We can say "A 50-year-old plane tree" for the Emre Kunt Model Museum in Bodrum. This is the museum of patience, handicraft and those who survive the test of time. The endless journey of countless handcrafted models... There are almost all kinds of models here, from Civilization Figures to the Collector's Cars Gallery, from the Maritime Antiques Collection to the Ottoman Navy, and even to the slot machines that emerged out of the ships in 1950, and these models invite us to a completely different reality.

 

We not only visited the museum, but also had a conversation with the founder of the museum, the well-known architect Emre Kunt, about the topic ranging from museology to the meaning of life.

 

Görkem Baygın, Setur Marinas Ayvalık Front Office Representative

 

 

Görkem Baygın: We'd like to get to know you briefly.

 

Emre Kunt: I graduated from the State Academy of Fine Arts in 1967. In 1984, the chaos and increasing crowds of Istanbul pushed me to Bodrum. I used to come with my boat, but one day I left everything there and moved here. 

 

GB: When did your passion for the sea begin?

 

EK: It was when I lived in Istanbul. There was no marina here at that time, so I usually left my boat in Kuşadası. When I came, I would sail as far as Antalya. I built my own boat 42 years ago and used it in Istanbul. When French boats became available, I started buying from them. Afterwards I built 3 more boats.

 

 

GB: Have you always had a passion for sailing or do you also like motor yachts?

 

EK: I've used sailboats for 35 years. We've sailed a lot. Then it got boring and I returned to the motor yacht. Why are you staying under an awning in the sun? Motor yachts are like home, I spend all my summer there. Most recently, we've cruised in the Adriatic Sea. I'm usually around the Greek islands. My last boat is the 24-m Trawler Bandido.

 

GB: How did your passion for modeling develop?

 

EK: Since my childhood, I have been going to the carpenter, cutting wood and making models. My father used to make sailboat models. My grandfather used to write on them. So this passion and curiosity comes from the family. I've been working as a model maker in Istanbul since I was 18 years old, then I turned to scientific model making. 

 

 

GB: So, can we say that this was one of the reasons why you studied at the State Academy of Fine Arts then?

 

EK: Of course, we were interested in sculpture, painting and photography at the academy, so we were experiencing everything related to fine arts. It has been very beneficial for this passion. Besides, since I studied at the German High School, I have the German systematics. I mean the German perfectionism!

 

GB: Well, have you ever experienced the negativity of perfectionism?

 

EK: Yes, my wife gets very angry! But now I've given up a little bit.

 

 

GB: Why are models important and what do they mean to you personally?

 

EK: Models are so important for me... It's like you rediscover and visualize lost values and unknown things in history, and promote them. Now, there are people who have heard of them, some who know them, and some who do not even know them. There are those who understand them, and those who do not. But, everyone says "wow" when they see them.

And before making these, we are dealing with plans for 3-4 years. We've prepared the plans for most of them. Ottoman ships had no plans at all. We had to do all the research ourselves. We brought plans from United States and Germany. So to speak, we begged and pleaded… I had a lot of difficulty with that.

 

GB: This is more than a hobby for you...

 

EK: We have already moved beyond hobby, my dear, now it is professionalism for us. I spend my life with modeling. Well, when I go home, I sit at the worktable, so I don't go coffee shops chatting or anything like that. Because I always have things to do in my mind.

 

 

GB: How do you see the future of modeling?

 

EK: Modeling is no longer handcraft and is being switched to 3D modeling. So, it's been mechanizing. There are fewer people like us who will sit down and deal with these things with their hands. There are still some, but few. Because this is a matter of opportunity, and partly, of location. You have to have a space to work. You have to leave the table as it is. Well, you can't do these things at the dinner table. The wife comes and causes problems, and the child comes and messes around. Not everyone has such an opportunity.

Now I am taking students here. I'm trying to instill this in them. To get them away from their mobile phones for a while. It attracts the attention of all of them. They convince their families that they are going to do this too.

 

GB: So, do you think of creating a modeling-related training field for students?

 

EK: My library is very rich that I have 3 thousand 700 special technical books in this field alone. I drew very beautiful projects to create such a field. I was going to open a workshop for educational purposes, but the municipality did not provide space. But we teach it to those interested in who come here.

 

 

GB: So how did you decide to turn this interest into a museum?

 

EK: My figures have accumulated so much that they no longer fit into the house. Because it is something variable. There is an addition every day. Naturally, my office allows us to be in the atmosphere.

 

GB: The museum also has a library.

 

EK: Yes, it does. I keep most of my works here. More than half of them is at my house. Because I'm constantly inspecting them!

 

GB: We know that modeling competitions are held around the world, and you have received awards. Can you tell us about these?

 

EK: In fact, the awards began with Istanbul. We had a modeling association in Istanbul. We held several competitions with the artists there. But then we lost most of our values, and this association, which was under the auspices of the Naval Forces until then, was closed. In other words, model competitions were held in Turkey as well as abroad. We have so many medals! We even have the European Championship. For example, Fishing Boat "Fish Enjoyment" was awarded a gold medal in the 2005 Marmaris International Maritime Festival Static Ship Models competition.

 

 

GB: On the occasion of this conversation, I'd like to commemorate our important model artists who are alive or have passed away.

 

EK: We have very valuable model makers who have passed away. Unfortunately, we lost 3-4 of them... One of them is Süleyman Alper. He was a world-class model maker. He made the most famous ships. In fact, the steamer Bandırma that took Atatürk to Samsun was his work and won a gold medal. He created many models such as Barbaros, Hamidiye, Mecidiye Nusrat Minelayer. We even did a lot of work with Rahmi Koç. I drew the ships in the museum in the Golden Horn and so on. We published the book "Steam Locomotives in Türkiye" together.  I currently have a living workshop. There, I have a friend named Bülent Çavuşoğlu. We are currently working on Bodrum Castle so that we can have something about Bodrum.

 

GB: So, what projects are you working on right now?

 

EK: I really enjoy making miniatures, so I quit the ship business. For example, in order to make all the details of the comic book characters and figures, I first sit down and study their lives, make drawings and embrace them thoroughly. I wanted to keep them alive in a part of the museum. During the pandemic, I sat down and made the Ottoman District. 

 

GB: I can't help but ask, how long does it take to create these models?

 

EK: I can make 20-25 of them during a winter.

 

GB: Then, let's say thank you for your efforts and art… I'd like to have a corner like this in my home. I think these models create a very good culture.

 

EK: Generally, everyone hears something without going deeper and sells it as culture without examining it. Now you came here and saw and felt the real thing. Our only goal is to keep history alive and to bring this awareness to young people like you.

 

Photographs: Görkem Baygın