Early research started with a design analysis on traditional Ottoman Bathing Clogs in April 2010. An abstract submitted to the 5th.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.
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.
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.
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.
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Jean-Ettienne Liotard, 1743, Frankish woman and her concubine in Hamam |
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Sürname-i Humayun, Topkapı Palace Museum |
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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:
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
British Museum - Wooden shoe
Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA
NP Historical Shoes
The Henna Page - The Encyclopedia of Henna - Henna in the Ottoman Empire
Welkom bij het Nederlands Leder en Schoenen museum
The Patter of Tiny Feet in Pattens Take a Walk on the Wild Side/ Belgium
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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.
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Necati Cumalı Museum, Urla / İzmir Kayahan Dede, Ezgi Ezdar, Mine ovacık Dörtbaş, Beyza Baran |
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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.
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