Taanka X Eszterda

I've known Eszter Dobó for many years now, but sadly we don't live in the same city, so I mostly admire her work from afar. Her passion for textiles, the vibrant colours in her work, and the stunning ESZTERDA creations she brings to life with her own hands are truly remarkable. We got back in touch after a while for a collaboration: Eszter uses the smallest scraps of kantha fabric left over from the production process to make one-of-a-kind dolls for Taanka. I really love and respect her work, and I'd like as many of you as possible to get to know it, so I made a short interview with her. I hope you'll enjoy it! 

What did you want to be when you were little? What did you like to do most? What gave you pleasure?

My earliest memories of my own pastimes are of being absorbed in coloring. I was born into a family of architects, so my parents gave me the experience of creating from an early age. I was crazy about beautiful colored pencils. I used to copy birds and flowers from old "Búvár Zsebkönyvek" (Hungarian pocket book series on nature) editions. I loved those intimate moments of listening to a story on the tape recorder while tinkering or drawing on my desk. 
I got my love of textiles from my mom and grandma. They sewed, knitted, and crocheted a lot of our clothes. I tried to learn from them. I loved playing with dolls, and when I was in primary school, I sewed the first doll clothes myself. Then, as a senior, I made jewellery from wire and modelling clay - they were bought mostly by my mom's colleagues. In high school, I learned to sew on a sewing machine, which was such an experience that I started to sew my own clothes from Burda magazine's patterns.

You graduated as an economist, you also taught at the Széchenyi University in Győr. It seems like the cathedra is quite far from the world of creation and hand embroidery. How did you get into creating?

Yeah, I ended up graduating as an economist. I did a one-year program in garment design at the College of Light Industry (now Óbuda University), but it felt so technical that I dropped out. Looking back, I'm not sure if that was the best choice. Economics might seem like a science subject, but I was more into the humanities and social sciences, so that's what I ended up focusing on.  Ironically, with a fresh degree, I found a job in an Italian textile company. Then I had babies, and after my two older daughters started kindergarten, I decided to leave the competitive sector. Then I went back to school for my doctorate at Széchenyi University, where I did research and taught cultural economics. After my third daughter was born, I felt like I could get back into creative work. My three little girls were right into rag dolls and textile toys. At first, I started posting my work on a free blog site, and it seemed like people liked it and maybe even wanted to buy them. During this time, I also did a post-graduate course in cultural management at MOME. Now I'm working part-time in an evangelical church office, where my responsibilities include communication, cultural, and economic tasks.

We met when your daughters were young, but since then they've gone through their teenage years. How has your approach to creating changed over the last ten years? Do you make different kinds of objects now, for example? 

When the girls were little, I was mostly decorating their little realm. I mostly sewed and sold rag dolls. I tried to use natural materials, like cotton and linen. I had a black doll at the time, and it has also returned in textile version, which was kind of a curiosity. Now my two older daughters are grown up and my youngest is in high school. I've outgrown from dolls a bit too. I still get many requests for larger rag dolls, but I'd really like to focus on making different textile decorations.

 

What's your favourite thing to make, and what part of the process do you like best?

I really like embroidery and hand sewing. There's something really inspiring about the irregularity and possibility of handmade things. I haven't done much of it lately, but I'm planning to get back into creating pocket dolls. I like them because they're simple in form, and the embroidery and embellishment brings them to life. I think it's really important for a child to have beautiful visual surroundings from a young age. I think it's a lifelong experience. I had a blast working with TAANKA. When I got my hands on the leftover katha materials Petra sent me, I couldn't help but stoke, smell, and imagine. I imagined women in colorful clothes from the other side of the world sewing and embroidering these layers of fabric together, sitting in a circle, chatting. So I had the impression that I did recreate them somehow in the form of these dolls. I'm always fascinated by the stories behind the objects.

In a previous interview, you said, 'Experience shows that we Hungarians are more willing to pay a lot of money for plastic dolls made abroad, but we are more reluctant to pay a lot of money for handmade things made in Hungary.' Has your opinion on this changed in recent years? Do you think we're still behind?

I feel like we've made some progress here. I think it's become more cool to buy unique handicrafts and designs. There are a lot of initiatives to support this. There are so many awesome new brands popping up, and they seem to have a real shot at lasting. Design fairs, real-life encounters, and social media all give you a chance to get out there.

What inspires your work? 

I'm really into the folk art of different cultures, not just textiles, but also ceramics, carvings, and all those instinctive, ancient forms. I think the ancient decorative arts of different cultures use similar motifs because we're actually pretty similar in some ways, and we understand each other without words. Or at least we should... I get a lot of inspiration just from looking at books and magazines on this subject. I especially like old textiles—worn, flawed, and repaired. I've got a bunch of textiles that I've collected and inherited. My family, especially the women, were drawn to beautiful textiles, natural fabrics, and laces. I'd love to reinterpret these and bring them into my work. I've been thinking about it quite a lot lately.

What do you like to do in your free time? What's the best way to relax and recharge?

I love to travel, visit museums, go to local vintage and flea markets. I also like running, hiking, reading, and going to concerts.

Where can people find your work?

Right now, people are reaching out to me on my Instagram. Here, I'm in touch with potential buyers, I can develop some personal connection with them; it's nice to know where my works are going. I've been working on my webshop, but it's still in progress.

What are your plans for the future?

I'm hoping to keep embroidering. I want to make the doll shape more of a decoration than a toy. I'm also curious to try textile dying and experiment with a slightly larger scale, like textile pictures.

 

Photo: Luca Pomaranski