Ayfer Paleciç Okan, a 63-year-old retired civil servant living in Eskişehir, central Türkiye, transforms waste papers such as tram tickets, posters and brochures into art pieces like jewelry, vases and amphorae.
After retiring in 2008 from the Kırklareli Provincial Directorate of Population and Citizenship, Ayfer Paleciç Okan moved to Eskişehir in 2014 for her daughter’s university education. Looking to socialize, she began attending a sewing course offered by the Odunpazarı District Municipality in Eskişehir.
Later, during her workshop activities, Okan met Ali Rıza Kart, who transformed the waste paper into jewelry and accessories using his own colors and patterns. Inspired by Kart’s works, Okan turned one room in her house into a workshop to create products from waste paper.
She collects tram tickets, posters, and brochures from various points around the city, cutting them into approximately 3-millimeter pieces and shaping them by hand. So far, she has created over 100 pieces of jewelry, amphorae (two-handled, pointed-bottomed, narrow-necked and wide-bodied vases) and small vases.
To increase durability, Okan coats her works with varnish and gives them as gifts by visiting public institutions and private companies where she collects the waste paper.
Okan mentioned that she tries to design objects that are meaningful to her; she explained that she works on a workbench in one room of her house:
“I knock on many doors to collect the papers. I use discarded tram tickets, I take posters from exhibitions that open and close in the city and apply to public institutions to recycle them. Last year, I went to Istanbul, and I picked up a brochure with designs for Süleymaniye’s tiles and tulips.”
She continued: “From that brochure, I made a pair of earrings with designs related to Süleymaniye. I cut the parts of the brochure with the patterns into small pieces and made earrings. At first, you have to avoid giving up; my hand got cut, I had an allergy from the glue, there were difficulties in the beginning, but now I really enjoy it.”
Okan explained that she cuts the collected waste papers into 3-millimeter sizes and then creates her own work. She also shared that when making rings or earrings, she cuts the paper into thinner strips, rolls them up, and shapes them. Once the pieces are glued together, she adds the desired designs. She finds it particularly enjoyable when people mistake her works for being made of stone, only to be surprised when she reveals they are made of paper. She also creates marble patterns by crumpling the paper and designs birds, ducks, flamingos and storks.
Okan emphasized that creating art is like a form of therapy for her; she mentioned that she does not price her creations, stating: “When I work on this, I don’t feel lonely. I truly believe in the saying, ‘Those who do art don’t stay lonely.’ People of all ages can do this, and it’s accessible. I want to show that something like this has emerged from Eskişehir and make this art synonymous with our city. It’s a very enjoyable pursuit, and it even helps me sleep better.”