FROM CLASSIC HANDMADE TO DIGITAL

There is something very special about the handmade things, as each one of them owes its being to a tiny bit of our creativity. They speak to our souls by touching our creative impulses, with author’s inner filling always being the main thing. Is it a magic? It is up to each of us to answer this question individually. Or we become creators ourselves, when we can see the familiar world through the prism of an artistic view. This is what happened to the applied art, which is going through a period of individual renaissance, hence gradually acquiring the right to go in parallel with the classical artistic trends. Through their creations, those who create these pieces of art are reviving in them the features our ancestors valued so much, such as the charm of comfort and cosiness that surrounded them in everyday life.

Our first meting with Lala and Iskander Sardarly was in May 2019. Interestingly, the life journey of this wonderful couple has been a harmonious pattern woven from tiny threads of everything - history, difficulties, perseverance, humble deeds, elation, love, loyalty, the happiness of acquisition and new accomplishment... We met almost three years ago. Yet we are still interested in the story of this family. A story of people who create a miracle with their own hands.

Lala and Iskander are former journalists. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, they faced the difficulties of this life, which made them endure crucible tests to demonstrate the strength of human character. Iskander fell ill. To support her husband, Lala also left journalism. These were difficult days in the life of the Sardarly couple. They had to live and raise their son Toghrul. They left for the countryside. There, among plants and small domestic animals, their life began to improve. Both needed to give new meaning to their lives, to occupy themselves with something that could enthuse them and give them confidence in the future. Since 2010, they have been involved in arts and crafts almost professionally, although none of them had had any vocational training in this area. Today their works continue to be displayed at many exhibitions abroad. Various handmade chests, caskets, jewellery items for women by the Sardarlys are in many private collections. A chest made by Iskander and decorated with national patterns is now preserved in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Cyprus.

“What has changed during this period? Can you share some of your memories?”

Lala: “There were a lot of changes. Shock, stress, worry… But of course there was also the joy of victory. The global pandemic was another troublesome experience, which has shocked us a lot. There were problems with my husband's health. Yet I cannot express the feeling of pride because of our victory in the 44-day war. We joined forces as a family and conquered the disease. This was the strongest motivation and inspiration, which translated in our creative work. We started looking at the world in a completely different way. Thanks to this huge energy boost, we started to create on a completely different level. I think that the restoration of historical justice has affected not only us, but all Azerbaijani people, including many creative people. Each of them has reflected the 44-day long path to victory in various artistic ways. We too expressed the apotheosis of the war and belief in a better future in our works.

“During this period, we communicated with experts. Their opinions and advice have been important in our work. We do not have an academic education in art. Our first exhibition was held by the Azerbaijan Press Council. Journalism has always been our paternal home both then and now. That exhibition was like a ticket into the beautiful world of Art for us journalists.”

“Who played an important role as a teacher and mentor in your artistic journey?”

Lala: "I think that every person we meet in life is a teacher. Some teach us good things and others show us what not to do by their actions. We are all humans and we tend to make mistakes. But every mistake is an experience to learn from. I am very happy that my family and I have encountered so many talented people from the art world. Each such encounter has played an instrumental role in our activities.

“For example, our meeting with Prof. Sakit Mammadov, People's Artist of Azerbaijan, had almost a sacred effect both on our lives and professional activity. He taught us how to overcome difficulties and remain resilient despite any difficulties. The magic of this meeting is impossible to express in words. One must feel and live it...

“Our next meeting was at the Azerbaijani National Museum of Art, when our works passed through the State Expert Commission under the Ministry of Culture and we received an experts’ report. That’s when we got acquainted with a wonderful person, a true master of the craft – the chief restoration artist of Azerbaijan, the Honoured Artist Natiq Safarov. He has been very delicate—so as not to offend and discourage us from creating art—and very considerate on advising us about colours, shapes, and so on. We have been committed to his recommendation till today. Every time we present our new works to the commission, we enjoy hearing his comments on our progress. Our collaboration continues to this day. Natik-muallim, as a top-level specialist, is our guide, and we are very grateful to him. It is wonderful when people from another profession come into the art and meet someone who guides, a true specialist.  

“We also had a chance to know the renowned artist and sculptor Khanlar Ahmadov. After meeting him, we decided to introduce some innovation in our work by replacing the ready-made figures. Khanlar-muallim gave us some tips, while our son Toghrul joined his master classes and still enjoys his recommendations. Toghrul had used new technologies in his works before. But after meeting Khanlar-muallim, he got more experience and widened his perspectives in the field. In the future, Toghrul will introduce and use certain figurines in a new capacity suitable to the content, meaning and theme of each casket we make.

“I can keep on telling you the names of similar persons. There have been occasional meetings also. Their works still inspire us with new ideas. For example, the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum is both a temple and a source of inspiration for us. Thanks to the administration and personally to Shirin-khanim Melikova and her system, we are lucky to get the most relevant knowledge about our national patterns. Many well-known artists collaborate with this museum. We are very grateful that they can provide us with all the necessary information when we approach them in the process of creating our works.

“Aydin Rajabov's works is a great school for us. After all, the patterns on our carpets are in direct harmony with our own creations, hence interesting to us. It is not surprising that we are very much interested in using them in our works. We are planning to use such symbols in them in the future. That’s why we decided to consider the works of Prof. Mammadhuseyn Huseynov, who is a whole school for us. After all, he has written a book on this subject. We are looking forward for the presentation of his book. It is a treasure for us. We have yet to meet him personally, but we want very much to turn the idea into reality and to pass it on to future generations in the language of symbols. We are collecting all the knowledge and experience of these professionals, so that we can translate it into our works.”

"Creative people are always full of plans, like holding exhibitions..."

Lala: "An the exhibition is like a progress report for us. It's like a step towards new opportunities, new perspectives. Before the pandemic, we received offers to hold an exhibition. But unfortunately, first due to the pandemic, then to my husband's health problems and some other problems we couldn't accept them. So we had to postpone the idea for a while. This year we are planning to hold a number of exhibitions both abroad and in Baku.

“Also, the Turkish television channel TRT became interested in our family story. They wondered how we came from journalism to the world of art. That’s because of my husband's illness and the life circumstances. My husband recovered thanks to the art therapy. I have thought a lot about this, as many people suffer from these symptoms. That’s where art therapy has come in handy and played a huge role in healing, and not only that. He has learned how to create patterns and applied artwork. I believe many people could benefit greatly by using this approach to cope with their difficulties. We must not give up in difficult situations, we must love life, cling to it, fight and win in the fight against ailments. Art can help you recover. But you can also help your neighbour. After our story was broadcast on the Turkish television, we started getting calls from Azerbaijan and from abroad. People wanted to know how we managed to conquer the disease and depression. That is when we decided to create a public association for the protection and promotion of examples of applied art. We have a number of projects that we want to realise in the field of art therapy, the study and preservation of cultural heritage, the development of applied arts among the population and so on.”

"Iskander, what do you feel as you have reached a certain level of professionalism in the applied art?"

Iskander: "Firstly, I would like to thanks your magazine for your interest in our family and our works. This is our second meeting with you...

“I am very happy, I feel excellent. Imagine a person who could not even hammer a nail. But now I can create pieces of applied art. The Almighty gave me life and an opportunity to correct something that was not quite right, in His view. I am grateful to Him and to my family. There was a time when I asked the angel of death to take me away. But I don't want to talk about the negative things, I better keep it short - all I did was change the way I think and live. The simplest turn in life can lead to great results.

“One day Lala asked me to make a jewellery box. The thing is she’s been fond of making such things since her childhood. By the way, she knows how to sew. She used to make dresses for herself when she was a schoolgirl. So she had some experience in design and decoration. One day she made a drastic decision: I needed constant care due to my health problems. My wife gave up her career in journalism, a very dynamic profession. In order not to leave me alone with my illness and depression, she opted for her family. The same goes for our son. He had plenty of opportunities. He could have continued his studies abroad; there were many interesting offers. But he made his choice, because he didn't want to leave his mother alone. He decided to help her. After all, we are one family. Lala and Toghrul joined forced and helped me, they didn't leave me alone... My family did everything they could. And I started with a simple box and continued on this path. You can now see the result of my activities in applied art. My works are in private collections of famous people abroad.

“But my story doesn’t end here. We had to go through quite a few other trials. During the pandemic I could not walk, had problems with my arms, and then lost my eyesight. I have undergone nine operations on my eyes. In despair, I wondered if I would ever be able to work again. Would this be my end? But my family saved me this time too. They gave me strength and faith. Thanks to them I was able to overcome my problems and recovered. I really wanted to get back to work. And then my son, who graduated from the Department of Applied Mathematics of the Belarusian State University, came to help. He started with applying new technologies in our business to make my job easier. After mastering the new perspectives, we began to create new patterns and compositions. At present, Toghrul is already creating his own artworks, which makes me very happy.”

"So Toghrul left the world of formulas and algorithms to a completely different world of intricate and interweaving lines? A truly original twist..."

Toghrul: "It all started when my father had serious health problems: diabetes, which led to the failure of his sight, while his hands became less sensitive. With each passing day, he found it it difficult to do what he loved – to create. It became obvious that he was losing interest in life. I was thinking of various ways to help him. Up to that moment, applied art had been playing an indirect role in my life. But then it turned out that my long-standing hobby and interest in hi-tech can correlate. I’ll tell you more – I found it interesting to search for the perfect combination of common features in arts and crafts. After all, these technologies make it possible to create things that cannot be done manually. Handwork has always been in demand because of their unique features and been valued respectively. But human hands, even those of a professional artist, have limitations: there are certain complicated ideas, semantic combinations and forms. Digital technology and special equipment make it possible to bring your creative imagination to life, to materialise it.”

"What about the warmth of human hands?"

Toghrul: "Many think that the introduction of technological devices in the creation of artistic products deprives them of the right to be considered handmade. I would partly agree with this if that piece can be made by hand without much difficulty, without the use of any conventional mechanical devices. Woodcarving, for instance. But I am talking about making pieces so delicate and subtle that it is simply impossible to make them by hand. This is the moment when arts and crafts reach a completely different level. Here comes the complexity of forms, the interweaving of styles, the expression of extraordinary textures through lines and a whole range of other nuances. Things that are almost impossible to realise for a human being. That’s why the value of such works cannot be underestimated. I think the most important thing in art is to express a message. Because every object is unique and has its own idea, its own story. As if it is trying to say to us something. This is true for everything that is created individually and is unique.”

"It seems that the use of technology doesn't require any special approach: you can set a programme and wait for the end result, that’s it..."

Toghrul: "It takes quite a lot of experience to apply these technologies in the applied arts, not only to create chests and caskets, for example, but also other products. There is a whole school behind it all, where the first step is the development of artistic imagination. These are followed by the methods of making and applying radically different technical means. Programme management is required. Particularly important is the knowledge of the materials you work with. It is a multi-faceted and highly complex creative endeavour. It is not easier than classical handicrafts. You would agree that it is also a kind of artistic format, one of the components of which is finding solutions to certain ideas using different approaches.

“Our latest chests are made on different types of machinery. Some parts are created using laser equipment. We also use CNC machines. We print the polymer parts on a 3D-printer. This is a complex approach in absolutely different fields for the creation of a single product. As you can see, it requires lots of knowledge and skills to create something more complex, something that expresses an artistic message in a multifaceted way. I believe that very soon this approach will take the place it rightfully deserves along with other forms of artistic design. It is simply necessary to put in systematic efforts to promote it. Many artists will be able to expand the scope of creative research with technologies that can help to increase the semantic load and to add a certain level of complexity. They will be able to materialise what they have been deprived of because of the physical limitations of human hands. Modern technology and digitalisation provide unlimited scope for creativity, a strong incentive to move forward where boundaries, including geographical boundaries are levelled before they can be extended. Mastering new approaches elevates the applied art to the level of unique craftsmanship. This is what we work on as a family, supporting each other.”

"I think one of your trio's greatest creative achievements has been the ‘formula of absolute support’, which is also evident in your works."

Iskander: “I remember the time when I was wondering if I could go back to work. But now I'm very happy and encouraged thanks to the support of my family. They helped me return to the work I love and reach a whole new level. I can assure you that we can now create pieces of applied art on a completely different level, many times better than before . But we may not forget all those who in different ways have been our driving force in this field and constantly pushed us forward. We would like to thank all the artists who appreciated our work. We have decided not to stop and to improve more. Especially when all the conditions for doing this are available in Azerbaijan. Seizing this opportunity, I want to thank President Ilham Aliyev for creating prosperous, modern and safe Azerbaijan for future generations, the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and personally Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva for her huge contribution to protection, popularisation and development of art and culture of our country. I think this has had a great influence on all the creative people. Thanks to this attitude towards our culture and art, we have created the compositions My Family, Union of Victory, Khurshid Banu. We have put in all of them the state and light of our souls.”

“Art always speaks to the human soul..."

Lala: "Every person is a sculptor of his own soul. The light of soul is a special energy radiated by a loving person. This energy cannot be seen physically. But you can feel it, feel the love and kindness coming from it. That’s what we put into every LaTIs product, an abbreviation of our names—Lala, Toghrul and Iskander. It is a sign of quality of family creativity and family relationship. We are very happy that our works show the state of our souls. The colours we use in our works are the light of our souls...”