Anastasia Christou

My E-Journal. University of Westminster.

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MAJOR PROJECT 2

BOOK COVER

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MAJOR PROJECT 2- PROJECT SYNOPSIS

 THE OTHER SIDE

This book is a documentation of my experience of the occupied side of my island, Cyprus. On the 20th of July 1974, approximately 40,000 Turkish troops landed on the northern part of the Republic of Cyprus to protect the Turkish-Cypriot population, following a Greek military coup. Bombs were dropped by the Turkish warplanes, bringing fear and panic to the population, as they struggled to evacuate homes, towns, and villages. They fled in terror, not knowing when they would return, leaving everything behind apart from the clothes on their backs. Families were separated; fathers, brothers, husbands were forced to fight. The people of Cyprus lost loved ones, they lost their homes, and businesses; they lost their hope. After forty-six years, many Cypriots still remain scarred from the Turkish Invasion of Cyprus including my family. The island has been divided in two by the ‘Green Line’, a UN buffer zone. To the North are the Turkish Cypriots and to the South the Greek Cypriots. The anger, pain and suffering linger, as Turkey still illegally occupies 37 per-cent of the Cypriot territory. Many attempts at reunification have been made over the years – for 29 years neither side could cross over to the other. In 2003, restrictions were partially lifted. The Cypriot people waited in long queues with their ID cards to cross over the borders. This has remained unchanged since even today, people cross the border to reminisce their old lives. They experience joy and sorrow; seeing former homes open up old wounds, but there is hope that the freedom of movement will be a catalyst to move the peace process forward. Older generations have faith that the newer generations will make the island one again.

 As a Cypriot citizen, I found that with the process of creating this book I have had the opportunity to learn in more depth about the history of my island and my family’s past. By exploring the North Cyprus terrain I have found myself to photograph not only the abandoned, destroyed locations but also the beautiful sceneries that have been taken away from us Greek Cypriots. The beautiful golden sand beaches with crystal clear blue waters, the breathtaking landscapes of mountain peaks and coastlines that meet the sun, but also the beautiful Greek-Orthodox churches that have been completely wrecked by the Turkish military for political and religious reasons, are some of the places that I have explored and photographed while creating of this project. Thus, to gain an even better understanding of what the Cypriot population has experienced during the Turkish Invasion, I have interviewed a former resident of Famagusta who was at that time doing an MA degree in Business administration through an UN-sponsored programme. The information he provided me was more than eye-opening and has made me realise the trauma and suffering that so many people have undergone during that time. Moreover, I have interviewed my grandmother since her and her family were citizens in North Cyprus before the Invasion but with luck, the majority of them had left prior the war had started. The information she gave me was merely about the relationship between Greek and Turkish Cypriots and how they had gone about their lives during that period, as well as her hopes and dreams of returning to her family home, a house that has been illegally inhabited by Turks for the past forty-six years. Therefore, I have decided to combine the two interviews and fictionalise them to portray what Cypriots have experienced during the 1974 Invasion. The fictionalised information I have gathered from the two interviews is quoted and placed accordingly in the book. Also found in the book are my family archives which have been included to show my family connection in this life-changing event.

To conclude, ‘The Other Side’ is a storytelling book that presents my family’s connection to the Turkish Invasion in a fictionalised way. It has allowed me to gain a deeper emotional connection with the northern part of my island and has brought me even closer to the Greek-Cypriot refugees. By exploring North Cyprus I have realized how beautiful it is and it is truly a shame that the island is split into two. This division has gone on for too long, and many younger generations seek to find reunification and perhaps this project is my way of doing so.

[anastasiachristou]

MAJOR PROJECT 2

PROJECT INTRODUCTION TEXT 

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MAJOR PROJECT 2

FINAL BOOK

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MAJOR PROJECT 2

FINAL BOOK 

[anastasiachristou]

MAJOR PROJECT 2

FINAL BOOK

[anastasiachristou]

MAJOR PROJECT 2

FINAL BOOK

[anastasiachristou]

Major Project 2: Gallery/ Exhibition installation

Since I am presenting a book for my MP2 final project, the gallery/exhibition installation will be quite basic. All I need is a plinth and a book stand to place the book on. I want my book to speak for itself without distractions, thus for that reason I am not going to present any work on the wall alongside it.

[anastasiachristou]

Major Project 2: Book choices

Size of the book: A4  (210 × 297 mm)

Paper:  Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 gsm, natural white, double-sided

Hard cover

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Major Project 2

Book Making

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Major Project 2

Book layout ideas.

[anastasiachristou]

MAJOR PROJECT 2

Book layout ideas.

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PHOTOGRAPHY MAJOR PROJECT 2

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PHOTOGRAPHY MAJOR PROJECT 2

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PHOTOGRAPHY MAJOR PROJECT 2

More images from my most recent trip to North Cyprus. 

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PHOTOGRAPHY MAJOR PROJECT 2

Aditional family archives which I will include in my book. 

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MAJOR PROJECT 1: TIME PLAN

WEEKLY TIME PLAN: February – May 2020

  3 Feb – 9 Feb: In the first week of February I will begin working towards my final ideas for my book. I want to visit more bookshops so I can get an idea of what other books are out there, as well as get inspiration for my own. Also by this week, I will have visited a book publisher and have discussed further details about the type of paper I will use, the bounding, cover, lamination, etc.

  10 Feb – 16 Feb: This week I will focus on finding more family archives that I can include in my book. Also, I need to think about what other places I need to visit and photograph in North Cyprus since the following week I will be travelling to Cyprus for my last week of shooting. I also want to do some more essential training on InDesign just to get more familiar with it.

  17 Feb – 23 Feb: This week I want to make my final decisions on what places I want to revisit in Cyprus and prepare all the camera equipment I will need. I am travelling there on the 21st of February and returning on the 3rd of March and during that time I will be working towards photographing my final images, doing more interviews, as well as selecting and editing what will go into the book.

 24 Feb – 01 March: Final week of shooting and editing my images.

 02 March – 08 March: Returning back from Cyprus on Tuesday 3rd of March. This week I will develop, scan and edit my films from the previous shoots. Also, I will work on the introduction of the book and other interviews that I have done throughout my visit.

 09 March – 15 March: I will continue editing my book draft by including any other material from my last visit from North Cyprus. I will be probably going back and forth making sure the sequence and layout are appropriate.

 16 March – 22 March: Make my final decisions about the layout and sequence of the book. Prepare for the following week which I will print the book.

   23 March – 29 March: Start the printing process of the book. I want to do it quite early on just in case there are problems with how things are printed.

  30 March – 05 April: By April I will hopefully get an idea of how I am going to present my book at the Graduate show in June. Get ideas from other artists who have done something similar.

 06 April – 12 April: Create my business cards/postcards ready for the exhibition. Hopefully, by this week the book will be printed so I can see if there are any issues which I can precede.

 13 April – 19 April: Resolve any issues of the book and re-print it. I chose to make 3 copies of the book.

  20 April – 26 April: Prepare everything for the deadline.

 27 April – 03 May: Prepare everything for the deadline.