Koloni N /Colony N

ARAS SEDDIGH
In collaboration with
Fateme Frootan & Ali Derya Dostoğlu & Candaş Şişman

The experimental project titled Colony N, carried out by Aras Seddigh with the aim of exploring the genuine language generated in various disciplinary studies besides her individual practice, will take place in two different locations in succession. A part of the project can be visited at the Climate Museum in Gazhane Museum between November 2 – 30, 2022 and the second part will be on view at Galeri Nev İstanbul between November 11 – December 10, 2022.

The installation at the Climate Museum which emerged as a result of the intersection of the production process of Aras Seddigh with Fateme Frootan’s new generation planting project where she applied alternative agricultural methods, establishes a post-modern link between scientific data and art production, acting on the principle of appropriation. In the installation, a soilless and waterless alternative space is created for the saffron bulbs to sprout in a cabinet, which can also be observed by the audience. Architect Ali Derya Dostoğlu developed the cabin design of Seddigh’s experimental project together with the artist who applied the production method in a cabin environment for the first time based on Frootan’s work. The project proposes an alternative cultivation procedure by designing a mobile biotope (cabin) in which the seasonal environmental conditions are fulfilled, thus, wooden racks where saffron bulbs are placed stimulate the soil and isolate them from their natural habitat. In this way, in addition to the considerable reduction in water consumption, a large number of saffron bulbs find an opportunity to bloom in a smaller area in comparison to the soil.

Seddigh’s Renunciation Series, which consists of drawings spread throughout the exhibition space of Galeri Nev İstanbul, explores possible associations between objects such as water tanks, propellers and wheels; images that inspire the artist as well as being frequently used in her production process. Seddigh transforms each image, which she describes as a ‘character change’, by transferring each of the images to the surface alternately with techniques such as pastel, acrylic, watercolour, ink pen, and linoleum printing. Thus, each painting gains a new form by relinquishing the materials and forms seen in the previous painting. As a result, the last image of the display turns into a symbol that marks the end of this process. With this feature, the Renunciation Series resembles the behaviour and life cycle of saffron bulbs in the installation located in the Climate Museum: Saffron bulbs, which are considered as mutant plants, cannot produce fertile seeds with purple flowers after the flowering period. For this reason, in this process that is defined as sterile in terms of reproduction method, each saffron bulb leaves its former form and is reborn, giving birth to itself in a way, and it establishes a partnership with the Renunciation Series in this context.

Candaş Şişman’s sound installation spanning two spaces, on the other hand, relates both to the germination process in the cabin, and the production process of Seddigh’s canvases. The work, which consists of sounds produced by reading and improvising these stages in the form of notation, offers a layered auditory experience by creating a compositional sound pattern that varies according to the movements of the human body and the distance to sound sources.

*Aras Seddigh, The Cabin, 2022, Installation: Plywood, polycarbonate plate, plexiglass, 18 wooden racks, moisturizer, air conditioner, fan, blooming light, sensor, 120x160x226 cm. Cabin Design: Aras Seddigh and Ali Derya Dostoğlu. Method: Fateme Frootan. Application: Aras Seddigh.

Sound installation and improvisations: Candaş Şişman, Improvisations, 2022, three speakers and performance recordings.