2021, MovIng MemorIes, Borusan Contemporary

Artists: Borusan Contemporary Art Collection

We are living in an era during which life in modern cities is getting harder and harder. Yet, the strong bond we have with the cities in which we live is an obstacle for us to conceive any other alternative. Beyond being densely developed urban settlements where industrial and service exchanges take place, the city is a place where senses, idioms, and memories are accumulated layer upon layer, just as depicted by Italo Calvino in his novel Invisible Cities. The typology, morphology, and spatial function within this pluralist phenomenon are defined by its residents’ characters, socio-cultural background, psychology, and geography.

As one can observe the multitude of high-rise buildings erected in Istanbul to address the needs of an ever-growing demography, these structures do indeed offer housing to the city dwellers. However, they also have an adverse effect on the psychology of the people and the ecology of the city. We observe how human beings that are detached from the land and from nature are overcome by a pervasive sense of alienation. This condition, which is definitely far from the fundamental trait of “communal life” embedded in our culture, is to a certain extent alleviated by innovative architectural design formulae that strive to create spaces conducive to communal living. The space we are in now, with its historic fabric sensitively preserved, and during the recent process of its restoration, was given the same priority as a dwelling. It now lays among the multi-storied buildings of the neighborhood. It has become a focal point as a space for communal activities, and by coming together with the works of art in this exhibition, it plays a primary role in the attainment of a holistic discourse.

Moving Memories attempts to draw the attention of the viewer to the similarities and differences between the natural and virtual space in this building, erected in 1846. There is a morphological connection between the architectural geometry of the Fişekhane building and the imagery in the works exhibited that have references to the repetitive rhythms of nature. The structure of the exhibition space, with its repetitive modules on one hand, and the water particles in motion, fanned corals, waves, or mirror surfaces that have come together with sharply cut glaciers on the other, seem to have a great harmony, as if there were a silent entente. The dichotomy that arises in the placement of some of the works is not due to coincidence. The interventionist style of the moving imagery invites the viewer to interact and thus to change course in his or her trajectory.

In collaboration with the Contemporary Istanbul Foundation, a selection from the Borusan Contemporary Art collection is now being featured, a bit away from home, in the Fişekhane art space, one of the foremost heritage buildings in Istanbul. The selection presented to art lovers is entitled Moving Memories. With photographs created with the help of light traces and the deployment of computer technologies, the new media works featured here, on one hand, offer the opportunity for the viewer to witness the effect of technological advancement on art. On the other, they lead the path to reflect on representation and experimentation.

Text by Ayca Okay