[spectre] conf. Questioning Alternative Practices, Istanbul

[Pelin Tan]

Questioning Alternative Practices



Project by    : Anton Vidokle ve Pelin Tan
Participants  :  Maria Lind, Martha Rosler, Pelin Tan, Bikvanderpol, 
Anton Vidokle, Haris Pelapaisiotis

23-24 September 2006



23 September Saturday, Platform
4pm  Maria Lind (European Cultural Policies vs. self- organization)



4.30 pm  Martha Rosler (artists run and cooperative galleries/ 
alternative spaces in North America during and after the NEA)



5 pm  Bikvanderpol


5.30 pm Haris Pelapaisiotis group (artists initiatives at the edge of Europe)

6 pm Coffee break

6.30 ’Äì 7.30 Focus Groups/Discussion 


A three part workshop/seminar organized by Pelin Tan and Anton 
Vidokle, questioning viability of artists-run spaces and artist 
collectives as alternative contemporary art practices.



Artists' initiatives have been a crucial force in development of 
public cultural institutions. From Courbet's revolutionary 
artist-curated exhibitions, to more current examples such as artist 
run spaces, centers and collectives, these grass-root initiatives 
have historically offered a critical alternative to official, state 
mandated institutions. It can be argued that these smaller, 
self-organized models are often more effective in contributing to 
cultural development and produce impact disproportionate to their 
scale. However, contemporary factors that influence practices and 
models of artists' initiatives, such as new institutionalism and 
modes of collaboration shaped by governmental cultural policies (EU 
’Äì European cultural capital for example), as well as market-driven 
dynamics in western and non-western cities, are speeding up the 
privatization of public and urban space, and need be carefully 
considered as artists'-run spaces are now frequently instrumentalized 
for goals of urban, institutional and cultural normalization.



This workshop will examine the current state of artists' initiatives 
and discuss potential for new models and structures. The discussions 
will take part in three different cities addressing topics pertinent 
to these specific locations. The first session will take place in 
Istanbul in September 2006, and will focus on several key contextual 
factors: the glamour newly bestowed upon self initiated artistic 
projects in the age of globalism, Turkey's bid to become a member of 
the European Union and the related rapid and large scale 
transformation of Istanbul. The second session will occur in November 
in Berlin, a city which recently undergone a drastic transformation 
and unification, where production of critical visual culture is so 
much driven by artists' initiatives that it maintains more then 
thirty such organizations. The final session will take place in 
January 2007, in Nicosia ’Äì a divided city that is almost entirely 
lacking in such initiatives for which this project aims to present a 
range of possible models for effective alternative cultural 
institutions. A book will be proceed in next year, 2007.

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Alternatif Pratikleri Sorgulamak
Dˆºzenleyenler: Anton Vidokle ve Pelin Tan

Katٱlanlar: Maria Lind, Martha Rosler, Pelin Tan, Bikvanderpol, Anton
Vidokle, Haris Pelapaisiotis
23-24 Eylul 2006







23 Eylˆºl Cumartesi, Platform
15:00 Giri‰ü: Pelin Tan ve Anton Vidokle
16:00 Maria Lind (Avrupa Kultur Politikalarٱ ve Oz-orgutlenme)
16:30 Martha Rosler (NEA [National Endowment for the Arts] Dˆnemi
SonrasŸ±nda Kuzey Amerika'da SanatˆßŸ±larŸ±n Ÿƒ‰ülettiŸüi veya
Katٱldٱٟٱ Alternatif Mekanlar)
17:00 Bikvanderpol (BatŸ± Avrupa'da SanatˆßŸ±larŸ±n ˆñrgˆºtlediŸüi
Mekanlar ve Rotterdam 2001 Avrupa Kˆºltˆºr Ba‰ükenti SorunsalŸ±)
17:30 Haris Pelapaisiotis Grubu (Avrupa'nŸ±n KenarŸ±nda SanatˆßŸ±
Giri‰üimleri)
18:00 Kahve Arasٱ
18:30 - 19:30 OdaklŸ± ˆáalŸ±‰üma ve TartŸ±‰üma




Pelin Tan ve Anton Vidokle, alternatif gˆºncel sanat pratikleri olan, 
sanatˆßŸ±larŸ±n i‰ülettiŸüi mekanlarŸ± ve sanatˆßŸ± kolektiflerini 
sorgulayan, 3 bˆlˆºmden olu‰üan bir atˆlye ˆßalŸ±‰ümasŸ± 
dˆºzenliyor.  SanatˆßŸ± giri‰üimlerinin, kamusal kˆºltˆºr 
kurumlarŸ±nŸ±n geli‰üiminde can alŸ±cŸ± ˆnemi olmu‰ütur. Gustave 
Courbet'nin sergilerinden beri, sanatˆßŸ± mekanlarŸ±, merkezleri ve 
kolektifleri gibi giri‰üimler, tarihsel olarak kurumsal ve devlet 
onaylŸ± kurumlara kar‰üŸ± ele‰ütirel bir alternatif olu‰üturmu‰ütur. 
Bu tˆºr kˆºˆßˆºk ki‰üisel giri‰üim modelleri, boyutlarŸ±nŸ±n ˆßok 
ˆtesinde kˆºltˆºrel geli‰üime katkŸ±da bulunmu‰ü ve etkili 
olmu‰ütur. Bununla birlikte, sanatˆßŸ± giri‰üimi pratikleri ve 
modellerini biˆßimleyen yeni kurumsalla‰üma ve devlet  kˆºltˆºr 
politikalarŸ±nŸ±n etkilediŸüi i‰übirliŸüi tarzlarŸ± (AB-ˆrneŸüin 
Avrupa Kˆºltˆºr Ba‰ükentleri projesi) gibi gˆºncel olgular da gˆz 
ˆnˆºne alŸ±nmalŸ±dŸ±r. BunlarŸ±n yanŸ± sŸ±ra batŸ±lŸ± ve batŸ±lŸ± 
olmayan kentlerdeki piyasa dinamikleri, kamusal ve kentsel 
 alanlarŸ±n hŸ±zla ˆzelle‰ütirilmesi, sanatˆßŸ± mekanlarŸ±nŸ±n 
sŸ±klŸ±kla kentsel, kurumsal ve kˆºltˆºrel normalle‰ütirme yolunda 
araˆßsalla‰ütŸ±rŸ±lmasŸ± da deŸüerlendirilmelidir. Bu atˆlye 
ˆßalŸ±‰ümasŸ±nda, sanatˆßŸ± giri‰üimlerinin gˆºncel durumlarŸ± 
 incelenecek, olasŸ± yeni modelleri ve yapŸ±larŸ± tartŸ±‰üŸ±lacaktŸ±r.

TartŸ±‰ümalar 3 kentte yapŸ±lacak, her oturumda seˆßilen bˆlgeyle 
ilgili ba‰ülŸ±klara deŸüinilecektir. Ÿƒlk toplantŸ± Eylˆºl 2006'da 
Ÿƒstanbul'da gerˆßekle‰ütirilecek ve bazŸ± ana baŸülamsal konular ele 
 alŸ±nacaktŸ±r. Bu kapsamda, kˆºreselle‰üme ˆßaŸüŸ±nda 
sanatˆßŸ±larŸ±n giri‰ütiŸüi projelerin cazibesiyle, Tˆºrkiye'nin 
Avrupa BirliŸüi'ne giri‰ü sˆºrecinde Ÿƒstanbul'un geˆßirdiŸüi ani ve 
geni‰ü kapsamlŸ± deŸüi‰üime deŸüinilecektir. Ÿƒkinci oturum, KasŸ±m 
ayŸ±nda Berlin'de  gerˆßekle‰ütirilecektir. Kent, yakŸ±n geˆßmi‰üte 
esaslŸ± bir deŸüi‰üime ve birle‰ümeye maruz kalmŸ±‰ütŸ±r. Bu ortamda 
gˆrsel kˆºltˆºr ˆºretimi 30'u a‰ükŸ±n sanatˆßŸ± giri‰üiminden 
beslenmi‰ütir. Son oturum ise Ocak 2007'de Lefko‰üe'de 
gerˆßekle‰ütirilecektir. Bˆlˆºnmˆº‰ü bir   kent olarak Lefko‰üe, 
neredeyse bu tˆºr giri‰üimlerden tˆºmˆºyle
yoksundur. Projenin buradaki amacŸ±, alternatif kˆºltˆºr kurumlarŸ± 
iˆßin farklŸ± modeller sunmaktŸ±r.ToplantŸ±larda konu‰üulanlarŸ±n ve 
konu‰ümacŸ±lara ait bilgilerin yer   aldŸ±ŸüŸ± bir kitap, 2007 yŸ±lŸ± 
iˆßinde hazŸ±rlanacaktŸ±r.





















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