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Meet the makers
At MOYY Atölye, production is a process shaped together. Our long-term collaborations with weavers and artisans—within production processes largely shaped by women—are built not only on making, but on sharing knowledge and growing together. Our aim is to carry a weaving tradition that is close to disappearing into the present day; to build a fair, sustainable and continuous production model.
We want to make the people behind the process visible, along with the labour they carry and the knowledge accumulated over the years, and to create space for the relationships, experience and exchange that shape each piece. On this page, we share the stories of the people behind every piece produced at MOYY Atölye.
IŞIK GÜNER / ÇAMLIHEMŞİN
Our story with Işık Güner goes back many years, to our childhood days in Çamlıhemşin. After many years, our paths crossed again in the same mountains. Today, we are neighbors in this place that carries so many memories from our childhood. Işık dağların arasında kendi kurduğu ev-atölyesinde yaşıyor. Bahçesinde dünyanın farklı köşelerinden gelen bitkiler, yerel türler ve çiçekleri buluşturuyor. Bir de küçük bostanı var. Bu sıralar Işığın en büyük heyecanı, bahçesini zaman içeri
ESRA BAŞAK / AYAZMA
Esra Başak is a researcher and project developer who has worked for many years in the fields of nature conservation, ecosystem services, and cultural heritage. Throughout her years in Ayvalık, she has continued to bring this knowledge and experience to the place she calls home. We photographed Esra at Panagia Phaneromeni Ayazması, one of Ayvalık’s most important historic landmarks. Built around a sacred spring and an icon of the Virgin Mary believed to have been discovered fo
NECLA TUNÇ / ORTUNÇ
Nestled in one of the most peaceful and distinctive corners of Cunda Island, Ortunç is set within a secluded bay surrounded by pine forests. Across the water, the silhouette of Lesbos stretches along the horizon, while the sea and forest blend seamlessly into one another, creating a sense of timelessness. The changing light throughout the day, the shifting shades of the sea, and the quiet stillness of the bay all become part of the experience of being here. One of Ortunç’s de
TARA HOPKINS ÇÖP (M)ADAM
Çöp (m)adam is one of our favorite initiatives in Ayvalık, and one we’ve been collaborating with for the past few years. Transforming discarded materials into creative and functional objects, the collective also creates a space of economic and social solidarity for women. A large part of the women producing under the Çöp (m)adam umbrella are women who had never previously worked in a salaried job. Çöp (m)adam is a social enterprise founded in Ayvalık in 2008 by Tara Hopkins.
ECE MARANGOZ / BABA & KIZ ATÖLYE
Baba & Kız Atelier is located on the ground floor of a former Greek house built in the 1880s, in Sakarya Mahallesi. Once used as a traditional “hayat altı” space, this area is now used as the atelier and production space. The house was carefully restored by Ece and her father in 2016, staying true to its original character. Preserving the history of this home, once lived in by families who came to Ayvalık after the 1924 population exchange, remains an important part of the at
ÖZGE EROL / PILATES STUDIO
There are some places that naturally belong to Ayvalık’s calm rhythm, you feel it the moment you walk through the door. Özge Erol Pilates Studio is exactly one of those places. Rather than a large and distant studio, it feels almost like a home; a space that instantly puts you at ease with its light, simplicity, and atmosphere. Özge’s story actually begins in the kitchen. After studying art history, she starts working at her family business, Uzay Pastanesi, and later gains ex
TULYA MADRA / SANTİMETRE
Tulya Madra is the founder of Santimetre Studio, a designer and ceramic artist based in Ayvalık. She initially worked in furniture and interior design, and over time shifted her focus toward ceramics. Porcelain has since become her primary material, the one she has chosen to deepen and refine her practice around. Santimetre Studio was founded in Ayvalık in 2009 and is a design and production brand working with handmade porcelain in small scale production. Its studio, locate
STORIES FROM AYVALIK
Ayvalık is one of the places where Moyy Atölye builds a connection. We love its texture, its spirit, its contrast with the Black Sea, its Aegean character and its blues. It has always been a source of inspiration for us. Ayvalık was once also home to Moyy Atölye. Keeping the connection we’ve built with it nourishes us and makes us happy. There is so much to tell about Ayvalık. In these stories, we wanted to tell the stories of women who live in Ayvalık, women whose work, liv
EZGİ GÜVEN / AYNA
Ayna is a food and dining place in Cunda, Ayvalık, that has been around for 20 years. Ezgi Güven and her mother, Nihal Sayın, have been running it in the same consistent way for years. In a country and a world that are this turbulent, this kind of continuity alone is something truly worth respect. Ayna has come to today without ever losing its own rhythm, even as the island changed over time. A simple yet strong world, where everything is carefully chosen. In its kitchen, the
MEET THE MAKERS: MELEK YALNIZ
Melek Yalnız is a weaver from the village of Çükita. She works on traditional black looms, weaving Feretiko and combining it with hand embroidery. She has been at the loom for more than twenty-three years. She has been working with Moyy Atölye since 2017 and is today one of the key artisans who form the backbone of the production process. She is known for bringing the most challenging fabric experiments to life at the loom. Many ideas that exist only at the design stage—ideas
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