A Turkish man builds miniatures that look like the real thing
In the Cayirova district of Kocaeli, craftsman Ismail Kus (36) builds miniature structures that look like the real thing, using clay, wood, cardboard, and plastic in a workshop in a room of his house. Kus, who meticulously handles every detail from the carpet hanging on the balcony, the furniture and machinery in the houses to the garbage thrown in front of the door in the miniatures he creates from an average of 5-6 thousand pieces, said, "There are many who want to buy my crafts, but I do not want to sell them. My goal is to open an exhibition in the future."
Ismail Kus, who is a high school graduate that works as a hardware wholesaler in Cayırova, decided to try the art of miniature after a friend of his came to work and asked for wooden materials to make a model rake. Initially having built a village house consisting of approximately 300 pieces, Kus, wanted to improve his skills in his later works. In the workshop he created in one of the rooms of his house, Kus transforms places that can be seen in a neighborhood such as gas stations, stationery, auto repair shop, and public toilet into miniatures that look like the real thing using clay, wood, cardboard and plastic materials. Also, he adds every detail of daily life in his works. Kus meticulously processes every detail from the carpet hanging on the balcony, the furniture and machinery in the houses to the garbage thrown in front of the door in approximately 20 miniature structures composed of approximately 5-6 thousand pieces. He stated that he does not sell his crafts because they are priceless and have a high sentimental value. Kus aims to exhibit his works in the future.
TAKES 3-4 MONTHS TO BUILD
Expressing that he made and painted all of the thousands of pieces he used in his miniatures, Kus said:
“A friend of mine stopped by my place of work asking me for wooden sticks and when he said he was going to make a rake, a light bulb went off in my head and I decided to build a village house that day. I started crafting with the village house and then moved on to the buildings. I keep doing it now. The making process of one takes an average of 3-4 months. The first works I made took an average of 1 week, and as the details were added, it started to take 4 months. I make all the parts I use in my works myself, I do not use any ready-made products. I used 6 thousand pieces in my last model. Bricks, tiles, paving stones and the items I use in my models take almost 6 thousand pieces.”
“MANY WANT TO BUY THEM BUT MY GOAL IS TO OPEN AN EXHIBITION”
Noting that he produced many works, Kus stated that he did not receive any training on the topic and that he made products that remained in his visual memory. Kus said, “I am trying to shape the model I will make by looking at the photo from the internet first. I prepare the details using products such as clay, wood, cardboard, and plastic. Kith and kin who see my crafts like it very much. There were a lot of people who wanted to buy my models, but I didn't think much about selling them. There are not many people in Turkey who can do this. If I sell these models, maybe they will disappear, I am doing this to leave them to future generations. In the future, I want to open an exhibition consisting of my crafts.”