Relotion* (2017-2018)

The work consists of video performance, an object, digital drawing (flyer).

With ‘Relotion’*, I question the concept of revolution and progressivism. In the work, I mimic the backtrack act of current and historical social upheavals. Also in the work, with the reproduction techniques through the flyers, I invite the audience to reproduce the work by their selves and to mimic the act with me.

By looking at the current politics of Turkey and the West Eurasian historical facts in the early 20th Century, I rethink and question revolution as a concept and an act.

In my process, I observe the revolutionary acts that happened and/or are happening in the world from the eyes of the "Angel of History", referring to Walter Benjamin’s interpretation** of Paul Klee’s painting Angelus Novus.

I created the work and its concept around and through the concrete. The Concrete material gets its hardest state in 30 days. During the 30 days, the material indurates. On the video performance, I perform 48 hours after the molding process. During the performance, I demolish a concrete block that was molded by me. Thus the material performs and resists to me by indurating.

Also, I reproduce the block and exhibit it as the object nearby the video and the flyers. In this way, I refer to the process of revolution and social "progress" that is stuck in the circle of demolition and reproduction. Also through direct playing with the sense of uniqueness of the object, I create a two-face situation in the exhibition space: On one side I demolish an object that I produced and on the other side I show the same object in solid. Thus emphasis the hypocritical motivation of progressivism.

Who is the maker?

Who is the destructor?

Who needs to be demolished and sacrificed on the way to success?

Since Relotion has quite complex dynamics, I visualized the concept by using vectorial drawings, quotation and poem-like text on the flyer.

*Relotion is a fictional word. The meaning of the word is stuck between the meanings of revolution, solution and relation. Also, it carries one's misunderstanding and alienation to those three concepts.

**W. Benjamin, Theses on the Philosophy of History-section 9

Video:

The Video (demolishment/resistance)

During my video performance, I think about how fast political roles can change. Also, I question if we still talking about the same concept of revolution, moreover, do we still need it?

The video in a loop is black and white, fast-forward and silent. By them as the effect, I refer to the early era of film production. I refer also to the propaganda movies from the same era.

Eventually, the revolution is a suggested act and ideology by specific individuals. To realize it, the suggested act expected to reproduce and mimic by the others. The propaganda tools were used for spreading the acts and ideologies.

Flyer:

Digital print flyers (folded size: A5 opened size: A4)//(please slide the image)

Besides the propaganda films, the fanzines and the distributing leaflets were and are the main practice to spread the word of the ideologies and their needed acts. Thus I use the flyer format to refer to the concept of the work and invite the audience to reproduce the work also produce and destruct their own small revolution.

As I mentioned, on the flyer, there are texts that are referred to the concept of the work. Also, I add instructions and drawings about my production process and how to repeat the work again.

On the cover page, there is a quotation from Walter Benjamin. It is his interpretation of "Angelus Novus" by Paul Klee. There is also a poem-like text by me.

On the inside page, there is a technical drawing of the mold of the object.

On the rear cover, there is an instruction and an explanation about how I did the work and how to reproduce it.

Object:

In the exhibition space, indurating stage and the reproduction times of the object stay unknown. The audience can not know which version of the object they are serving. The information of reproducing time stays hidden. In this way, I create a mystery for the audience. With the mystery, I crush the uniqueness of the object and direct the audience to think about the concept behind the form and the material.

The Object (800-450-150mm, concrete)//(please slide the image)

The work originated in an open workshop* that took place in Berlin and Istanbul as a solidarity demonstration/art-production for Osman Kavala**.

* The open workshop started at Tütün Deposu in İstanbul by artist friends of Anadolu Kültür Executive Board Chair, rights activist and businessperson Osman Kaval, and continued to be organized in Berlin, Germany. Held from February 16 to February 18, the workshop was realized by the Apartment Project (Tansu Pişkin Berlin - BIA News Desk 21 February 2018)

** Osman Kavala is the Anadolu Kültür Executive Board Chair, human rights advocate, and businessperson...He was taken into custody in the evening hours on October 18 at İstanbul Atatürk Airport upon his return from a meeting of a project planned to be realized in cooperation with the Goethe Institute in Antep (Tansu Pişkin Berlin - BIA News Desk 21 February 2018)

Exhibition images of the work. (please slide the image)

The exhibition,

'Careful Unrest' curated by Anna Voswinckel, in the Museum für Fotografie*(Berlin).

In the exhibition, the object was exhibited in a horizontal position because of the security reasons.

* The Museum of Photography (German: Museum für Fotografie) in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin, Germany,[1] is one of the Berlin State Museum administered by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation.

Press Link:

http://photography-now.com/exhibition/136195?fbclid=IwAR0pv4KX4C0GQ_8TA-q- cbAmftC3oj4GPXwN60sQABRVhVtiU6BvCFvO6mc