Field Research

Have people still been bathing in Hamam today, especially in cities of Turkey? It is not a common custom as in the past before everyone had a bath in their home. But, some people who had habit bathing in Hamam since their childhood, have still kept this tradition in cities today. But they are rare. Some have been in once when they were a child and they did not have a positive memory about it. Some has lovely. Some has friends who took them to a hamam as a relaxation activity in a city life. Stories are various….

In the field research the team experienced having bath in hamam, observed, interviewed with hamam managers, staffs and customers to figure out what is the tendency in use of  nalın and takunya. It was investigated scenarios in hamam experience; pre-personas were built for the design phase of new bathing clogs. Besides, nalın makers were visited, their production was recorded, traditional Nalın producers of today and nalın collectors have been interviewed on the phone, antique shops and local bazaars were visited to understand the demand on nalın and takunya in daily life. To complete the field research, at the end of the 9-week summer period in İzmir, the team set up a trip to Bursa where the Hamam culture has been experienced richly even today.

Visited Bathing Facilities

İzmir: Basmane Hamamı (Basmane), Hoşgör Hamamı (Karataş ), Urla Hamamı (Urla),           

Bursa: Kervansaray Thermal Hotel Turkish Bath (Women and Men Parts), Keçeli Kadınlar Hamamı, Umurbey Hamamı, Tarihi İnebey Hamamı, Kara Mustafa Hamamı (For Women), Yeni Kaplıca and Kaynarca Hamamı (For Men)

The team discovered a plastic version of a takunya in İnebey Hamamı of Bursa. One of the team members has experienced bathing by wearing an antique nalın in Hoşgör Hamamı in izmir and Kara Mustafa Kaynarca Hamamı in Bursa. As she experienced; this old nalın were really comfortable as it fitted well.

Hoşgör Hamamı, İzmir

Hoşgör Hamamı, İzmir

Kervansaray Termal Hotel Hamam Unisex part, Bursaa

Keçeli Women Hamam, Bursa

Keçeli Women Hamam, Bursa

Umurbey Hamamı, Bursa

Umurbey Hamamı, Restorated as an Exhibition Hall, Bursa

Çigdem Arveren, Beyza Baran, Armagan Güney

Mine Ovacık Dörtbaş, Kayahan Dede

Kara Mustafa Hamamı (women), Bursa

İnebey Hamamı, Bursa

Visited New Bathing Facilities 

İzmir: Balçova Thermal Hotel (Balçova). Crown Plaza - Agamemnon Thermal SPA & Wellness Center (Balçova), SwissOtel - Amrıta SPA & Wellness (Alsancak)

Bursa: Mari Gold Hotel Turkish bath in Thermal and Spa Center 

Visited Bathing Facilities links

hosgorhamami.com/ (Hoşgör Hamamı/ Karataş)

kervansaraytermalbilgi.com/ (Kervansaray Thermal Hotel Turkish Bath)

tofasanadoluarabalarimuzesi.com/ (Umur Bey Hamamı)

yenikaplica.com/karamustafa/tarih.html (Kara Mustafa - Yeni Kaplıca ve Kaynarca Hamamı)

balcovatermal.com/ (Balçova Thermal Hotel)

cpizmir.com/spa/ (Crown Plaza - Agamemnon Thermal SPA & Wellness Center)

amritaspa.com/swissotel_izmir.html (SwissOtel - Amrıta SPA & Wellness)

marigold.com.tr/ (MariGold Hotel Turkish Bath in Thermal and SPA

Mari Gold Thermal and Spa,  Bursa

Visited Takunya Makers 

İzmir: Cemil and Coşkun Tolga brothers (Tire), Uğur Mermer– interviewed in phone- (Ödemiş), Mehmet Erdoğan, wood maker, (Kemeraltı)

Bursa: Ahmet Hamdi and Mehmet Günay Brothers (İnegöl)

Cemil Tolga and Çoşkun Tolga, Tire, İzmir

Ali Erdoğan who is a wood maker tried to make a nalın for today, Kemeraltı,  İzmir

Günaylar Ticaret ,Bursa

Mehmet Günay and Ahmet Hamdi Günay

Visited - Antique Shops Local Bazaars

Izmir: Kemeraltı

Bursa: Bakırcılar Çarşısı, Sarnıch (Çekirge)

Istanbul: Tahtakale

Antalya: Old city center

Wooden goods sellers have been visited and observed.  Few shop owners has been selling takunya who has been distributed by local takunya makers that we visited. Mostly antique nalıns from 19th century were found in these shops. Not any worded information gained. Therefore this research has guided us to collectors. 

Alataş Antika, İzmir

Questionnaire

The field research helped to investigate data for a questionnaire as follows. 

To understand the place of bating clogs in present Hamam culture in Turkey, an online survey was completed. This survey was published both in Turkish and English. It is also sent to Turkish Hamam that visited by the team in the field research. It was required to be answered by only Hamam users.


110 responses were gained. As a output of this study;

Hamam users’ profile, tendency in use of takunya / nalın and user behaviors were understood. Hamam users’ feedbacks on described  possible styles and features of new bathing clogs were obtained at the end of the survey. The quantitative and qualitative data were evaluated in design decisions of new bathing clog design phase. 

Online Survey is still available;

Turkish:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en_GB&formkey=dFpJa0tENTMtSml2MW9Lb211eWFlbFE6MQ#gid=0 

English:

https://spreadsheets0.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?authkey=CK6m4asJ&authkey=CK6m4asJ&hl=en_GB&hl=en_GB&formkey=dDdLcE5PY3JBV0FkanF2N2FkZ0NkeUE6MQ#gid=0 

Each phase of this research geared together, which means while searching for design analysis, design evaluation was continuing. Or while we were visiting Turkish baths, takunya makers, on the other hand we were sketching, modeling. Briefly, the 9-week period covered both research and design phase together. But in this blog, the process is explained in a linear sequence.

After the field research, the process continues with sketching.

Next....

Desktop Research

Early research started with a design analysis on traditional Ottoman Bathing Clogs in April 2010. An abstract submitted to the 5^th.Conference of Turkish Design History Society (TDHS) and an article, titled “From Clacking Clogs to Creaking Slippers”* presented in May14th. 2010. (* Is available up on request.) 

Briefly, this analysis investigates on the form, function, artisanship and socio cultural aspects of the traditional bathing clogs (nalın) in the past. On the other hand, it focuses on usage of footwear today in Turkish baths.

In this literature and internet review and field research, I found out that bathing clogs (nalın and takunya) have not been an issue for design, they are disappearing craft objects and have already left its place to plastic slippers in present Turkish bath facilities. This study constructed the main structure of this project to deepen in research and design. A brief of this early study, titled “The Bathing Clogs” is available in The Turkish Culture Portal of Turkish Cultural Foundation web site.

http://www.turkishculture.org/lifestyles/bath/the-bathing-clogs-968.htm?type=1

At the beginning of the project, I set up a team for 9-week period. Recently graduated three industrial designers, who were my students; Beyza Baran (product designer), Ezgi Ezdar (product designer) and Kayahan Dede (design manager) were hired for assisting the research and design phases at the beginning. While working on desktop research with this team, one-year project period was also planned in details with project management strategies, research and design methods. 

Out of desktop research, beyond design analysis on Ottoman Bathing Clogs, their comparative analysis with wooden foot wears of eastern and western cultures, visual and verbal data base were collected together in this research phase.

During the design analysis, regarding to the etymology, history, form, function, artisanship and socio-cultural aspects of Ottoman Bathing Clogs, these questions below have driven the process. At the end, most of these questions were answered, some were not.   

What is an etymological difference of “nalın” and “takunya” in Turkish?

Was the Ottoman Bathing Clog innovative on its time?

What was the origin of this craft object?

Who was the first creator of the bathing clogs?

What are the other close examples of the wooden footwear created and used in the world?

What was the foot wear used in Roman Hamam?

Why was the form of bathing clogs not generated from the form of a foot?

Why the front and the rear of the clogs were usually tipping?

How people were able to walk with these high heeled clogs?

Was it comfortable for walking?

Were accidents happened often while walking on them?

What kind of wood used?

What kind of materials, techniques and tools used in ornamentation?

Were males wearing the bathing clogs?

How were women wearing extremely high-heeled clogs?

How were people carrying them to Hamam?

How were clogs being stored in Hamam?

Were the clogs for individual or public use?

Etymologically, bathing clogs in different languages as: Nalın, takunya in Turkish, Nalende in Farsi, Na’leyn, kap kap, kup kap in Arabic, bathing clog, patten, standstill in English, sque en bois in French were found.


What is the difference between nalın and takunya in Turkish? As an answer to this question, nalın mostly refers to high heeled, handmade, ornamented wooden bathing clogs in Ottoman and early Turkish Republic time. Takunya is known as lower heeled wooden clogs, semi hand, semi machine made clogs worn in Turkish bath, indoor and outdoor, such as in mosques.

During the comparative analysis, similar wooden shoes were researched from different cultures such as;


Venetian Shoes or Choppiness (Italy),
Patten (Germany),
Wooden Clog (Spain),
Klompen (Netherland),
Sabot (France), Clog (Sudan),
Patten  (England),
Clog (Sweden),
Clog (Switzerland),
Geta (Japan),
Patten (India) and
Clog (China) have been found.


None of these wooden foot wears were used for bathing, but most were used for outdoor purposes to protect feet or shoes from dirt and mug. In this case, the Ottoman Bathing Clogs were acquired different character as special footwear made for only used in bathing.

Eastern and western artists’ artworks such as paintings, prints, miniatures are the rare visual sources to understand the use of nalın in the past. I have to add,  these visual sources mostly created by male artists who were not allowed to get women’s section in the Turkish bath. It was realized that these scenes in these art works are based on the artists’ imagination and interpretation.  

Jean-Ettienne Liotard, 1743, Frankish woman and her concubine in Hamam 

Sürname-i Humayun,  Topkapı Palace Museum

The Grand Bath at Bursa by Jean Leon Garome

Morphology


After collecting images of antique nalın examples to examine them, the project team needed to categorize them in order to create visual memory for design phase. Creating a morphology board helped building a visual source for design analysis which categorized the form of the nalın. Among antique nalın, as heels are characteristic element of these foot wear, they are grouped in form of heels in the morphology study to examine the main structure of the base of nalın.  Museums, some are listed below, were searched to built this morphology: 

     Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto

http://www.batashoemuseum.ca/

British Museum - Wooden shoe

http://www.britishmuseum.org/

Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA

http://www.fullercraft.org/pressimages_perfectfit.htm

NP Historical Shoes

http://www.np-historicalshoes.com/home.php?lang=en

The Henna Page - The Encyclopedia of Henna - Henna in the Ottoman Empire

http://www.hennapage.com/henna/encyclopedia/turkish/endofottoman.html

Welkom bij het Nederlands Leder en Schoenen museum

http://www.schoenenmuseum.nl/

The Patter of Tiny Feet in Pattens Take a Walk on the Wild Side/ Belgium 

     http://www.shoesornoshoes.com/

   

The Morphology Board of Antique Nalın

As a local museum in Urla, Necati Cumalı Museum were visited during the desktop research and definition of nalın were found in encyclopedias and a play called “The Clogs”, written by Necati Cumalı was found. The play helped us to understand daily use of them and their representation.  

Necati Cumalı Museum, Urla / İzmir

Kayahan Dede, Ezgi Ezdar, Mine ovacık Dörtbaş, Beyza Baran

The play is found in Necati Cumalı Museum, Urla - İzmir

During this phase, the bathing culture in public facilities today was researched and it has driven a route of the field research.   

Contemporary Hamam Workshop and Tak Tak 1, Stockholm, 2004

Tak Tak 1, a new generation bathing clog design concept had been created during a workshop called “Turkey Meets Sweden on Contemporary Hamam” held in Istanbul and Stockholm in 2003.

The results of this workshop were exhibited in Kulturhuset - Stockholm in between dates of February 29th. –March 24th. 2004. The main concern of this workshop was to conceptualize a new generation Hamam Architecture and the traditional bathing ritual compatible with the urban pattern and life of today and tomorrow.

http://www.radikal.com.tr/haber.php?haberno=94656  http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:RH_Hsc8eN1oJ:www.dn.se/kultur-noje/knadas-och-vardas+hammam+in+Kulturhuset&cd=18&hl=tr&ct=clnk&gl=tr&source=www.google.com.tr

Tak Tak 1 had become my result of the focus on objects used in hamam from the product design standing point. It had been conceptualized based on scenarios in possible contemporary hamam. You can find out below the visual presentation of final design suggestions of  a contemporary hamam building: Ovaldarium and a new generation of bathing clog Tak Tak 1. 

Exhibition “Hammam”, Kulturhuset – Stockholm, 2004

Exhibition “Hammam”, Kulturhuset – Stockholm, 2004

Mine Ovacık Dörtbaş
Exhibition “Hammam”, Kulturhuset – Stockholm, 2004

Exhibition “Hammam”, Kulturhuset – Stockholm, 2004

Tak Tak 1 is conceptualized in two pieces in a matter of hygiene. A latex-skin is a single-use individual piece. It is provided by the complex. A colorful latex-skin is shaped to hold the base when it is folded over it and to attach it to the foot. It is worn without the base in the changing room. Waterproof laminated wooden base is a common piece.  Bases in S, M, and L sizes are stored in a parking-unit of bases in the changing room. Before moving to the wet area, the only thing to do is: Step on bases, flap the latex-skin over the base and walk away… tak tak tak ……

It is imagined usable for all genders like nalin was used by in the past. Instead of calling tak tak as clogs, it may be called walking apparatus on wet floors.     

TAK TAK 2 in Saint Etienne Design Biennale, 2004

The same design concept was developed and CAD model was presented in St. Etienne Biennale. The aim was in this design study was to regenerate bathing clogs independently from traditional look. You can see this design below.     

Tak Tak 2 in Saint Étienne Bienal, 2004

Flexible top of Tak Tak 2 is also provided by hamam complex. Without bases, it is being worn to walk on dry floor.The base, as a public piece of Tak Tak 2 is stored in changing room where the space before getting into hot and wet room, called caldarium. It is provided in various sizes. Before folding over, step on bases with the flexible top and fold the front and rear edges over the base to walk into caldarium. Folded-flexible skin will cover and carry the base. Rounded bottom of it will help to step. Stepping with tak tak 2 keeps you in attention to be aware of walking on wet floor. Audile rhythm of it refers to the past.



Tak Tak 2 in Saint Étienne Bienal, 2004



Tak Tak 2 in Saint Étienne Bienal, 2004

As this new clog was only created in CAD model, I knew that to implement this design concept, physical models should be made and design may be developed. Since 2004, this issue has been in my mind. On the other hand, as I observed, spreading demand on Turkish bath culture in contemporary life and in citied has been spreading in Turkey and Europe. And also, traditional bathing clogs have rich cultural potential to work on it in design. Why not to design and develop new bathing clogs for today as special footwear used in Turkish bath?

These thoughts have driven me to this project when I have come across with the opportunity of TCF Fellowship program. The mission of the foundation, the expectation of the fellowship program matched well with my dreams on new bathing clogs.

So, this is the starting point of the project.