As a result of the violent response of the police and government to a peaceful protest that began in an Istanbul park two weeks ago, I somehow overlooked posting a more timely link and information about the Sheffield Fringe programme I put together titled Urban Observations: In and around Istanbul. A huge oversight and apologies to the artists involved, especially as a number of the included videos deal with extremely pertinent themes relevant to the current protests: questionable projects of gentrification, diminishing open space in the urban sphere, the authorities' quelling of diversity, local political violence, authoritarian attitudes etc.
Saturday 15th June 12 pm
BLOC PROJECTS
71 Eyre Lane
Sheffield S1 4RB
map
A selection of observations made in and around Istanbul are gathered together to suggest the attitude and energy of the city, and the dynamics between coexisting spaces and communities. All but one artist lives between Istanbul and another locality, their perceptions influenced perhaps by the distancing experience of living elsewhere, and the intimate nature of submerging into a place they bond with on their return. Some of the included videos delve into very precise issues, such as the transformation of particular districts, or the ceremonial planning of the day of Ashura by a distinct group of people, while others take a broader position that concerns the intangibility of comparing here and there. The linking thread is an exploration of urban performance, recital, and gathering to express opinions and beliefs, be those of the artists, the protagonists, or others who remain unnamed.
Selected by November Paynter, Associate Director of Research and Programs at SALT, Istanbul.
BLOC PROJECTS
71 Eyre Lane
Sheffield S1 4RB
map
A selection of observations made in and around Istanbul are gathered together to suggest the attitude and energy of the city, and the dynamics between coexisting spaces and communities. All but one artist lives between Istanbul and another locality, their perceptions influenced perhaps by the distancing experience of living elsewhere, and the intimate nature of submerging into a place they bond with on their return. Some of the included videos delve into very precise issues, such as the transformation of particular districts, or the ceremonial planning of the day of Ashura by a distinct group of people, while others take a broader position that concerns the intangibility of comparing here and there. The linking thread is an exploration of urban performance, recital, and gathering to express opinions and beliefs, be those of the artists, the protagonists, or others who remain unnamed.
Selected by November Paynter, Associate Director of Research and Programs at SALT, Istanbul.
- Ashura | Köken Ergun | Turkey/Germany | 2012 | 22’ | HD
The Battle of Karbala was a military engagement that took place on October 10, 680 in Karbala, between the forces of Yazid I, the Umayyad caliph and Hussein, the grandson of prophet Muhammad. Hussein and his supporters were killed; women and children were taken as prisoners. Central to Shi’a Muslim belief, the martyrdom of Hussein is mourned by an annual commemoration, called Ashura. Artist Köken Ergun worked in close collaboration with the people of Zeynebiye, the Istanbul neighbourhood referring to Hussein’s courageous sister Zeyneb, documenting their preparations for the 2010 Ashura ceremonies. 
- Of dice and men | Didem Pekün | Turkey/ UK | 2013 - ongoing | 15’ | HD
Of dice and men is an exploration of day-to-day chance events taking place in vastly differing geographies, namely in Istanbul and London. The work hints softly at personal and political violence and asks, how do we produce ourselves in the face of conflict? 
- The Great Good Place | Annika Eriksson | Turkey | 2010 | 6’ | HD
The Great Good Place portrays a community of formerly well cared for domesticated cats that have since been abandoned and now live together in a park in Istanbul. The notion of place hinted at in the title refers to the non-defined spaces within a cityscape that temporarily allow for informal living-conditions to exist. 
- Wonderland | Halil Altındere | Turkey | 2013 | 8’25” | HD
Wonderland by Halil Altindere is filmed in several neighbourhoods where buildings are being left to ruin and communities are destroyed to enable new development. Creating a pseudo music-style video Altindere directs a group of young men as they rap about issues of gentrification and enforced relocation of inhabitants. Their concerns are personal, and the aggressive, charged tone heartfelt, as the area in which they live is already being affected. 
- Casting for a Canary Opera | Esra Ersen | Turkey | 2011 | 18’22” | HD
Esra Ersen's film portrays members of a canary lovers society, reciting like actors, speeches extrapolated from a totally different context. This choice relies on the fact that in Turkey many civic initiatives, trade unions, political parties, even the army or terrorist groups, and certainly bureaucrats, when wanting to emphasize their efforts and the importance of their actions, often do so by pointing out that they are not just a simple canary lovers’ society. (Courtesy of Borusan Contemporary Art Collection)
