Inspired by the products that can be found in an everyday kitchen, Gönül Paksoy is taking a new approach with food. Rather than judge it by taste or smell, Gönül is judging it by appearance and turning it into jewelry reports Daily News.
Beads have never stopped being popular over the years whether they were used as ornaments or as a means of remembering one’s prayers. The materials have been varied and are sometimes engraved. Today with so many synthetic materials available, almost any color and any shape can be produced as a bead. And that is what makes Gönül Paksoy’s work with food so interesting.
The first time Paksoy displayed her work was at an international conference held here in Istanbul in 2007 on beads “with products that could be tasted on the spot by the participants,” she writes in her latest book, “Yenilebilir Boncuklar” / “Edible Beads.”
“My aim here was to share this exhibition with a greater number of people by turning it into a book. I wanted to make our visitors smile, to draw their attention to the wealth of Turkey, to remind them of the cherry earrings they wore in their childhood and contribute to their leaving Istanbul with pleasant memories … Everybody was in the best of spirits.”
Three years ago Paksoy produced a two-volume work on beads “Gönül Paksoy: Bead From Collection to Creation” that takes the reader through the history of beads from prehistoric times to this day. These volumes have led the way for her new book, “Edible Beads,” that has just been released and demonstrates her knowledge and creativity in two different fields.
The book demonstrates how Paksoy understands designs and interprets universal dimensions which have always been considered common both in Turkey and throughout the world. She turns many foods, from sage to cinnamon, from onions to potatoes, from sour cherries to mushrooms into jewelry.
Photo by angeloangelo