Exhibiton: Alien Self Disorder

Exhibition: “Alien Self Disorder” Tranås, Sweden Participants: Eda Emirdağ, Gözde Robin, Eda Gecikmez, Gökçe Sandal, Seher Uysal Opening: 13.11.2015 / 18:00 Adress:Tranås Stadsbibliotek, "Smatten",Tranås, Sweden Five women artists and activists invited to Sweden by a collaborative project designed by Kultivera, Uppsala Literature Center and Turkey-Europe Foundation within the Creative Force program of the Swedish Institute, are now creating a collective exhibition at the end of the one month residency program. With particular emphasis on the rights of women and minorities; the participants came together with local artists and activists to discuss freedom of speech, equality, human rights and democracy. The artists, each coming from different disciplines and backgrounds, are creating this exhibition in the context of “alien self disorder” as a collective experience of emotions and reflections. Coined to diagnose a mental disorder among African Americans, Na’im Akbar defines the term as “that group of individuals who behave contrary to their nature and survival. They are a group whose predominant behavior patterns represent a rejection of their natural and culturally valid dispositions. They have learned to act in contradiction to their own life and well being. As a consequence they are alienated from themselves.” After having experienced working geographically away from the political climate of Turkey, the participants chose this concept as a common meeting point for their works. The exhibition can be visited in the Tranås city library’s exhibition hall between the dates 13 November-12 December 2015.

Alternative Postcards From Turkey

When I first arrived in Tranås, my first attention was about postcards that every shops have about the city itself, Sweden, Småland, birthdays, Christmas, Halloween... It can be a gift, entertainment, spectacle, advertisement or ideology that reflect to the viewer as very innocent object. So with this inspiration, I started to create alternative postcards about cities from Turkey that this year made the headlines on social media.

Exhibition : " Alien Self Disorder"

Utställningen i Tranås stadsbiblioteks utställningshall mellan 13 November och 12 december 2015.

Deltagare: Eda Emirdağ, Gözde Robin, Eda Gecikmez, Gökçe Sandal, Seher Uysal

Vernissage: 2015/11/13 / 18:00

Tranås Stadsbibliotek, "Smatten", Tranås,

Fem kvinnliga konstnärer och aktivister är inbjudna till Sverige i ett samarbetsprojekt mellan Kultivera, Uppsala Litteratur Center och Turkiet-Europe Foundation inom Creative Force-programmet av Svenska institutet. Nu skapas en gemensam utställning i slutet av enmånadsresidensprogrammet. Med särskild betoning på kvinnors rättigheter och minoriteter; kom deltagarna för att möta lokala konstnärer och aktivister och diskutera yttrandefrihet, jämställdhet, mänskliga rättigheter och demokrati.
Konstnärerna, kommer från olika discipliner och bakgrunder, skapar denna utställning: “alien self disorder”, en samlad upplevelse av känslor och reflektioner. Skapad för att diagnostisera en psykisk störning bland afroamerikaner, definierar Na'im Akbar begreppet som "denna grupp av individer som beter sig i strid med sin karaktär och överlevnad. De är en grupp vars dominerande beteende mönster utgör ett förkastande av deras naturliga och kulturellt giltiga dispositioner. De har lärt sig att agera i strid med sitt eget liv och välbefinnande. Som en följd av de alienerade från sig själva."

Efter att i sitt arbete här upplevt det geografiska avståndet från det politiska klimatet i Turkiet, valde deltagarna detta koncept som en gemensam utgångspunkt för sina verk.

_____________
Sergi: “Alien Self Disorder”, Tranås,

Katılımcılar: Eda Emirdağ, Gözde Robin, Eda Gecikmez, Gökçe Sandal, Seher Uysal
Açılış: 13. 11. 2015 / 18:00
Adres:Tranås Stadsbibliotek, "Smatten",Tranås, İsveç

İsveç Kultivera, Uppsala Literature Centre ve Türkiye Avrupa Vakfı işbirliğiyle, İsveç Enstitüsü’nün Creative Force Programı dahilinde Türkiye’den davet edilen beş kadın sanatçı ve aktivist bir aylık residency programı sonunda kollektif bir sergi gerçekleştiriyorlar.

Azınlık ve kadın haklarının vurgulandığı, ifade özgürlüğü, eşitlik, insan hakları ve demokrasi gibi konuların tartışıldığı bu program çerçevesinde katılımcılar yerel sanatçı ve aktivistlerle bir araya geldi.

Her biri farklı alanlardan gelen katılımcılar ortak bir duygu deneyimi olarak bu sergiyi “alien self disorder” kavramı bağlamında oluşturuyorlar. Daha çok Afro Amerikalılara yönelik bir tanı olan bu kavramı, Na’im Akbar, bir grup insanın doğalarına ve sağ kalma içgüdülerine karşıt davranışları olarak tanımlar. Bu grubun baskın davranış biçimleri doğal ve kültürel eğilimlerini reddetmeye dayanır. Kendi yaşamlarına ve iyiliklerine ters yönde hareket etmeyi öğrenmişlerdir ve de bunun bir sonucu olarak kendilerine yabancılaşırlar.
Türkiye’nin politik coğrafyasından uzak bir mesafede çalışmayı deneyimleyen katılımcılar, üretimlerinin ortak noktası olarak bu kavramda buluşuyorlar.

Sergi 13 Kasım - 12 Aralık 2015 tarihleri arasında Tranås Kent Kütüphanesi sergi salonunda görülebilir.

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Exhibition: “Alien Self Disorder” Tranås, Sweden

Participants: Eda Emirdağ, Gözde Robin, Eda Gecikmez, Gökçe Sandal, Seher Uysal
Opening: 13.11.2015 / 18:00
Adress:Tranås Stadsbibliotek, "Smatten",Tranås, Sweden

Five women artists and activists invited to Sweden by a collaborative project designed by Kultivera, Uppsala Literature Center and Turkey-Europe Foundation within the Creative Force program of the Swedish Institute, are now creating a collective exhibition at the end of the one month residency program.

With particular emphasis on the rights of women and minorities; the participants came together with local artists and activists to discuss freedom of speech, equality, human rights and democracy.

The artists, each coming from different disciplines and backgrounds, are creating this exhibition in the context of “alien self disorder” as a collective experience of emotions and reflections. Coined to diagnose a mental disorder among African Americans, Na’im Akbar defines the term as “that group of individuals who behave contrary to their nature and survival. They are a group whose predominant behavior patterns represent a rejection of their natural and culturally valid dispositions. They have learned to act in contradiction to their own life and well being. As a consequence they are alienated from themselves.” After having experienced working geographically away from the political climate of Turkey, the participants chose this concept as a common meeting point for their works.

The exhibition can be visited in the Tranås city library’s exhibition hall between the dates 13 November-12 December 2015.

days 5,6,7..19

Yes, days are passing and my adaptation has been just become about Tranas and residency. Actually we had abundantly free time here and I never got used to have it. So it was great challenge with my habits and working process.
Last Saturday we were at Jönköping for a gallery meeting and we had our presentations that are about around the topic of art and activism. Also Ragıp Zarakolu was invited there and he had his presentation about free speech&public art of Turkey.
When we came back, we visited the graveyard because of Halloween tradition. it was great experience. Also at that night I had my first experience to go to a bar finally after two weeks!
Anyway, I understand that being social inside the city with the public is one of my great essential necessity and also it is great inspiration for my working process. At least I got this idea strongly after this residency.
Today we met Peter from Cultural Office and we talked about our final exhibition and visited the place where is just near the public library. It is going to be interesting because of the space has just 5 show windows and we will use them for installation our works. We have already started thinking what we are going to do, posters ..etc and got motivation to work seriously.

The photos are dark but it was touching experience being inside all those candles with the silence of crowds at graveyard.

Swept away

Since day one, refugee crisis was the "issue" to discuss in Turkey, the sudden surge of the refugees continued everyday, and they were considered as "guests". There was no plan for their future in the country, or their lives in camps and shelters, no education and health insurance was provided. So after a while the "guests" started to move on and leave the country, using it as a bridge or a gate to Europe. And suddenly the refugee problem that European countries chose to ignore for so long was at their door. Their lives in camps, on the roads were filmed and photographed by the photojournalists. The figures on the leaves are copied from daily magazines and newspapers showing their real life experiences and struggles. And the leaves are collected everyday from the streets of Tranas.

detail

Book of Fallen Leaves

Book of Fallen Leaves is part of an ongoing cumulative project  consisting more than a dozen (at the moment) categorized books. The categories are countless, though the pages of a book is numbered. Infact it's an epicly pointless project of categorization showing the unnecessary attempts to categorize one's mind. It shows pictures of dry, fallen and brushed away leaves, with their changing colors which is quite a common sight to see for the idle wanderer. They're all drawn and painted during the residency programme and simply provided a base for another work.

Welcome to Asylum of Art ''video''

Welcome to Asylum of Art 

"journo"

"Journo" is a series of watercolor and inked pictures of journalists brutally murdered or beaten, it indicates scenes carved to the social memory of millions of people. The scenes are not constructed, they are examples of photojournalism recreated; showing the  active subject of journalism -the journalist- obstructed violently or to  prevent him/her to reach his/her resources. Those scenes hardly even make the "news" or "headlines". The pictures inked on newspapers intends to investigate the possibility of bringing the news to safer homes and environments. 

detail

Ethnicity and Culture - Sociology classes @Holavedsgymnasiet

The residents gave a small lecture for the Ethnicity and Culture class about different ethnic groups that live in Turkey and presented a musical selection to further explore their culture. Also a presentation about Refugee Crisis and ethics problem when showing certain images were discussed in the Sociology class.

Digital Propaganda discussion with Max Valentin

An argument about the meaning of Propaganda it's differences with advertisement.
How to verify the data shared on social media ?

am I an artist?

https://vimeo.com/143177338

Today,
i asked some questions about art with Tranås inspiration.

Model: Gozde Robin
Voice: Gokce Sandal
Questions with: Seher Uysal
Video: Eda Emirdağ


Sweden-Tranås 

Views & Pictures

Finally reached Tranas safe and sound, managed to settle down, adapted to the climate, strolled down the city center,  participated in classes, even fell off the bike (twice). Got a few scratches and bruises in various places...  The landscape is picturesque as imagined, seems like the pictures in calendars.

 

5th day is the calm day, a bit isolated and quiet at the studio. Prepared a few sketches about journalism and freedom of speech. Also a made a small watercolor picture  of the "room with a view" to be included in some modest collection of books.  (Not yet finished tho')

 

 

 

In desperate need of some black-white newspaper with lots and lots of writing, not too many photos and pictures to finish some work . (New York times style, with an intellectual appearance) Most of the newspapers here are small sized colored tabloids (as far as i could see). And found no other newspaper in English though asked around for a while. Well, we'll deal with it, when the time comes.

 





Gozde Robin Bio

Currently, she works as a cultural manager and artist, in Toulouse, France and in Istanbul, Turkey. She works for the CRICAO Association as the manager for the European Creative Quarters Project. (www.cricao.org) In addition, She is the founding president of ARTIT Association and its artistic director. (www.theartit.org) Also, she has a position as one of the coordinators for, the International Istanbul Biennial, the International Canakkale Biennial and International Canakkale Children's Biennial.  

In 2009 she obtained a Master’s degree in European Studies in Bogazici University, Istanbul. She continued her studies in Uppsala University, Sweden (2011-2012) with a focus on EU Cultural Policy and European Integration and in the University of Strasbourg, France, with a focus on the contextual Art History of Europe, in order to trace methods of using the Fine Arts as a unifying element and a mechanism of integration. (2012-2013) Currently she is continuing her academical reseach in the University of Toulouse in the Department of Art History.                      

Painting is her passion. She sees it as a bridge between her conscious self and unconscious self. She paints on wood-panels and make sculptures out of tree roots. She likes to use natural tree materials because of their inspiring smell and unique texture and avoids using chemical materials.  She makes her own paints by using natural materials such as onion skin, beetroot, walnut, and tree leaves.

Web: www.gozderobin.com

The First Monday

We have started our first Monday in Tranås with an early morning as we were going to participate in the Ethnicity&Culture and Sociology classes at the local high school. We tried to give a very brief introduction regarding the diverse ethnical, cultural and religious identities in Turkey without being too didactic or boring; so we have shown students various folk songs in different languages spoken in Anatolia, Mesopotamia and Thrace regions. For the Sociology class, Seher gave a thought-provoking talk on the usage of visual art and images in dealing with the refugee situation today.

Later we've been to the library and got to learn about lots of artists who have left marks in and around Tranås. I have also borrowed a cute little book called "Naturens lilla poesibok", which is unsurprisingly full of poems about being tired of the snow and waiting for the spring to come. It is fascinating to see how precious the summer is for people here, I think that is partly why the summer in Sweden is so beautiful.

Oh and yesterday (as I've mentioned before that I have trouble with linear narratives) we have had Max visiting here and we have had some fruitful discussions on how social media is used for spreading news, propaganda etc. as well how safe it is. It was a delightful evening!

news // bianet: Prison, Attack, Threat, etc. against Making News; How Far?

101 websites, 40 Twitter accounts, 178 news have been censored; 21 journalists, 3 media organs, 1 printing house were attacked; arresting media representatives increased sixfold; 28 journalists have been sued, 24 journalists and 9 distributors sent to prison.

by Erol Önceroğlu

http://bianet.org/english/freedom-of-expression/168464-prison-attack-threat-etc-against-making-news-how-far

day 3- 4

Yesterday we started the day having breakfast near the lake at the  early morning. It was amazing and peaceful nature. During the day we worked for today and at the evening we met with Max and talked about propaganda and cats.

Today we had presentations at the high school with students. It was my first experience and I was quiete excited. Me and Gökçe had the first class about ethnicity and culture and we decided to present the music group "Kardeş Türküler" with a introduction about Turkey. It was great deal to explain ethnicity of Turkey by music. I thought we caught their attention and managed it.

After we met with Magnus at the city library and talked about Tranås and its history. It was interesting to learn about artists who passed this city.

research // Is the Museum a Battlefield - Hito Steyerl

https://vimeo.com/76011774

Book // Cultural Activism: Practices, Dilemmas, and Possibilities

https://www.academia.edu/1825532/Cultural_Activism_Practices_Dilemmas_and_Possibilities

Cultural Activism: Practices, Dilemmas, and Possibilities

By begum ozden firat and Aylin Kuryel

This volume addresses contemporary activist practices that aim to interrupt and reorient politics as well as culture. The specific tactics analyzed here are diverse, ranging from culture jamming, sousveillance, media hoaxing, adbusting, subvertising, street art, to hacktivism, billboard liberation, and urban guerilla, to name but a few. Though indebted to the artistic and political movements of the past, this form of activism brings a novel dimension to public protest with its insistence on humor, playfulness, and confusion. This book attempts to grasp both the old and new aspects of contemporary activist practices, as well as their common characteristics and internal varieties. It attempts to open up space for the acknowledgement of the ways in which contemporary capitalism affects all our lives, and for the reflection on possible modes of struggling with it. It focuses on the possibilities that different activist tactics enable, the ways in which those may be innovative or destructive, as well as on their complications and dilemmas.

Turkish:

Küresel Ayaklanmalar Çağında Direniş ve Estetik

Bu derleme, estetik ile siyaset, sanat ile hayat arasındaki sınırları bulanıklaştıran teorik ve pratik çabalara katkıda bulunmayı amaçlıyor. Sanatın profesyonelleşmiş ve özelleştirilmiş bir alana hapsolmasını, yaratıcılığın kültür endüstrileri tarafından tanımlanmasını reddeden tartışmalar açmayı hedefliyor. Sanatın ve estetiğin, devrimci toplumsal dönüşüm tahayyülleriyle arasındaki organik bağı görünür kılmaya çalışıyor. Bu doğrultuda, dada, sürrealizm ve sitüasyonizm gibi radikal avangard hareketlerden 1990’larda başlayan küresel antikapitalist harekete; Filistin’den Tahrir’e; Paris Sinemateki’nden Emek Sineması’na; Tekel Direnişi’nden Gezi Parkı’na ve Özgür Kazova’ya uzanan mücadeleleri odağına alıyor. 1830 ve 1848 devrimleri sonrasında sanatçının ve sanatın toplumsal rolünü, dönemin devrimci kalkışmaları, ayaklanmalar, ütopik sosyalistkomünist akımlar ve Komün olmadan anlayabilir miyiz? Sürrealizmi, o dönemin anarşist ve Troçkist akımlarından ayrı düşünebilir miyiz? Savaş sonrası Berlin Dada’sını, Rosa Luxemburg, Karl Liebknecht ve Spartakusbund’u hesaba katmadan açıklayabilir miyiz? Sitüasyonist Enternasyonal’i, yükselen komünist, anarşist hareketlerden ve 60’ların radikalizminden bağımsız ele alabilir miyiz? Ve nihayet, çağdaş sanattaki “politik dönüş” tartışmalarını, neoliberal küreselleşmeye karşı hareketlerle arasındaki bakışımı görmeden kavrayabilir miyiz?

https://www.academia.edu/13134385/K%C3%BCresel_Ayaklanmalar_%C3%87a%C4%9F%C4%B1nda_Direni%C5%9F_ve_Estetik

news // Call by Academics and Intellectuals for International Solidarity After the Ankara Massacre - Zeynep Gambetti

In the wake of the atrocious bomb attack in Ankara on October 10th that killed over a hundred demonstrators for peace, we, the undersigned academics and scholars, call on the Turkish government to account for these events, and on all governments to reconsider their relations with the Turkish government. 

We believe that serious claims alleging the complicity of state agents in the perpetration of the Ankara massacre must be investigated by independent commissions, preferably under the aegis of the United Nations. All bi- and multi-lateral agreements with Turkey should be made conditional upon demonstrable efforts to end the intimidation, harassment, and murder of those who defend their basic rights. 

We call for international solidarity with the peoples of Turkey who resist authoritarian and illegitimate rule. The deployment of extra-judicial means to subjugate the Kurdish population and silence opposition cannot be condoned or accepted as a political necessity, regardless of the pretext. The demonstration in Ankara was intended to call upon the Turkish government to resume the peace talks with the Kurds that it called off in Spring of 2015. 

We call for the protection of civilian lives, guarantees of freedom of assembly and free and open elections, unhampered by violence or coercion. Achieving substantial peace within Turkey and in the Middle East depends upon a thorough revision of war policies by all governments contracted with the Turkish regime and a genuine commitment to the de-escalation of militarization, including the cancellation of arms deals that support the violent suppression of democracy.

Sign: https://www.change.org/p/international-public-opinion-call-by-academics-for-international-solidarity-after-the-ankara-massacre?recruiter=2886848&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink

Kultivera Photobook