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Mr Portakal (2015)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------“My old studio was on Mentmore terrace in Hackney, east London, an area that has undergone mass gentrification in recent years. One of the original surviving businesses was run by an old Turkish man called Ibrahim or Tony to his friends. He’d been there with his brother in law Ahmed for over 20 years, fixing and selling reconditioned old fridges, kebab machines and general industrial kitchen equipment. He never made much money and decided to try and cash in on the new ‘hipster’ demographic that had moved into the area by opening a little cafe. It was not much bigger than a cupboard and he sold freshly squeezed orange juice and homemade falafels. His nickname soon became Mr Portakal (Orange in Turkish) due to his tasty freshly squeezed orange juice. He would always ask me why none of the new bearded locals would come into his shop. So I designed him a sign and got everyone in my studio - Mentmore Studios to donate £5 each in order to get it manufactured.”

 

Sadly Mr Portakal died in April 2016, but his freshly squeezed juice and cheeky smile will always be remembered.

More projects from the Art section:

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Branding & Website by Steve Baker

Mr Portakal (2015)

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“My old studio was on Mentmore terrace in Hackney, east London, an area that has undergone mass gentrification in recent years. One of the original surviving businesses was run by an old Turkish man called Ibrahim or Tony to his friends. He’d been there with his brother in law Ahmed for over 20 years, fixing and selling reconditioned old fridges, kebab machines and general industrial kitchen equipment. He never made much money and decided to try and cash in on the new ‘hipster’ demographic that had moved into the area by opening a little cafe. It was not much bigger than a cupboard and he sold freshly squeezed orange juice and homemade falafels. His nickname soon became Mr Portakal (Orange in Turkish) due to his tasty freshly squeezed orange juice. He would always ask me why none of the new bearded locals would come into his shop. So I designed him a sign and got everyone in my studio - Mentmore Studios to donate £5 each in order to get it manufactured.”

 

Sadly Mr Portakal died in April 2016, but his freshly squeezed juice and cheeky smile will always be remembered.

More projects from the Art section:

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