The objects made of empties by Sabine Mescher-Leitner have already seen champagne, good wine, delightful oils and much more in their earlier lives. At the exhibition "Figurine empties" at URART in Istanbul from 16 May until 17 June 2006 the object is now at the centre of delight – not the content.The German designer Sabine Mescher-Leitner was, until she worked with glass (sawing, grinding and engraving), freelance graphic designer in Stuttgart – where she also lives with her husband and their son today.It all began nine years ago in Italy. There she virtually stumbled over a broken champagne bottle when on a walk – the bottle was taken home and used as a vase, although children jumping around soon set an end to this first “Ur-Figurine”. However, not to the idea of working with the material glass – especially in connection with empties. She puts together bottles with very beautiful forms which she has collected, pieces of glass and broken glass, saws, grinds and engraves and thus transforms the empties into imaginative objects – “Figurine empties” as it were.