YURTSUZ DÜNYALILARA SINIRDA UMUT KAMPI - Call for a noborder-Camp in DIKILI close to Izmir, Turkey from 3rd - 7th of September 2008

Homeless earthlings' camp at the border

YURTSUZ DÜNYALILARA SINIRDA UMUT KAMPI - Call for a noborder-Camp in DIKILI close to Izmir, Turkey from 3rd - 7th of September 2008.

The holiday and skippers' paradise of the Aegean Sea between Greek islands and the Turkish coast has made a name as a passage since the 1980ies. A lot of people escaped the repression of the Turkish military government during the 1980ies using this passage. As an outer border of the EU - sealing off the fortress Europe against unwanted migration, the area turns into a nightmare for people seeking to enter Europe. There are two main-routes for the people coming from Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan or from Africa, especially from Somalia and Sudan: the route overland crosses the border between Turkey and Greece or Turkey and Bulgaria, the other one is the sea route, the Aegean coast.

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more at http://no-racism.net/article/2510

Meet At Beşiktaş Square, For Hrant, For Justice

http://www.bianet.org/english/kategori/english/108139/meet-at-besiktas-square-for-hrant-for-justice

Suggested Reading List/ Emincan Alemdaroglu

Overcoming Tourism/ Hakim Bey
http://www.t0.or.at/hakimbey/tourism.htm

Interview with Hakim Bey
http://www.hermetic.com/bey/millennium/sermonettes-interview.html

Contemporary Art Works in Ephesus

Ephesus is a touristic archeological site with the ruins of Graeco-Roman city, which was founded in 1000 B.C. The site is inhabited since 6000 B.C.
While searching of contemporary artworks produced in the region, I realized that two very influential women artists, Gulsun Karamustafa and Hale Tenger, produced site-specific works in Ephesus.

Souvenir/ Gulsun Karamustafa
Installation view, Antique city, Ephesus, 1995
"In 1995, Karamustafa installed a work called "SOUVENIR" at the Temple of Hadrianus in Ephesus. Several years before the scientific excavation of this site got under way in the early twentieht century, an Englishman called J. T. Wood took control of the temple himself and in true colonialist style began excavating it a way that had more to with vandalism and plunderin than with archeology. Karamustafa therefore took a photo-engraving of the Turkish laborers engaged by Wood, enlarged it to life size and then cut out the faces of the laborers to leave only head-shaped holes behind. This panel, which by now looked like something one might find at an amusement park, was then set up directly behind the entrance to the temple where tourists visiting the site used it to take snapshots of each other. By turning a historical document into a tourist parody, Karamustafa was able to tease out the parallels between international tourism and colonialism."
(Barbara Heinrich, My Roses My Reveries, YKY, 2007, p. 70 - 71)

Birth vs. Death/ Hale Tenger
Site-specific installation at Ephesus, Selcuk, 1995
"Tenger had touched upon issues regarding life/death and being/nothingness a year ago in "Birth/ Death" (1995) during "The Imagination of History" exhibition held at Ephesus a year ago; and she had again taken a specific point of reference to delve into the more general antinomy of absence/ presence. By accommodating the ancient sites from Ephesus -therefore a past in full view of the viewer -and the inventory of births and deaths in the district based on records she obtained from Selcuk Registration Directorate -therefore the personal history of past civilizations with the birth/ growth/ death stages of human life and therefore again referring to the concept of transience"
(Ahu Antmen, Stranger WIthin, YKY, 2007,p. 80 - 81)

Public Screening Series

There will be series of publc screenings that are curated by our participants, Eduardo Thomas and Blanca de La Torre. We are open to suggestions for more screenings.
Eduardo Thomas' selection includes; "Mexico" - dir. Mike Hoolboom, 2007 (Canada), "I am me" - dir. Kathrin Resetartis , 2006 (Austria), "Film" - dir. Samuel Becket , 1943 (USA), "Fronteriladia" - dir. Jesse Lerner & Rubén Ortiz-Torres, 1995 (Mexico/USA), "Habana Solo" - dir. Juan Carlos Alom, 2000 (Cuba), "How little we know of our neighbors" - dir. Rebecca Baron, 2005 (UK), "And thereafter II" - dir. Lee Hosup, 2006 (Korea), "Zoosónico" - dir. Sal Ricalde, 2002 (Mexico), "Lovely Andrea" - dir. Hito Steyerl, 2007 (Germany)

The Pathologies of the Touristic Experience/ Blanca de La Torre
The Pathologies of the Tourist Experience" aims to come up with a reflection about the reality of tourism and other forms of territory recreational appropriations. It also illustrates the popular rituals that with the progressive increase of tourism now appear to be natural to the contemporary consumer. By examining some of the cultural, ecological and economical problems that have arisen as the byproducts of massive tourism, the show arises questions that are not usually discuss in the artistic sphere but are a current reality to make a space for reflection.
Artists considered: Patricia Esquivias (Venezuela), Avelino Sala (Spain), Manuela Viera Gallo (Chile), Itzíar Barrio (Spain), Daniel Seiple (US), Daniel Zimmerman (Germany), Francesco Jodice (Italy), Angie Eng (US), Jani Ruscica (Finland), Montse Arbelo and Joseba Franco (Spain)

Steve Fagin will screen his film "Cuba" Tropicola( 85min) on the 29th of August and will talk about his work the next day.
www.stevefagin.net

Suggested Readings/ Pelin Tan

http://tanpelin.blogspot.com
www.oppositionalarchitecture.com
www.slowfood.com

Marcus, George E. and Myers, Fred R. The Traffic in Art and Culture.

Kwon, Miwon. One Place After Another, Site-Specific Art and Locational Identity, The MIT Press.

Kester, Grant H. Conversation Pieces/ Community & Communication in Modern Art, University of California Press, 2004.

Gumusluk Akademisi

Gumusluk Academy is the only residency in Bodrum Peninsula and is one of the very few in Turkey. Each bay around the Bodrum peninsula is very different geographically and culturally. It is located in Gumusluk, the ancient city of Myndos. You can visit their website at
www.gumuslukakademisi.org
and find out more about it. They also have some information of Bodrum.
One of its founders is Latife Tekin, an important writer, who has recently been harrassed by the Karabuk mayor for commenting negatively about the energy policy of the government :
http://www.bianet.org/english/kategori/english/108097/latife-tekin-karabuk-mayor-files-complaint-pen-supports

Politics of Visibility/ Poetics of the Political/ Helena Chavez MacGregor

Day 1: Politics of Visibility/ Poetics of the Political

Tuesday, July 29/ 18:30-20:00
Presentation
There is not a single or evident relationship between art and politics because these are not stable and fixed territories. Both are spheres in constant change that allows us to imagine different articulations and crossovers. More than trying to determine what can be labeled as "political art", what seems important is to imagine different articulations and crossovers. More than trying to determine what can be labeled as "political art", what seems important is to search the possible meanings of these territories, and to think in which ways the relationship between politics and art establishes different configurations and possibilities of action and reaction. The relationship that I want to point out , as a way to start digging in, is the aesthetic one between politics and art. the intention is to identify the politics of visibility that established the dominant forms of representation and identification in order to question the role of art practices within this structure of experience. Art practices can work to reinforce the established conditions and to maintain the dominant representations, or can create other rearrangements where other meanings, forms and objects can appear. Maybe, the political strength of art practices lies in the poetic potency of creation that confronts the dominant forms of representation. Perhaps in order to think of "political art", we have to think what each specific practice does to the political. Art is a practice that does not only move within some specific politics. It can also be a political practice when it enables action and mobilization. "How to play between politics and the poetical?" can be a question to think of the relationship between art and politics.

Round Table Discussion with......

Wednesday, July 30/ 18:30-20:30
How do we think about the relationship between art and politics?

It is a fact that a trend in contemporary art is to be "engaged" and related with politics. What does this fashion mean? Is the art world the new place for politics? When we identify politics with the state, does art become the substitution for political experience? Is "Political Art" just a market condition? Is it only a game between politics of representation and representation of politics? What can be gained within the art field for the political struggle? Can art practices change the condition of politics? Is any specific enemy to be defeated? How can art practices be political? How can we negotiate between economic conditions and radical practices? What is to be done?

These questions are only a starting point in trying to define where we stand. There are no simple answers or one single truth to corroborate, only meanings to create. The important thing here is to discuss what we can do, and how to think of it. The suggested texts pretend to ceate a common ground to open up the problematic hunting the relationship between art and politics.

Reading List

Inside and Outside the Art Institution: Self-Valorisation and Montage in Contemporary Art/ Marcelo Exposito

http://transform.eipcp.net/transersal/0407/exposito/en

On the Researcher-Militant/ Colectivo Situaciones

http://transform.eipcp.net/transversal/0406/colectivosituaciones/en

Steps for Fleeing from Work to Action

Can artistic work be militant research? A field report in the project "ExArgentina"/ Alice Creischer/ Andreas Siekmann

http://transform.eipcp.net/transversal/0406/crs/en

Notes Whilst Walking on "How to Break the Heart of Empire"/ John Jordan

http://transform.eipcp.net/transversal/1007/jordan/en

The Geopolitics of Pimping/ Suely Rolnik

http://transform.eipcp.net/transversal/1106/rolnik/en

Liar's Poker, Representation of Politics/ Politics of Representation/ Brian Holmes

http://www.curabodrumresidency.net/docs/blog/Liars_Poker.pdf

Ten Theses on Politics/ Jacques Ranciere, 2000

http://www.curabodrumresidency.net/docs/blog/Ten_Theses_on_Politics.pdf

Literature, Politics, Aesthetics: Approaches to Democratic Disagreement/ interviewed by Solange Guenoun and James H. Kavanagh

http://www.curabodrumresidency.net/docs/blog/literature_politics_aesthetics.pdf

Resistence is Surrender/ Slavij Zizek

http://www.curabodrumresidency.net/docs/blog/Resistance_Is_Surrender.pdf

Jacques Ranciere and the Aesthetics of Equality/ Brian Holmes

1. Gun: Gorunurluk Politikalari/ Siyasi Olanin Siirselligi

Sanat ve politika istikrarli ve duragan alanlar olmadigi  icin, aralarinda belirli ve tek bir iliski yok. Her ikisi de devamli degisen, farkli eklemlenmeler ve gecisliliklere izin veren alanlar. Neyin "siyasi sanat" oldugunu belirlemekten ziyade, asil onemli olan bu alanlarin muhtemel anlamlarini arastirmak, siyaset ile sanat arasindaki iliskinin nasil farkli yapilanmalar ve etki/ tepki ihtimalleri barindirdigina bakmak. Konuyu derinlemesine incelemeye baslarken, benim dikkat cekmek istedigim, sanat ve siyaset arasindaki estetik iliski. Niyetim, hakim temsil ve aidiyet bicimlerini kuran gorunurluk politikalarini tespit etmek ve sanat pratiginin, deneyim icindeki rolunu sorgulamak. Sanat pratikleri varolan durumu dayatmaya devam edip, hakim temsilleri pekistirebilir, ya da yeni anlam, bicim ve objelerin ortaya cikmasini saglayacak yeni onermeler yaratabilir. Belki, sanat pratiklerinin politik gucu, hakim temsillerle yuzlesebilen siirsel bir kuvvet uygulayabilmesidir. Belki de, "siyasi sanat" hakkinda dusunebilmek icin, her ozgul pratigin siyasi olana etkisini dusunmemiz gerekir. Sanat, sadece bazi ozgul siyasetler icinde haraket eden bir pratik degil. Ayni zamanda seferberlik  ve haraketlere olanak tanidiginda siyasi bir pratik de olabilir. Sanat ve politika arasindaki iliskiyi dusunmeye baslamak icin, "Siirsel olanla siyasi olan arasinda nasil oynayacagiz/ gezinecegiz?

Gun 2: Yuvarlak Masa Tartismasi: Sanat ve siyaset arasindaki iliski hakkinda nasil dusunebiliriz?

Guncel sanatta siyaset ile "mesgul olmak" ve ilgilenmek gibi bir egilim ve moda oldugu bir gercek. Bunun moda olmasi ne demek? Sanat dunyasi siyasetin yeni alani mi? Siyaseti devletle ozdeslestrigidigimizde, sanat siyasi deneyimin yerine mi gecer? "Siyasi Sanat" sadece bir piyasa gercegi mi? Bu, temsil politikalari ve siyasetin temsili arasinda bir oyun mu? Sanat alani icinde, siyasi mucadele icin ne gibi kazanimlar olabilir? Sanat pratikleri siyasetin icinde bulundugu durumu degistirebilir mi? Yenilmesi gereken belirli bir dusman var mi? Sanat pratikleri nasil politik olabilir? Ekonomik durum ve radikal pratikler arasinda nasil muzakere edebiliriz? Ne yapilabilir.

Bu sorular, nerede durdugumuzu belirlemek icin sadece bir baslangic noktasi. Basit cevaplar, desteklenecek dogrular degil, uretilecek anlamlar var. Onemli olan, ne yapabilecegimizi tartismak ve yapilabilecekleri dusunmek. Onerilen metinler, sanat ve siyaset arasindaki iliskiyi tartismaya acacak ortak bir zemin olusturur gibi yapiyor.

Suggested Reading List/ Iz Oztat

I came acroos the texts below while researching for the residency:

Urry, John. The Tourist Gaze: Leisure and Travel in Contemporary Societies. London: Newbury Park: Sage Publications, 1990.

Hollein, Max and Ulrich, Matthias. All Inclusive. Tourist World. SNOECK Verlag, Cologne, 2008.

Preface by Max Hollein.

Colex, Alex, editor. Site-Specificity: The Ethnographic Turn. London: Black Dog Publishing, 2004

Interview with James Clifford, An Ethnographer in the Field.

Johnstone, Stephen, editor. The Everyday/ Documents of Contemporary Art. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2008.

Nikos Papastergiadis, extracts from "Everthing that Sorrounds: Art, Politics and Theories of the Everyday", In Everyday. 11 th Biannale of Sydney, 1998

Tan, Pelin. Spatiality, Resistance and the Production of Locality. 10th International Istanbul Biennial, 2007.

Tanyeli, Ugur. Holiday Habits of Turkish Citizens and Architecture.

Mapping the Contemporary Landscape
Below you will find translated summaries of recent newspaper clippings from Radikal Newspaper about Bodrum. Although it is a very subjective collection (very short period and only one newspaper), it gives an idea about the contemporary issues in the region.


“European Shore” Insurgence in Bodrum, 28th April, 2008
In Golturkbuku, where most celebrities choose to go for their vacation, the municipality started executing the “City Planning Project, which has a budget of 2.000.000 YTL. On the side of the beach known as the “Anatolian Side”*, which is mostly used by middle-class tourists, about 30 decks were taken down. The demolitions were stopped when the “European Side”* of the beach was reached, where more expensive hotels are. 100 signitures were collected with a petition protesting the injustice.
*It references the two sides, continents, of Istanbul, which is on both Europe and Asia.

Deprivation Zone Bodrum, May 04th, 2008
In Bodrum, where 100,000 tourists do open-water scuba diving each year, the decompression chamber cannot be operated because a doctor cannot be appointed.

The Ghost Appeared in Habur, Oktay Durukan, May 4th, Radikal Iki, 2008
The article is about 18 refugess, who were caught trying to pass the Aegian sea to arrive at Greece. Once caught, they were brought to a river, Dicle, at the boder of Iraq. They were forced to pass the river by swimming. 4 of them drowned to death.


A decision from the Council of State to save Bodrum, May 31st, 2008
A new article was passed, which gave the authority to confirm the building schemes for Bodrum, to Ministiry of Tourism and Culture. With an appeal to the court by architects, who argued that this would have disastorous results for ecology, the decision was taken back.
With the incentive of “Tourism and Culture Development Program” of the ministry, 30,000 houses have been constructed in the last two years in Bodrum. According to the ministry plan, 70 hectars in Golturkbuku and 368 hectars in Mumcular have been consigned to become golf fields. According to the plan, almost all the areas that have been protected and open to public use until now, was given to private sector for tourism.

Shores in Turkey are under the custody of this mentality, June 17th, 2008
In the Pina Peninsula of Mugla, it was discovered that MNG construction has used the rubble of their construction site to fill the sea . They filled 6500 m2 area. The construction was stopped with promises from the local government to make them remove the fillings. The Tourism Ministry allowed the constuction to continue…

Possibly

This blog is created to support a potential dialogue and exchange that may develop between cura bodrum residency participants. I am starting to post some material I have collected as possible content. If you have any suggestions, questions, curiosities... please add.