#researchvisual

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10000 Gestures at Turbine Hall

On the weekend after constantly making, I was just having a look around in the city and came across a very intimate performance show at Turbine Hall in Tate Modern.

The work is called 10000 Gestures and it been performed by different performers for hours. I watched 4, each of them was telling different stories on gender and identities. 

Gestures were extremely exaggerated, it was almost a depiction of gestures. It was easy to snapshot them. I believe the idea of gestures and particular movements for each of them is a great example of the connection between emotions and body.

That's why this little gem visit at Tate was super inspiring for me to think about movement and emotions in my work. 

[omerderdiyok-blog]

On the 23rd of May, Nihan and I presented a seminar on Craftivism. 

Craftivism is about marrying craft and activism. Craft is about the process, material, and form and we’ve mentioned how activism can be applied to these aspects of the craft. 

Also, framed the history of craftivism from the suffrage movement to contemporary practices. At the end of the seminar, we asked our friends if there is any cause they care about? We wanted them to create their own patch and experience how activist though can be declared through crafting. 

[omerderdiyok-blog]

I took this photo last night in my room. 

These are pink tulips that I brought to my room, even though they are not for indoors, to make good wishes for my mom’s little operation on her waist. 

Anyways, at night, with the light coming from the street, I loved the way they look in this setting. They meant to be alive, bright, shiny, colorful but under the dark light, they shine in such a silent and poetic way. They look way more beautiful to me rather than under the daylight. 

This sense of hidden/waiting beauty under the dark setting is such a good metaphor for my work. Great references and dots are connecting together. I need to find a way to clarify it for the summer show. 

It needs to unify.

[omerderdiyok-blog]

Visit: The Asses Strippers, Mike Nelson at Tate Britain

I visited Mike Nelson’s exhibition at Tate Britain which he made sculptures with the objects collected from post-war Britain era. 

It was a really nice example to see how historical objects can be installed/sculptured and distorts, cracks and crashes are the part of the history as well, and they should be exhibited too. 

And object installation depended on their affordances. It was such joy to examine their making process. 

I must say even though the whole “look” was too messy and informative for me, the political and social voice on the base and object-oriented sculpturing was definite familiar points that were connecting to my work.

[omerderdiyok-blog]

Visit: Hidden Variables, Maiko Tsutsumi at m2 Gallery

I visited our tutor Maiko Tsutsumi’s exhibition at m2 Gallery. 

“Hidden Variables” were exhibited on 5 window displays that cover the outside of the m2 communal space. Gallery itself is outside of the building. Also, some extra works were exhibited in the space on private view day only. 

Work itself is very inspiring for me, in terms of the competence of the little objects/object pieces. They are pieces made while the maker intended to do something else. And she sees it as a final work. I think it is a super example of how the process can be work itself, how it can say enough, rather than aiming a “spotlight”. And I think they are very melancholic too. In terms of their colors and “unfinished” shape.

It made me think about having a constant action in the studio and making something out of what time brings. 

[omerderdiyok-blog]

Workshop Day: Kinesthetic Empathy

I joined Abby’s Kinesthetic Empathy Workshop at uni.

We aim to connect with our body create visual through that an discuss it at the end. 

We started with stretching our bodies a little bit and then allowing our bodies to instinctually draw with different kind of music at the background. We continued to try different costumes our on and perform with them and also draw its spatial existence too. 

Understanding my body’s potential to create visuals through movement was the exploration of the day. Further exploring of how this movement can be triggered; from sound to costumes was giving a wider understanding of the subject. I can tell letting my body free and drawing while listening to different moody tracks was the most enjoyable-productive part of the workshop.

I’ve explored Kinesthetic Empathy is the empathy we’ve built with sensing each other’s dynamic body spatial. Especially while we were improvising with costumes, the tension of the body capacities and moves in the space was very strong. It just made me think about the ethics of Kinesthetic Empathy; if there are or should.

Body movement and letting it be a tool to create has a huge influence on my practice. This workshop made me more explore how different sensories (sound, costume, space limits, multiple bodies) can trigger the work itself.

[omerderdiyok-blog]

PART II - Visit: Kader Attia, The Museum of Emotion at Hayward Gallery

These are other images from the exhibition. 

The last one especially, the horns, they were super impressive for me. The work is called “Schizophrenic: Melancholia”.

Text of the work:

Attia elaborates on the relationship between contemporary Western medicine and traditional healing practices, in particular, those that deal with mental illness. Attia’s research in this area - a key subject for artist - took him to Dakar, Senegal, where he witnessed an ancient healing ceremony called “Ndeup”, in which the horns of sacrificial goats and sheep form the centerpiece of a ritual that involves the whole community. According to the Lebu people, by the ceremony’s end these horns would hold all of the bad energy that had been forced out of the afflicted individual during the ritual.

Such inspiration for me. Using an object as a healing method, transiting all bad energy into that. This exactly how i see when I stay with my works by myself. And a boom, work itself is called “Melancholia”. It shouldn’t be a coincidence. It is the language put us together. I also added an exhibition book to my archive. 

I must say it was a great visit for me to rethink about showing social and political aspects of my ideas and exhibition itself is a great example as a work that examines problems of the modern world in terms of emotions and repairing.

[omerderdiyok-blog]

PART I - Visit: Kader Attia, The Museum of Emotion at Hayward Gallery

With Shane’s recommendation, I’ve visited the exhibition The Museum of Emotion at Hayward Gallery. Artist Kader Attia is 41 years old and grew up in Paris and Algeria. Many cultural references can be seen in the exhibition.

It was actually one of my best gallery visits of the year. The way he is putting cultural and political references directly into the work is such a great example for me if I want to use it as a method in my work as well.

Also, works were super mythical, extremely tactile and poetic.

I’ll continue other images in my next post.