MIRRORS; TWO WORLDS...
There was an oval-shaped object on the wall in my grandmother's house. The part facing us was made of metal with a relief surface of oriental flower motifs. I remember that it was only much later that I realised that there was a mirror on the back of the object wish was used as a wall ornament.
I remember talking to my grandmother about why this mirror was hidden like that, but I don't remember what she told me. It's a shame how the mind and memory play tricks on us! I'd love to know what she said.
Years later, when I started working in the Historical Peninsula, I came across a mirror very similar to this one. Once I'd found a craftsman who could work on the mirror, I started designing it straightaway. I made it round instead of oval and reduced the size. The first thing I thought of for the patterns on the metal surface were the symbols of beliefs. I redrew the well-known evil eye, Fatima's hand, pomegranate and ladybird and made them suitable for traditional mirror production with metal inlay.
When I started looking into why the mirror was hidden, I found out that it is influence by shamanism. Lots of cultures have given the mirror different meanings from its normal use. For example, the Egyptians thought that the mirror was one of the objects that helped people cross over to the afterlife, so they did place it in the tombs.
In shamanism, there was a belief that the mirror was connected to moving into the spiritual world. They thought the mirror was important for shamans on their journeys and when they were in other realms. The idea that the mirror was a way of communicating with gods was common. In Turkish houses, they turned the mirror into the wall so people wouldn't look at it too much. It was believed that looking in the mirror often would bring bad luck.
Of course, we also look in the mirror to see how we look and to accepted ourselves. I think it's best to use the mirrors I designed with patterns on both the mirror and the back side.
With my mirror designs, which I named TWO WORLDS, I wanted to keep traditional metalwork alive and make it relevant to our modern lives. We can even start new conversations about the meaning of mirrors.
You can see how I made the mirrors, which I call TWO WORLDS, in the video below.
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THE EVIL EYE...
The word 'evil eye' actually means a look. It's an Arabic word that's paired with an ominous look. To be protected from the evil eye is to be protected from the bad eye. There are various talismans from different cultures that can remove these glances, but the EVIL EYE BEAD is a great way to achieve this.
LET LUCK BE WITH YOU...
The first meaning of good luck is simply a coincidence. The second is that it's a stroke of good fortune that leads to more good things happening. The ladybird appears at just the right moment to show that luck is on your side. It's a symbol of good luck.
MAY YOU BE FILLED WITH GOOD THINGS...
The answer to the riddle "I bought one at the bazaar; I came home, a thousand." is the pomegranate, which is a symbol of fertility. The delicious red fruit on which legends are written, picked from the branch with care and attention without touching the soil...One is worth a thousand, the symbol of abundance.
MAY YOUR PALM BE FILLED WITH ABUNDANCE...
The hand figure, called Fatima's Hand or Hamse's Hand, is the symbol of spirituality, happiness and abundance. Although the depictions vary in different cultures, religions and sects, the meaning is similar.