Influenced by the "Star Wars" movies he watched as a child, Cihat Uygun has turned his living room into a museum by collecting all the pieces he has found related to the world-famous movie series over 30 years. Today, he has a huge "Star Wars" collection of approximately 500 pieces, including products he made himself, that take up an entire room.
Uygun, who lives in the northwestern Turkish province of Edirne, is one of the millions of fans of George Lucas' "Star Wars" around the world.
"I've been following the series since the first films," Uygun told Demirören Agency (DHA), adding that he has been collecting figures since he was 15.
Recreating scenes from the movies in dioramas in the living room of his house with the pieces he collects, Uygun said, "I started to collect products that I like from Turkey and abroad. There is a company that makes these figures, I use the figures and portray them in dioramas. I continue to collect them," he said.
"My exhibition space is limited to the living room, but I have many more items that have not been opened yet. This is a passion from childhood for me, I have continued it without suppressing the child inside me. 'Star Wars' is like a legend of the new age. I keep this love alive by making collections in this way," he added.
Stating that the idea of turning his living room into a museum stemmed from the examples he saw on social media, Uygun said: "At first, I was only collecting them. Then I said I could do better when I saw some examples on social media. I wanted it to be like a museum. Over time, the number of the figures increased, the idea of how to improve it occurred to me. I recreated the scenes, and this is the result."
Uygun said he wanted to display the figures, and that's why he exhibits them at home, adding that the enjoyment of his hobby outweighs the financial burden it brings. Expressing that he believes it will be a life-long hobby, Uygun also said visitors to his "Star Wars" museum liked it and underlined that he does not intend to sell the figures.
Hüseyin Ülker, a friend of Uygun who helped him with his collection, said: "I helped him with the film effects and making of some figures. However, he is the real hero, the leading role in the creation of this museum. He has over 1 million followers on social media."
"As far as I know, there is only one such exhibition museum in Istanbul. Apart from that, there are no other professionals in Turkey who are interested and exhibit in this way. I try to support my friend as much as I can," he added.