The practice of The Hague-based artist and composer Justin Bennett often takes on an explorative character: whether he is relating sounds to various conceptions of space and place, doing field recordings, or navigating between registers of the sonic and the visual. There is seems to be a continuous oscillation between piecing together and taking apart a puzzle, and attempting to map something. This mapping does not necessarily have to correspond to anything concrete; it can be a sensibility…often an urban one. What better city when it comes down to layered sonic and urban experiences, than Istanbul? Justin spent 3 months as artist-in-residence at Platform Garanti (May-August 2007). Out of this residency came the piece “The Well”, which can be experienced at the Dream House part of the Biennial exhibition at Antrepo no.3 . The CD of “The Well” is available from Spore Records (recommended!)
NM: You have spent a few months at Platform Garanti as artist-in-residence: how would you describe the contemporary art scene in Istanbul, and what has been particularly interesting for you as an artist, to spend time in a place like Istanbul?
JB: Firstly I can't claim to be an expert on the Istanbul scene! Although Platform Garanti were very good at introducing me to the art and music world, after a while I realised I had to work like hell to finish what I was working on - so I didn't have much time for research. The contemporary art scene in Istanbul seems to be small but vibrant. The lack of government / city funding means that many artists work with privately funded institutions - galleries, centres like Platform Garanti - like many others, funded by a Turkish bank, and even a huge contemporary museum (Santralistanbul) which is funded privately. On the other hand there exist many alternative, artist-run spaces - Hafriyat and Pist for example which seem to engage more with the local scene and the immediate neighbourhood than the more institutional spaces which maybe aim for a more international orientation. For me Istanbul is a city with an amazing chaotic energy. That, together with of course the great people I met during my stay was reason enough to go. And definitely to return!
NM: What, would you say, is the state of experimental sound art in Istanbul?
JB: Istanbul is full of music. It's almost impossible to find a space without it. I was very impressed with the (experimental) rock scene, and the many venues. Sound "art" though is I think definitely not a "genre" there. I met quite a few artists who have used sound as a major part of some work, for instance Cevdet Erek, Deniz Gül, Koken Ergun, Hazavuzu - but they also use other media. Sound Art seems to be such an artificial pigeonhole, and it means something different in every country anyway! There is a huge amount of cross-over - rock musicians who improvise or have electronic noise acts as "side projects" - musicians who are also visual artists or designers - and in fact most people can't afford just to do one thing! Diversification and improvisation aids survival in a place without funding.
NM: How did the idea for "The Well" come about, and how did you go around realising the project? How is the difference of listening to the CD at home a different experience, than it being a piece "installed" at the Biennial?
JB: The main piece for me is really the CD itself. I like the idea that sound which is really all recorded within a few square kilometers, can lose the connection with the city and spread out with the visitors taking it home with them. When you listen, especially on headphones, you create your own imaginary city. The piece came out of walking the streets and reading (fictional) histories of the city. I became aware of the many layers of history, meaning and truth which are hidden just beneath the surface - in a physical way as well as metaphorically. The Well is an attempt to reveal some of this meaning by delving into the ground, entering tunnels and hidden passageways, tracing stories. In the end, the piece is very personal - not so much about this one city, but more about the listener's journey, the search. There is, I think, a constant movement between passages that seem documentary and those that are obviously constructed or fictional. And (when heard on headphones) a movement between the listener listening as a subject, surrounded by events, or being able to listen with "distance" to the sound as a more abstract, musical structure. Of course there are themes and specific references which I have buried in the layers of sound - they are I think best left for the listeners to discover or invent for themselves. The "listening stations" that I made for the exhibition are there to suggest ways of listening, and to make some extra connections with the city itself (e.g. by listening while looking out of a window at the view). They were made for the "dreamhouse" section of the exhibition which is best experienced at night (see below!)
NM: Finally, what do you think of this 10th Istanbul Biennial (curatorial vision and its execution, organisation, choice of location and presentation)?
JB: I have had only good experiences of Hou Hanru and the complete biennial team. They were incredibly supportive of realising my work and the presentation. Possibly for the visitor the exhibition is difficult to grasp, as it is diffused over many very different locations. A large exhibition like this is always a kind of circus, some work gains power while some works lose it. I was very happy to experience the "Dreamhouse" section (Antrepo) at night when most of the other works were turned off. Suddenly those dreamhouse pieces came to life, having space and quiet around them let one appreciate their slowness and spatiality in a way that wasn't possible in the daytime. Some of the presentations at the IMÇ were not so well realised, but overall I liked the distribution of the works in that environment. After the opening I had two days to try and see everything - impossible of course - but I came away having seen some amazing pieces.
Taggé comme:
istanbulbiennial
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