by Ludwina Akbulut
It is not easy to write about myself, I am quite a ‘modest’ person but after request here we go…
My name is Ludwina Akbulut-Van Oosterwyck, I was born in Belgium.
Training:
-Textile Institute for Decorative Art …Antwerp/Belgium 1983 – 1990
-Restoration and conservation of Pre-Industrial textiles…Ghent/Belgium 1990 -1992
Group exhibitions:
-1989, 1990, 1991 Antwerp
-1990, Brussels
-1990, 8e International Biennale of Miniature Textiles, Szombathelyi Hungary.
In 1993 I moved to Turkey after marrying a Turkish husband…
After living in Turkey for some years I wanted to weave again. My husband bought me a carpet loom. I knotted one normal carpet, but working weeks and weeks on the same piece and design was not interesting to me, my creative mind became inpatient. So we bought another loom: a small silk loom.
After living in Turkey for some years I wanted to weave again. My husband bought me a carpet loom. I knotted one normal carpet, but working weeks and weeks on the same piece and design was not interesting to me, my creative mind became inpatient. So we bought another loom: a small silk loom.
I do not like to copy a complete design; I just knot a miniature carpet giving the atmosphere of an existing style.For every carpet I make a new design, I never make two the same. So all of them are unique pieces.
After playing around with wool on wool, I wanted to refine and tried some wool on cotton carpets. It gave me more possibilities and more knots in less space.
Looking the work going in to those I was thinking of trying to work in silk, so again the carpets became finer.
Most of my customers for the miniature carpets are collectors of dollhouse miniatures, and most of them prefer ‘Victorian’ styles. They asked for ‘classic’ style and light colors. I know this is not representative for the carpets used in Victorian times but well….the customer asks…A lot of these silk miniatures are just ‘fantasy’ but with time between the ‘commercial’ ones I like to make some miniatures of real existing styles and those are the pieces I love making most. There are so many different styles of carpets…So I think I can find inspiration for some more time!
Ludwina Akbulut – November 6, 2003
Dekorativ Carpets and Kilims