Proposal for Istanbul Design Biennale / 2012

SHATTERING THE FRAME

A perfect, four metre square opaque cube hangs towards the center of the exhibition
space. Without any pedestal or any easily visible attachment to floor, wall or ceiling,
it appears to float about 25cm above the gallery floor. A suspended ramp leads
to the only opening at one corner of the cube, through which the observer barely
perceives flickering lights and faint sounds, drawing them inside. Upon entering,
their experience of the piece, and the gallery, is transformed. Outsized, distorted
human figures – in fact the transformed movements and gestures of the gallery
patrons who approach and examine the exterior of the cube – circle the observer,
threatening, challenging and enveloping them in a chaotic blur of movement and
sound. What appeared perfect – invariant, transcendent, timeless, remote, private –
from the outside, upon breaching the physical threshold of the object and breaking the
taboo of distance that separates observer from art-object, becomes chaotic, transient,
proximate, public and audible: the object is only perfect until one touches it.

‘Shattering the frame,’ the proposed installation, is an attempt to explore notions of
perfection / imperfection in the experience of art by challenging traditional modes of
artist / art-object / observer relations. Even today, these relations are often dominated
by relatively inflexible cultural conditions, expectations and taboos, which determine
(among other things) when and how to move through the exhibition space, how to
interact (or not) with the object and the other patrons, and above all the physical
relations of observers to objects and to each other. Under such conditions the ‘perfect’
art-object is framed as timeless yet potentially fragile, encouraging an attitude of
distant reverence.

A city of perpetual human motion, noise and chaos, Istanbul is the antithesis of
such an attitude. It cannot be viewed from a comfortable distance or with remote
reverence; inhabitants and visitors experience an inescapable physical connection
with their immediate environment, literally buffeted by the many frustrating yet life-
giving imperfections of the city. Two central nodes of this physical interrelation
are kinetics and sound. As both in their own ways are ever changing, difficult to
predict and impossible to apprehend, movement and sound run counter to notions of
perfection in traditional Western arts cultures and tend to be de-emphasized.

Reconnecting viewer with viewer through the breached surface of the art-object,
via the ‘imperfect’ nodes of sound and motion, ‘Shattering the frame’ reminds the
observer that art, like the city, can also be kinetic, transient, chaotic, and sometimes
even loud; and that in the milieu of the gallery, just as in the city, s/he is never merely
a viewer, but also an auditor, and above all an actor.

The technical execution of the project is possible with readily available motion
capture and PC based audio-visual processing hardware / software. The interior light
condition of the cube enables a cost-effective yet dramatic video display / audio
solution.

MANR is an Istanbul-based design collective comprised of Turkish and foreign
resident architects and digital artists.

Mirza Vranjakovic + Anil Camci + Neslihan Catak + Reuben de Lautour

Architectural Design Studio III / 2012

Ayazaga Earthquake Education and Research Center

Emre Arolat Architects Scholarship Exhibition @ MSGSU / 2012

Emre Arolat Architects Bursu / 2011

Architectural Design Studio II / 2011

BalatÇarşi

Site is located in Ayvansaray neighborhood just across Old Galata Bridge, on the Golden Horn shore. If we take a look to the neighborhood we will see deficit of cultural activities even though majority is under 25 and eager for cultural space where they could spend their free time. Site is surrounded by city walls (12th century), two churches (Hagia Dimitris and Balino) and has a view on Golden Horn. On the street that passes next our site the bazaar is being held on Tuesday and Friday. It is important to remember that bazaar doesn’t have only economic significance but also social and cultural. As for the urban pattern, it is characterized by narrow streets, organic layout and visual heterogeneity.

Inspiration for project is taken context the site is located in; one is a textile bazaar covers, with their form derived from sun position (with deconstructive appeal) and the second one is narrow streets which generate social life and create shade. Connection between street and sea is not to be broken with building, so the east and west façades are glazed in order to maintain view on the Golden Horn from the sea; north and south façades are from béton brut as a reference to industrial past of the site. Mixed function project is planned to satisfy needs of people living in Balat, so beside souvenir ateliers and art gallery, proposal includes retail space for selling hand-made local goods, educational space for youth, office space for local NGOs, amphi-stairs for open-air cinema, bazaar with canopy garden and restaurant with a view over Golden Horn. As the project is a complex of (quasi) autonomous objects, circulation is thought as a main part of project, with a role of connecting all different functions and again giving a choice to explore unexpected spaces to visitor. With this aim on mind elevated streets are included in project and roofs were given a function of squares, so it could be stated that negative – positive situation on street level is inverted when elevated.

Interior Spatial Organization and Design / 2011

Bodrum Underwater Research Center

Architectural Application Project / 2011