Because of his unique hobby, he is called not by his name in the village, but by a nickname, “lord of the roots.” His products are sold in Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Greece, earning him between TL 6,000-20,000 yearly. To the other inhabitants of the village, he is not normal. When answering questions, he always replies, “Am I crazy for adding aesthetic value to the roots, or are the customers for paying huge amounts of money for my creations?”Kezer has led a strange life. After starting out scratching school desks while working on lessons, the lord of roots abandoned his profession as an electrical technician after the 1999 earthquake and left İstanbul at his mother's request. In the fruit gardens of Yanık, while escaping from the afternoon heat he was drawn to the tree roots that reached out of the ground. At the same time, he learned the sport of mountaineering, which contributed to the development of his “root art.” Guiding groups trekking in Yanık, Kezer started to put upturned roots aside when he encountered them during excursions. After the excursion was over, while returning down the same path, he would gather the roots from where he had left them. After awhile, he created a workshop in the garden of his house and started to work on these roots. Selling the products on roadside benches, he soon became famous.
Ahmet Kezer uses the roots of hornbeam, walnut, hazelnut and chestnut trees to produce his art. We call them “pieces of art,” as both we and the master of the pieces consider them “pieces of art.” But don't think that Kezer cuts the roots off trees. The forest in Yanık is enormously productive. In one walk, you can collect a huge amount of roots. The lord of roots says that in this point, a keen eye for aesthetics is important, adding, “Millions of people saw those roots over the years, but no one attributed any meaning to them.”
Also known in the region as Crazy Ahmet, Kezer exposes the roots to deeply cleanse them, drying them afterwards. In the summer, this is done under the sun and takes a week. In the winter, it takes place in the underground oven in his workshop. After the drying, silicon carbide is used to shape the roots. Kezer does not polish the roots -- he wants his customers to appreciate them in their crude form. After customers see the crude forms, he will polish the roots according to their tastes and color preferences.
Crazy Ahmet says there is no limit to the production of pieces. He creates floor lamps, portmanteaus, chandeliers, candlesticks, keyholders, beads, etc. These pieces are used in many different ways. For example, one little glass-topped table can be valued in two distinct ways. The prices of the pieces vary between TL 20 and 6,000. The TL 20 pieces are generally knickknacks for tables. The TL 6,000 pieces include a worktable made entirely from one single root. “People wishing to have a more distinct life come to me,” said Kezer. He takes custom orders based on the individual tastes of customers. He communicates with international customers via e-mail (crazykezer@hotmail.com; 0541 261 11 51 / 0536 261 11 51).
