Unable to find an apprentice, he teaches his daughter: UNESCO master tries to keep his art alive
The knives that Altınışık crafts with engravings, wire carvings and special figures are given as gifts to statesmen, business people and artists at home and abroad.
Servet Altınışık emphasized that one must love what one does, saying, "I've been making knives for 17 years. My great-grandfather is the true master of the craft. No one else in the family made knives except me. We've added a different dimension to knives."
Stating that they go beyond standard knives, Altınışık said, "We do engraving, filigree, and figures on the knives. We also make the sheaths accordingly. In this field, I was awarded the title of State Artist by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2020. Afterwards, I became a UNESCO Cultural Heritage Bearer.
"We're trying to do the best we can. We're trying to build on it every day. We're striving to create something much more than just a knife. Like any profession, this one has its challenges, but it gets easier when you love it. Above all, you have to love and respect a job," he said.
Altınışık emphasized that finding apprentices to pass on their crafts to future generations is their biggest challenge, saying: "The biggest challenge is the lack of trained apprentices. We're in a situation where our profession will die when we die. There aren't as many apprentices as there used to be. Those who come are high school graduates. They're older and have completed their military service. If they don't have any manual dexterity, it's very difficult to teach them a trade after that. I'm also training my daughter in this regard. She's actually being trained as a jeweler. I'm also teaching her knifemaking. She used to design jewelry, and I've started teaching my trade in the last year."
Yaprak Altınışık, who learned knifemaking alongside her father, said her original profession was jewelry making, and that seeing her father's work piqued her interest in knife art. Altınışık said, "Every profession has its own challenges. Currently, I'm facing more challenges because I'm an apprentice. When making knives, I struggle more with the engraving part. I struggle even more when we work on the engravings and textures on the handle."
Altınışık, emphasizing that making knives is more enjoyable than carrying them, said, "As an artist, seeing the knives I make excites me. I think my peers should become knife masters. Especially in this era, as women, everyone needs to be able to stand on their own two feet. Furthermore, since art and craft are so important, I'm sure they'll enjoy it."
ntv
