Latin is an amazingly beautiful language. With the historical origins of being the Italic language historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome, it is the ancestral language of the modern Romance languages: Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Catalan, etc. In today’s modern world, Latin survives but only barely as the lingua franca of the highly educated classes in the West. Its survival is further reinforced by the adoption of Latin by the Catholic Church.
Perhaps it is due to the nature of its origin- the magnitude of the history it comes with that makes me feel it is one of the most articulate, regal yet romantic languages of all times. Somehow everything just seems so much more profound when it is said it Latin, just like this phrase adopted by Gulnur Ozdaglar Guvenc as her slogan: TERTIUM NON DATA.
Tertium non data in Latin means: the third is not given (see how brilliant it all sounds! Even translated it’s still mysterious). Basically that phrase holds an alchemic term. It refers to the process of combining two disparate elements to create a new, third element. In the words of the brilliant artist herself, “…it is the process of transformation is a mystery – an unknown…”
So what’s this all about? In short ; the third mysterious element that emerges from the hands of Turkish architect & designer Gulnur Ozdaglar Guvenc when she combines PET bottles + flame.
Yes, Gulnur Ozdaglar Guvenc is a fantastic designer who turns recycled pet bottles into magnificent works of art – both in the form of jewellery and houseware. Now don’t even for a second expect to find cheap looking school project like pieces because what she makes is undeniable superb. The colours (stupendous hues of green, blue, purple and orange are most prominent in her collection) and shapes of her individually unique creations all look as though they’ve been taken right out of the deep ocean’s floor.
She by the weave of her magic hands is able to make our everyday common plastic trash into beautiful necklaces of flowers that bear an uncanny resemblance to nature’s own master piece of sea anemone. Her creations are even able to mimic/capture in still life the soft flowing movements of existence, as though water was flowing all around/right through them…Rather out of character with ‘plastic’, which has the reputation of being stiff and rigid.
She also makes beautiful bowls, lamp shades, hanging mobiles that are actually useable and not just pieces of art decor. I would believe her inspiration to be sea anemone and jellyfishes because they strikingly resemble these deep sea creatures.
Well like any other handmade works of art, they do come rather pricey. But without a doubt you would fall in love with her creations – I know I have. Visit her shop TERTIUM NON DATA to purchase or her blog to learn more.
You will never see PET bottles the same way ever again!
