KNEADING OUR FOLKLORIC VALUES WITH ART

Writer: Ayça Olcaytu İşçen
May 2009

Mülkiye Binnaz Taşer (1929-2002) of Ürgüp is 45 years old and for 28 years she has been creating many pieces from poetry to radio drama, from painting to producing baby dolls with traditional costumes. She was born in Ürgüp and studied in Technical Instructor School in Ankara. After she graduated she got married in 1949 and had two children. On 1974 her husband passed away and after that she started to concentrate on folklore studies. Her researches about traditional clothings were published by Ministry of Culture. At this period she started to work on baby dolls with traditional costumes. At first she researches about the region detailed because her main goal is to prepare everything as original as possible and to reflect the region as accurate as possible by the doll. During her travels around the country she collects fabrics, which are 300 years old, clothes, toys, and charms and cover pieces.  Her compilation of 238 toys was introduced on TRT (Turkish Radio and Television). Later on she was invited many shows on TRT channels and radio programs. She also has exhibitions of dolls, charms and amulets, ceramics, wood and metal works, stained glass and handcrafts.
Her collection of 200 folkloric baby dolls even went aboard by the help of Ministry of Culture. 8 of her baby dolls are being permanently exhibited in L’Homme Museum of Paris, 20 of her baby dolls are being permanently in New Delhi Doll Museum of India. Most of her dolls are being brought as a gift to many countries such as Japan, Switzerland, Norway, Hungary, Germany, Russia and USA by diplomatic missions or are being given as a gift to the diplomatic missions visiting our country.
After her death, her son Osman Fevzi Taşer started an initiative in order to exhibit her left pieces of 55 dolls in Cappadocia constantly. He received a positive answer from Nermin Alyamaç, the owner of Asmalı Residence in Ürgüp. On 2004 Baby Doll Museum was opened in the Residence and since then some of the pieces of Taşer’s charm collection is being exhibited.

Asmalı Residence Tel: +90 (384) 341 89 30 - 31

Note: This article has been published in Peribacası Cappadocia Culture and Publicity Magazine, May 2009 issue. It is under protection of the copyrights of the magazine. No part of this article may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by electronic, mechanical or other means without prior permission from the owner. www.cappadociaexplorer.com