How to Compose? Spatial Dynamics of Collective Action “Somebody is stealing our revolution.”1 The so-called “Arab Spring” has struck a set of reactions and protests all over the world that exemplified in the Western world by the recent “Occupy Together” movement. The credit crunch of 2008 followed by the bank bailouts had crucial impact on the rise of such reactions. The adverse effects of the crisis have been basically compensated by cuts that increased the pressure on the low-income citizens, which in turn, pushed the limits to the extreme. Likewise, in the Northern Europe and Britain, it resulted in eradication of social rights and considerable reduction in the public services. Although it is not easy to capture the diverse demands and claims and their outcomes in different countries, such protests undoubtedly point out to the power of collective actions and their capacity of transformation and social change. The major paradigm that fostered the social change has been shifting. Globalization and Urban Policies Although the urban context and city life has always been a particular interest for artists, it has become a central point for artistic and theoretical research during the last two decades, especially together with the process of re-birth of the cities due to the phenomenon of Globalization.2 The massive global transformations from national to trans-national, analogue to digital, welfare state to neo-liberal conditions that we have been going through, have had an undeniable impact and unfavorable consequences on urban development and public spaces. Two major issues are at stake: urban politics and the representation of multitude in the cities. Actually, it is ironic to talk about neo-liberal urban policies now when this global economic system is going through such a serious crisis. Though this crisis manifested in the economic sphere recently, it has been alarming in social and urban structures for such a long time, exemplified by the protests and rioting of third-generation immigrant youth in Paris suburbs. It has been manifesting as various social illnesses and severe socio-economic divides in many other cities. When we say neo-liberal politics, we are not only talking about the privatization of the major public property like energy supply, telecommunication, transportation or social housing, which is also subject to the process of gentrification, but also, the rules and operations of the free market economy and corporatism that is promoted by urban policies in the development/transformation of the cities. According to these policies, the decision-making mechanisms for the urban development mainly depend on market parameters and consequently, the central city is reserved for commercial concentration, entertainment/tourism and business, which particularly illustrates how cities transform around the culture of consumption. We know that the physical urban “public” spaces are under negotiation, however, when we talk about “public sphere” as a notion of political forum, it needs to be redefined and 1
Andrew Gavin Marshall, “Will Tunisia Transition from Tyranny into Democratic Despotism?” North Africa and the Global Political Awakening, Part 3, Global Research 14 February 2011 http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=23202 2
Saskia Sassen, “The Global City: Strategic Site/New Frontier”, Democracy, Citizenship and the Global City, Ed. by Engin F. Isin; Saskia Sassen, “Whose City is It? Globalization and the Formation of New Claims”, 2nd Johannesburg Bienniale, 1997).
reinvented from a radical perspective. Since the ‘90’s, the conception of the bourgeois public space of Habermas has been revisited and criticized while new concepts such as “civic space” or “post-public” (Simon Sheikh) were coined to understand and define the term “public” or “public space” in the contemporary context. Today, it is not possible for us to talk about a unified and consensualized public sphere, nor a single “public” united under a “general will”. The fragmented public spaces are facilitated by a multitude of publics with different cultural, ethnic, religious and socio-economic backgrounds. Here the question is how to live together and how to organize the urban public spaces to represent the multitude? Social Justice and Spatial Politics Alongside the growing discontent with the existing regimes, governance and ideologies, urban public spaces became a stage for the expression of conflict and unrest. For instance, the recent social movement against corporatism “Occupy Together” reclaims the streets as a project for social justice and spatial equality. Struggles over space are central for any social movement to challenge the status quo. However, we can ask: what is the specific role of spatial dynamics vis-à-vis the progress of such a social movement? In diverse formats, artists have been investigating and ‘testing’ the recent socio-economic and political transformations and their impact on social justice, civil rights and spatial politics. Through their projects, artists research and articulate diverse ways and processes in which the democratic apparatus – freedom of speech, debate, demonstration / protest and political staging – operates. Furthermore, how neo-liberal urban policies accommodate diverse claims by diverse publics on a common ground, how urban public spaces incubate sociality, and specifically, how they allow collective actions become urgent topics for a growing number of artists. Exhibition and Participating Artists Aim: Under the recent global developments related to the growing urban protests, this exhibition aims at bringing artistic practices from the two countries (The Netherlands and Turkey) to point out to the reactions and responds to the liberal democratic apparatus in relation to the politics of space. The exhibition is foreseen as an event rather than purely a spectacle, involving actively diverse publics/audiences, networks, NGO’s, officials from the municipal bodies and activists groups as well as artists, students, academics and the art lovers, who claim and demand social justice and spatial equality. Besides the exhibition, there will be workshops, film programme, lectures and panels to unfold the theme of the exhibition in different formats to appeal and attract diverse audiences. The exhibition will include various media like installation, photography, drawings/paintings and video-works, and participatory methods like workshops & performances and socially engaged collaborative projects to bring out multiple approaches and voices together. As Akbank Art Center is located at one of the most vivid urban centers in Istanbul, the Istiklal Street, we would like to enlarge the audience profile through two performative and interactive projects involving directly the passers-by from the street where an average of 1.500.000 pedestrians are passing daily. Additionally, there will be 2 socially engaged collaborative projects, preferably, with the participation of different NGO/activist platforms, local communities and ethic groups like the Romans and Kurdish origin citizens of specific neighborhoods like the recently evacuated Sulukule, Tarlabasi or Dolapdere.
By juxtaposing the artistic perspectives from two different cultures, we aimed at looking into the changing dynamics of the Dutch and Turkish societies, politics and their urban policies as well as developing long-term relations and networks between diverse platforms, artists and societies. Artists: The selection of artists is in the research phase. It is intended to invite 12 -14 artists from The Netherlands and Turkey to explore and question the spatial dynamics of collective action. Artists like Aernout Mik, Matthijs de Bruijne, Nicoline van Harskamp, Jonas Staal, Wouter Osterholt & Elke Uitentuis, Christoph Schaefer, Oda Projesi, Nejla Osserian, Murat-Fuat Şahinler, Emre Hüner, Cevdet Erek, Nasan Tur, X-urban and Freee are under consideration for this exhibition as their research overlaps with the theme of the exhibition and their methods of working are in line with the aim of the exhibition. Eight artists will be commissioned to produce new works for the project, two of which will be collaborative projects developed through workshops with the local communities, artists, students, activist groups and local authorities. As the practices of Matthijs de Bruijne, the artist collective Wouter Osterholt & Elke Uitentuis and Nejla Osserian are based on working actively with the local communities, two of them will be invited to develop new projects directly engaging with the specific publics. Furthermore, Nasan Tur and Jonas Staal are considered to develop performative and participatory projects that involve the passers-by in the Istiklal Street. Exhibition Venue: As Akbank Art Center has different possibilities in terms of space for workshops and other educational and public activities, all floors including the cafe area will be activated by artistic projects and programmes. Film Programme: A selection of documentary and feature films will be weekly screened, layering the concept of the exhibition by providing an overarching perspective to the crisis of global capitalism. Documentries like “Ekumenopolis” (2011) by Imre Azem, “Forgotten Space”(2010) by Allan Sekula and Noel Birch, and feature films like “Domino Effect”(2011) by Paula van der Oest are under consideration for the film programme. Workshops, Lectures and Panel discussions: There will be workshops, lectures and panel discussions on the topics of urban policies, collective actions and social-spatial justice, which are urgent topics considering the incredible pace of urban development in Istanbul. As it is a burning issue related to daily lives and rhythms of the majority of the population living in Istanbul, these events are planned to function as public forums. Through these activities, it is intended to open up the event in different levels so that various layers of social strata can involve actively. The main goal of the educational activities is to raise consciousness and influence the perception and experience of the publics/audiences on the issues related to public domain, democracy, citizenship and spatial justice from a radical point of view. Hence, they can take a political stand concerning the development plans of their neighborhoods, the city and society at large. In order to create a debate platform that puts across and articulates the conflicts and contrasts between different positions and perspectives, the panels are planned accordingly to bring together official, academic, activist and artistic standpoints. In addition to the artist talks with the participating artists, 2 speakers from the Netherlands, such as Ernst van den Hemel (Philosopher / Activist), Arnold Reijndorp (Urban Historian / Academician) or Merijn Oudenampsen (Political Sociologist) and 2 speakers from Turkey such as Pelin Tan (Urban Sociologist), Deniz Incedayi (Chair of the Chamber of Architects, Istanbul) and Hade Türkmen (Activist) are considered to give lectures, take part in the panels and make workshops with different NGO and activist platforms on the recent urban policies and
reactions to it. Catalogue: An exhibition catalogue will be published as a part of the project. In the catalogue besides the introduction of the conceptual framework and artist projects, there will be commissioned papers from selected thinkers/writers, spatial planners, politicians, activists and academicians. Target Group: Besides the art scene and general public (the passers-by and art lovers), we are aiming to reach and involve the citizens, communities, activists, academicians, students, professionals and organizations that focused on spatial-justice. Project timing: Akbank Art Center has given 15 November – 31 December, 2012 Dutch Counterpart of the Project: We are in the process of meeting with different parties to investigate if this exhibition or a part of it can be adopted and exhibited in the Netherlands (specifically in Amsterdam). On the 29th of November, 2011, we had a meeting with the Stedelijk Bureau Amsterdam (SMBA), the project space of the Stedelijk Museum, and they informed us that they would like to have the exhibition in SMBA in early 2013.