Walnut Whirligigs

Anonymous Toys in Sinop, 2016

In the past, making your own toy by yourself or with a family member and then playing with it was considered childish in Anatolia. But once upon a time, the walnut whirligig, an anonymous toy, was made by kids together with the family members. It was also a well-known vernacular toy in Sinop, which Miné discovered during the Hal Store workshop.

Five wooden whirligigs; Fresh Walnut, Ligneous, Log, Propeller, and Reed Whirligig, were designed and crafted with local toy maker Adnan Karagülle. Miné had generated the design idea in a dialog she had with herself: “Let's analyse my thoughts behind the design and go into the act of making traditional walnut whirligigs and then react like a whirligig maker of today....” Five pieces were crafted out of this design brainstorming process.

She also conducted a toy making workshop: Spinning for kids with their mums in Gerze, Sinop. Whirligigs made by kids and mums in this workshop, combined with Miné’s own designs, were also exhibited as Around and Around Whirligig in Hal Store, Sinop.

Photography by Miné