Workshop, Istanbul Bilgi University, Spring 2014

Workshop: Vernal Workshops | Tutors: Justin McGuirk + Can Altay

 

 

Description: The workshop aimed to explore the design strategies that can stimulate collective behavior in public spaces, both in everyday life and in situations where people gather in protest. Yenikapı City Park is a so-called “protest area” which is a 700,000-square-metre landfill reclaimed from the Marmara Sea. However, in this featureless desert-like landscape, the protest has been clearly marginalized. It is a void that has no cultural memory, detached from the city where it is impossible to be heard yet along feel like a crowd because of its extraordinary scale. To criticize this current situation, we created a public awareness campaign about Yenikapi. 3. Billur, the third testicle nickname fits an official narrative of Istanbul’s political construction/destruction policy. We created posters, video works, stickers, protest hats, postcards and souvenirs to critically promote the concrete island. After distributing the materials throughout the city, an exhibition was held at Istanbul Bilgi University to share the documentation for further contemplation.