We had the good fortune of connecting with Melis Erdem and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melis, what do you want people to remember about you?

I want people to remember me as the person who worked towards elevating the perceived legacy of Turkey. The land of Turkey is the birthplace of the first temple of the world (predating Stonehenge by 6,000 years), it is home to the Trojan Horse and even Santa Claus (St. Nicholas to be exact). Again, the creative heritage in the region is immense… yet, the majority of people (especially in the West) think of Turkey only when they think of kebabs or cheap holidays. While our cuisine and beautiful beaches are part of our legacy too, they, alone, don’t do this land and its people justice.

I established Mother Tongue to challenge the ‘branding’ of Turkey, using creativity as a starting point for these conversations – and that is what I want my legacy to be.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

My business Mother Tongue is a London-based shop and cultural hub specialising in creativity of Turkey. How I got to where I am today sounds way more straight-forward in hindsight than when I was arriving there.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a fan of objects and their power of telling stories. Even as a child, objects in my room kept alive my memories, my family history, as well as my future aspirations. To no one’s surprise, I started working with objects at London’s Natural History Museum. Sure, these were objects from nature, but they too told us stories about their past, present and future.

While on the one hand I got training in how to care for and communicate about museum collections, on the other, I was going through a challenging period, trying to rediscover my identity as a Turkish artist who had been living away from home.
So I returned back to objects and their power of telling stories. But this time, I felt a pull to explore objects that made me feel close to home.
Mother Tongue was born from my desire to tell the stories of the people of my homeland through a creative lens, and to search for my place within it. In the end, crisis the search for my identity inspired me to combine my artistic vision with the skills I gained working in the museum sector, resulting in me reimagining a collection representing my own heritage. Though it wasn’t easy, I solved both my personal and professional challenges by combining my existing skills with what I was authentically passionate about.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
LONDON

Eat-
Dusty Knuckles: Grab a coffee and try the “Morning Bun” and feel like you’d just discovered cinnamon.

Rochelle Canteen: Separated from the bustle of London by a simple wooden door with a bell, the atmosphere of this restaurant makes you feel like you’re in the countryside rather than in London. Honest cooking in a peaceful setting perfect for recharging.

Drink-
P. Franco: Meet true natural wine lovers in this intimate natural wine bar with rotating chefs cooking on electrical hobs on its only [communal] table. It’s like one big dinner party and a sure way to make friends.

Visit-
Folka: A museum-like shop dedicated to reviving dying crafts from Poland as well as supporting local artists.

Libreria Bookshop: A unique bookshop which is great for when you can’t think of what to read next. This bookshop doesn’t go by your standard categories “fiction, biography, science…”, instead, they push the reader to be creative by arranging their stock in suggestive themes such as the sea and the sky, enchantment for the disenchanted, and mothers, madonnas and whores.

Wellcome Collection: A gallery with a specialism in an unexpected pair; Medicine and Art. When you want to see art but are also interested in history and science.

The Viktor Wynd Museum: A cabinet of curiosities (and cocktail bar!) of the bizarrest collection.

Novelty Automation: A humorous arcade where games are designed and made by cartoonist and engineer Tim Hunkin. Don’t go expecting to practice Super Mario, in this place you’ll be practicing money laundering or how to get divorced.

Hang Out-
Close-Up Film Centre: A small, chilled out space with a library feel (and a bar!). Catch some niche international films, Q&As and meet other creatives.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shoutout would have to go to my mother Nil. Mother Tongue relies heavily on relationships. We handpick artists & makers whose work we feel tells the stories of Turkey. My mother is a much more successful social butterfly than me, and it is was her wide network that created the basis for our growing connections today.

Website: https://www.thisismothertongue.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisismothertongue/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meliserdem/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thisismothertongue

Image Credits
All photos taken by me, except for ‘Personal Photo’. Personal Photo by Gita Buga.

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