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1976 yılında doğmuşum. 1995’te Saint-Benoit Lisesi’nden,1999’da Marmara Üniversitesi Güzel Sanatlar Fakültesi Resim Bölümü’nden mezun oldum. 2000 yılında Güneş Savaş ve Seçil Yersel’le birlikte Oda Projesi’ni başlattık. Sokakta olmak ve aynı zamanda kentin tüm geçici hallerini fotoğraflamak gibi bir ilgim de vardı. 2000 yılından önce çeşitli gönüllülük deneyimlerim oldu: İstanbul Güncel Sanat Projesi’nde Vasıf Kortun’la birlikte ve Körfez depreminden iki hafta sonra bölgede bir-iki ay boyunca haftada iki gün olmak üzere Çocuk çadırında gönüllü çalıştım. Oda Projesi ve çalıştığım ilk iş aynı yılda, aynı anda başladı. 2000 yılında aynı zamanda Yapı Kredi Kültür Sanat Yayıncılık’ta Sanat Dünyamız dergisi editörü olarak çalışmaya başladım. Bir yıl burada çalıştım ve çeviri de yaptım. İki kitap çevirdim ve çeşitli dergilere de metinler çevirdim. Sonraki yıl (2001), Proje4L Güncel Sanat Müzesi’nde, yardımcı yönetici olarak çalıştıktan sonra, Oda Projesi’nin projelerinin yoğunlaşmasıyla birlikte müze’den ayrılmak durumunda kaldım ve çeşitli sergiler ve projelere katıldım. 2004 yılına kadar bu böyle gitti ve Oda Projesi’nin İsveç’te Tensta Konsthall’de yaptığı projeden sonra, para kazanma gerekliliği ve artık Oda Projesi’nin ortaya çıktığı yer olan İstanbul’a yoğunlaşma isteği daha da ağır basmaya başladı ve “hep birlikte çalışacağız ve daha çok İstanbul’da vakit geçireceğiz” kararı alındı. Platform Garanti Güncel Sanat Merkezi ise uzun süre Oda Projesi için karşılıksız olarak bir odasını açtı. Ve mekansızlık durumu projeler temelinde devam etse de, bir çalışma ve buluşma alanına sahip olmuştuk. Platform çatısı altındaki bu "karşılıksız" ve enformel rezidans epey uzun sürdü.
2005 yılında Oda Projesi mekânından ayrılırken, evde serbest çalışıyordum. Daha önceki editörlük ve çevirmenlik deneyimlerimi kullanarak geçici işler yaptım, işler geçici olmak zorundaydı, çünkü Oda Projesi’ne göre vaktimi ayarlamak istiyordum. Fakat düzenli bir gelir isteğiyle, 2006 yılında YemekveKültür dergisinde, editörlük yapmaya başladım. Bu arada farklı çeviri işleri de yapıyordum. Bir yandan da yaptığım işle, Oda Projesi’ni (hayat projesini) örtüştürmeye çalışıp, örneğin “çeviri” kavramı üzerine düşünüyor ve Oda Projesi’nin de aslında müellif değil çevirmen olduğu gibi teoriler geliştiriyordum kendimce. Oda Projesi’yle beraber önceki yıllara oranla daha kısa süreli projeler yapıyorduk diğer yandan. 2007 yılında, Tarih Vakfı’nın üstlendiği bir iş olan, Yapı Endüstri Merkezi’nin 40. yıl kitabının yayına hazırlığını üstlendim, bu da bir yıllık geçici ama düzenli bir işti. 2008’de kitap çıkınca, yine iş aramaya başladım, ama Ekim ayında Oda Projesi’yle beraber gideceğimiz bir buçuk aylık Rezidans programını düşünerek, düzenli bir işe girmekten kaçındım. Üç ayda bir yayınlanan, Türkiye Eğitim Gönüllüleri Vakfı dergisinin editörlüğünü yapmaya başladım. 2008 yaz aylarında çeşitli küçük editörlük ve çevirmenlik işlerinin yanısıra, aslen Güneş’in atölye öğretmeni olarak çalıştığı Atölye Çocukevi’nde, asıl yönetici işe başlayana dek, haftada iki gün geçici olarak çalıştım. Bu arada Ağustos ayında tesadüfen yeniden daha önce çalıştığım YemekveKültür dergisinin editörlüğünü yapmaya başladım. 2008 Ekim ayında ABD’de bir rezidans programına dahil olduk. Fakat hepimiz, çalıştığımız işler nedeniyle 3 aylık rezidans programını 1.5 aya indirmek sorunda kaldık. Oda Projesi’yle ilgili olarak da hem İstanbul’la ilgili planlarımız (yeni bir mekân) hem de iki ayrı ikişer ya da birer aylık 2009 projesi beni biraz düşündürüyordu. Bu sırada, Oda Projesi, Gülsuyu-Gülensu, Maltepe, İstanbul'da, iki yıllık bir proje olan ve Allianz Kulturstiftung desteği ile gerçekleşen Kültürel Aracılar projesinin küratöryel ekibine davet edildi ve buradan "ilk kez" düzenli bir gelir elde etmeye başladı. Tabii 2010'a kadar "düzenli". Ardından, çeşitli kurumlar için yine sanatın içinde kalarak çeşitli kitaplar yaptım, bunlardan biri yine Oda Projesi üyelerinden olan Seçil'le eş-editörlüğünü yaptığım, bir British Council projesi olan My City / Benim Kentim kitabı oldu, diğeri ise Rampa Galeri'nin yayınladığı Vahap Avşar kitabı oldu. Özellikle bu tür kitapların editörlükleri, iyi kötü içinde bulunduğum sanat çevresine hep dışarıdan bakmamı sağlıyor ve bu rol değişiminin hep çok önemli olduğunu düşünüyorum. Bu arada SALT için de dışarıdan, çeşitli editörlük işleri yapıyorum.
2011 yılında Kuzguncuk'ta Simotas Binası'nda, Ayşe Orhon'un aracılığı, Refika Birgül'ün daveti üstüne bir çalışma odamız oldu. Mekânsız geçen uzun zamandan sonra ilk kez bir buluşma alanımız oldu. Evlerimize dağılmış ve bölüştürülmüş olan Oda Projesi arşivi bir araya getirildi ve şimdi 10 yıllık karmaşık bir arşiv üstüne çalışıyoruz. Daha epey çalışmamız gerekecek.
Bundan sonra neler olacağı meçhul şimdilik. Bu böyle de gidebilir ama:
Bundan sonra neler olacağı meçhul şimdilik. Bu böyle de gidebilir ama:
Yeni tür bir ekonomiyi nasıl yaratacağız?
10.01.2010 (Ocak 2012'de güncellendi)
English
I was born in 1976. I graduated from Saint-Benoit High School in 1995 and Marmara University Fine Arts Faculty Painting Department in 1999. In 2000 we started Oda Projesi with Güneş and Seçil. I was interested since a long time to be in the steet and capturing the images of the temporary situations of the city. Before 2000 I also worked volunteerly with Vasıf Kortun for the İstanbul Contemporary Art Project and also after the 1999 Earthquake I was working in a tent for children for 1-2 months two days a week. Oda Projesi and my first money job started in the same year and the same moment. In 2000 I started working as the editor of the Sanat Dunyamız (Art World) magazine in Yapı Kredi Culture and Arts Publications. I worked there for one year and also did translations. I translated two books and translated a number of articles for various magazines. The following year I worked as the Assistant Director in Project 4L Contemporary Arts Museum. But as our projects in Oda Projesi got busier I had to quit the museum and concentrate on our own exhibitions and projects. This continued until 2004 and after Oda Projesi’s project in Tensta Konsthall in Sweden, we finally felt the need to earn some money and decided to focus on projects in Istanbul where Oda Projesi was born and took the following decision “we will work together and spend more time in Istanbul”. Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center opened one of its rooms for us without expecting any price. And although our spaceless situation was still continuing in terms of projects, we got a work and meeting space. This priceless and informal residence under Platform's roof was really long lasting, like maybe 3 years.
When Oda Projesi was moving out of its space in 2005, I was working freelance from home. I used my editing and translating skills that I had gained throughout the years to do temporary jobs. They had to be temporary because I wanted to organize my time around Oda Projesi. But after a while in 2006, with the need for a steady income I started working as the editor of the YemekveKultur (Food and culture) magazine. In the meantime I was also working as a freelance translator. I would always try to relate whatever I was doing at the time to Oda Projesi (or life project). For example I would think about the concept of translation and come up with theories like Oda Projesi was itself not the author but rather the translator. Compared to the early years of Oda Projesi we were doing more short-term projects. In 2007 I organized the publication of Yapi Industrial Center’s 40 Year Anniversary book, which was published by the History Foundation. This was a temporary job for 1 year, yet it was more steady. When the book was published in 2008 I started to search for another job. Yet considering the one and a half month residence program that we were going to do with Oda Projesi I refrained from getting a steady job. I started working as the editor of the Turkiye Education Volunteers Foundation’s magazine that was published every three months. In the summer of 2008, in addition to a few editing and translating jobs I started temping twice a week in the kindergarten where Günes was working, filling in for the new director that was to start. In August I started working again as the editor of the YemekveKultur Magazine. In October 2008 we participated in a residence program in the US. Again, primarily for financial reasons and our jobs at home we had to cut the 3-month residence program to 1.5 months. In regards to Oda Projesi I had two issues in my mind; our plans in Istanbul (a new space) and the two projects of 1 or 2 months that we plan in 2009. Afterwards Oda Projesi was invited as being three of five people in the curatorial team of "Cultural Agencies" project in Gülsuyu-Gülensu, Maltepe, İstanbul, a project with a duration of two years, that is supported by Allianz Kulturstiftung so that we started to have a regular income for the first time in ten years of Oda Projesi life. "Regular" till 2010 of course. Afterwards I worked as an editor for some books, staying again within the art scene. One of these books was the My City, the book of British Council's project of which I was the co-editor with Seçil Yersel, the other Oda Projesi member. And another book for which I did the editorial work was the artist Vahap Avşar's monography published by Rampa Gallery. Especially with this kind of editorial work, I'm able to look to the art scene from outside and I think that this switching of hats is very important. Nowadays I also started to work as an editor for some publications for SALT.
In 2011 we had an office in Kuzguncuk, in the Simotas building with the help of Ayşe Orhon and the invitation of Refika Birgül. After a longtime without a space, it is a unique opportunity for our work. We also gathered together the Oda Projesi archive that was shared and spread around our houses since many years and now we work on a mess of 10 years archive. It will take long time to finish this work.
How to create a new economy?
10.01.2010 (reviewed in January 2012)
English
I was born in 1976. I graduated from Saint-Benoit High School in 1995 and Marmara University Fine Arts Faculty Painting Department in 1999. In 2000 we started Oda Projesi with Güneş and Seçil. I was interested since a long time to be in the steet and capturing the images of the temporary situations of the city. Before 2000 I also worked volunteerly with Vasıf Kortun for the İstanbul Contemporary Art Project and also after the 1999 Earthquake I was working in a tent for children for 1-2 months two days a week. Oda Projesi and my first money job started in the same year and the same moment. In 2000 I started working as the editor of the Sanat Dunyamız (Art World) magazine in Yapı Kredi Culture and Arts Publications. I worked there for one year and also did translations. I translated two books and translated a number of articles for various magazines. The following year I worked as the Assistant Director in Project 4L Contemporary Arts Museum. But as our projects in Oda Projesi got busier I had to quit the museum and concentrate on our own exhibitions and projects. This continued until 2004 and after Oda Projesi’s project in Tensta Konsthall in Sweden, we finally felt the need to earn some money and decided to focus on projects in Istanbul where Oda Projesi was born and took the following decision “we will work together and spend more time in Istanbul”. Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center opened one of its rooms for us without expecting any price. And although our spaceless situation was still continuing in terms of projects, we got a work and meeting space. This priceless and informal residence under Platform's roof was really long lasting, like maybe 3 years.
When Oda Projesi was moving out of its space in 2005, I was working freelance from home. I used my editing and translating skills that I had gained throughout the years to do temporary jobs. They had to be temporary because I wanted to organize my time around Oda Projesi. But after a while in 2006, with the need for a steady income I started working as the editor of the YemekveKultur (Food and culture) magazine. In the meantime I was also working as a freelance translator. I would always try to relate whatever I was doing at the time to Oda Projesi (or life project). For example I would think about the concept of translation and come up with theories like Oda Projesi was itself not the author but rather the translator. Compared to the early years of Oda Projesi we were doing more short-term projects. In 2007 I organized the publication of Yapi Industrial Center’s 40 Year Anniversary book, which was published by the History Foundation. This was a temporary job for 1 year, yet it was more steady. When the book was published in 2008 I started to search for another job. Yet considering the one and a half month residence program that we were going to do with Oda Projesi I refrained from getting a steady job. I started working as the editor of the Turkiye Education Volunteers Foundation’s magazine that was published every three months. In the summer of 2008, in addition to a few editing and translating jobs I started temping twice a week in the kindergarten where Günes was working, filling in for the new director that was to start. In August I started working again as the editor of the YemekveKultur Magazine. In October 2008 we participated in a residence program in the US. Again, primarily for financial reasons and our jobs at home we had to cut the 3-month residence program to 1.5 months. In regards to Oda Projesi I had two issues in my mind; our plans in Istanbul (a new space) and the two projects of 1 or 2 months that we plan in 2009. Afterwards Oda Projesi was invited as being three of five people in the curatorial team of "Cultural Agencies" project in Gülsuyu-Gülensu, Maltepe, İstanbul, a project with a duration of two years, that is supported by Allianz Kulturstiftung so that we started to have a regular income for the first time in ten years of Oda Projesi life. "Regular" till 2010 of course. Afterwards I worked as an editor for some books, staying again within the art scene. One of these books was the My City, the book of British Council's project of which I was the co-editor with Seçil Yersel, the other Oda Projesi member. And another book for which I did the editorial work was the artist Vahap Avşar's monography published by Rampa Gallery. Especially with this kind of editorial work, I'm able to look to the art scene from outside and I think that this switching of hats is very important. Nowadays I also started to work as an editor for some publications for SALT.
In 2011 we had an office in Kuzguncuk, in the Simotas building with the help of Ayşe Orhon and the invitation of Refika Birgül. After a longtime without a space, it is a unique opportunity for our work. We also gathered together the Oda Projesi archive that was shared and spread around our houses since many years and now we work on a mess of 10 years archive. It will take long time to finish this work.
What will happen in the near future is a big question for now. We could continue going, however:
How to create a new economy?
10.01.2010 (reviewed in January 2012)
