A TCF grant to the Arts and Science Council, a Charlotte, NC based organization, underwrote a talk by Refik Anadol about his work ‘Interconnected,’ an art installation that was inaugurated at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport in July. The talk titled “The Poetics of Data: A Conversation with Refik Anadol,” took place on October 29 at University of North Carolina Charlotte Center City.
One of the largest digital public artworks in the world, ‘Interconnected’ is an installation of abstract form color and simulated texture that uses custom-designed software, more than 2,000 square feet of LED media walls and 850 linear feet of programmable LED lights embedded in the concourse façade to transform the hidden troves of airport operations data into a dramatically choreographed panorama of moving lights. The installation is visible both inside and outside the terminal.
Refik Anadol (TCF Cultural Exchange Fellow-2013) is a media artist and director born in Istanbul, Turkey and currently residing in Los Angeles. He is a lecturer and visiting researcher in UCLA’s Department of Design Media Arts. In addition to Charlotte, NC, Anadol’s site-specific audio/visual installations have been seen across the world, including Athens, Beijing, Los Angeles, Montreal, and Sydney.
Dr. Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol (TCF grantee and recipient of the 2012 TCF Fellowship in Turkish Culture and Art) performed "A Gentleman of Istanbul: Symphony for Strings, Percussion, Piano, Oud, Ney & Tenor” based on four scenes out of Evliya Çelebi’s travelogue from 17th century with string orchestra, A FAR CRY. The performance was presented on October 23 at Harvard Memorial Church, Cambridge, MA, USA. On October 30, Dünya presented “AMAN AMAN! The Music of the Turkish & Greek Café” directed by Dr. Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol and Pharos Ensemble. The performance presented Turkish coffeehouse and Greek Kafe Aman repertoires, which include late classical Ottoman/Turkish music, urban folk songs from Turkey, songs representing the Kafe Aman style from mainland Greece as well as early Rembetika songs. The event took place at the Massachussetts Institute of Technology Bartos Theatre in Cambridge, MA, USA.
Poet and playwright Nurduran Duman (TCF Cultural Exchange Fellow-2016) participated in “Turkish-American Poetry Days” in Istanbul. She read her poems on opening night, with American poets Clifford Endres, Lloyd Schwartz, Mel Kenne and Shadab Zeest Hashmi. “Turkish-American Poetry Day” was organised by the Embassy of the United States of America, Çevrimdışı Magazine and Bilsas.
Jazz musician Ferit Odman (TCF Cultural Exchange Fellows - 2012), performed as “Ferit Odman Quartet” at the Legendary Jazz Festival in Antalya, Turkey on October 7.
Composer Hakan Ulus (TCF Cultural Exchange Fellow-2014) performed KarÅshi (2018) Version for female voice and found objects WP with Cansu Yalcin Ulus in Tolstefanz, Germany on October 5. He also performed “Precious Liquid (2017)” for clarinet and string trio at the Kalv Festival in Kalv, Sweden on October 8.
Cellist, composer, improviser, and photographer Anıl Eraslan (TCF Cultural Exchange Fellow-2014) held five concerts with Marie Takahashi, with Ruben Tenenbaum & Thiebault Imm, tba, duo w. Liz Kozack, with Fyodor Stepanov & Eric Wong in October in Berlin, Germany. His concert series continued in Paris, France.
Dr. Özgen Felek (TCF Academic Fellow-2008) presented a paper entitled ''The State of Research in Early-modern Ottoman Manuscripts on Manhood and Masculinity,'' at the "Interdisciplinary and comparative studies on religious, (trans) cultural and gender identities in the Iberian Peninsula and the Medieval and Modern Mediterranean Conference.'' at The Pompeu Fabra University and The Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain on October 18-19.
Feraye Aysel Alver (TCF Cultural Exchange Fellow-2014), a sculptor and a research assistant at Mardin Artuklu University of Fine Arts Faculty Sculpture Department, gave a PAPER PULP/ PAPIER MACHÉ workshop at Nesin Art Village in Selçuk, İzmir, Turkey.
Hazal Gümüş (TCF Academic Fellow-2012) moderated a panel about design and craft relationship “Sallanan Sarkaç: Tasarım Zanaat İlişkisi” at the Good Design İzmir at İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, İzmir, Turkey on October 20.
Oud virtuoso Mehmet Polat (TCF Cultural Exchange Fellow-2016) held three concerts in Utrecht, Haarlem and Deventer, The Netherlands in October. His concert series continued in Gent, Belgium.
Dancer, performer, choreographer and dance pedagogue Lerna Babikyan (TCF grantee and TCF Cultural Exchange Fellow-2011, 2016) held a Creative Dance for Children Training and Family Dance Training in İstanbul, Turkey on October 20 - 21.
Roberley Bell (TCF Cultural Exchange Fellow-2015) held an exhibition entitled "Then again" at the
Anna Kaplan Contemporary in Buffalo, New York. The exhibition will remain open until November 24, 2018.