. In the past, since there were no refrigerators, it was kept in marble for this purpose. Boza is between a drink and a pudding - maybe calling it drinkable puding could be right. Its texture and color are also incredibly inspiring for us. Turkish Boza is traditionally served in typical Turkish water glasses with cinnamon and roasted chickpeas on the top.
Vefa Bozacısı is a shop in Istanbul dedicated exclusively to Boza. Visitors follow a well-defined ritual of buying chickpeas from a shop across the street, entering the shop to see tiled walls and marble jars filled with Boza, and watching the boza-makers scoop out the drink in a systematic manner. Customers add cinnamon and chickpeas to their Turkish water glasses before enjoying the drink and leaving their empty glass before paying.
The owner of Vefa Bozacısı, a 140-year-old Boza shop in Istanbul, refuses to change the decor so that visitors can cherish the memories of their visit even years later.