Trainees who attend the philography course at Bolu İzzet Baysal Public Education and Night Art School learn to wrap the nails on the chipboard with wires and turn that into a painting to contribute to the family budget. Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Public Education Center instructor Mustafa Baştan said a philography master in Istanbul introduced him to this art four years ago. "I was a manager in a corporate company for seven years," stated Baştan before adding, "I left my job after I gave my heart to this art." He noted philography is an art form that emerged in the Middle East and came to Turkey from there. He stated that the art form has been known for 15 years in Turkey, but it has not gained wide recognition yet. He pointed out that philography used to be an art that was taught to prisoners, adding, "This art form almost vanished since people who learnt it in prison died before having the change to teach philography to others." He informed they have been teaching this art in various provinces and districts of Turkey for the last 12 years. He added that they have been teaching philography in Bolu for two years. Philography is an art form that requires hardworking and patience. Chipboard, fabric, nail and wire are used to perform the art. It takes one to 14 days to finish a philography painting. First the fabric is glued on the chipboard then the corners are nailed. The nails are painted to prevent rusting. To create a philography painting there are 18 different knitting techniques. The paintings are then sold at high prices. Baştan said, "We used 550 nails and 1,500 meters of wire to finish the Turkish Flag that we made through philography. Moreover, 2,000 nails and five-meter long wire were used in writing "Allah" with philography. I finished the work in four days."Baştan further stated that the paintings are sold for at least TL 750, and added trainees are contributing to their family budget with the help of this art form.The director of Bolu İzzet Baysal Public Education and Night Art School Mehmet Bayır stated they host hundreds of courses every year at the school. He said that they opened the philography course to raise awareness and appeal to the trainees. Bayır describes the art of philography as "the nail's dance with wire," adding, "Philography is a magnificent art form. Hundreds of nails and meters of wire are used even in a small pattern. The best part is that you do not see the nails when you look at the painting." Bayır further noted that philography paintings are on demand. "There are some paintings that are sold for TL 5,000 ($2,315), TL 10,000 or even TL 15,000. These people can earn their living through philography," Bayır concluded.