Young European artists in Turkey for joint project

The project “1’den 9’a Yaratım” (Creation 1 to 9) is a good example of this. Bringing together young artists or young people interested in art from European countries, the projects aims to encourage production of art through collaboration, interaction and mutual inspiration.

The project is organized by four people: Evrensel Ürüm, project manager, voluntary instructor in rhythms and visual arts; Ayşe Dinçer, instructor in social sciences and EU youth programs; Sevgi Ürüm, instructor in visual arts; and Deniz Töleğen, who is a supporting member that will record the project and also volunteer to conduct a film workshop.

“I recall asking my mathematics teacher at high school how the distance between the prime numbers could form a sequence,” says Ürüm telling the story of how the very early inspiration influenced him. “I cannot forget the expression on her face; she used to smile sincerely at such moments. Then you realize that the education you got years ago, the communications or interactions you established years ago threw some seeds into your life

And years later those seeds blossom into achievements. Of course, this is not a mathematics project, but we are involved in numbers, at least as a resource. ‘Creation 1 to 9’ is a project of nine days and it aims to integrate numbers from the first day to the ninth day with the Ottoman music forms [rhythmic structures] and visual arts as well as develop interaction and intercultural dialogue on the basis of the European Union.”

So, the reason why the numbers are involved in the project is related to the idea of creation. “There is a well-known account of creation of the universe,” says Ürüm. “According to the account, God created the world in seven days; we made it simply nine days. But for Persian mathematician and poet Ömer Hayyam one cannot be a number; according to him the quantity system begins with two, and indeed we will start the rhythms with a two-stroke form because there is no one-stroke form. Yet, we will do what zero and one deserve on the first day of the project and tell their story. I’m sure that especially the story of zero will interest European youngsters very much.”

Everybody is an artist

“Being the first youth project of the Worldwide Artists for Peace International Art Action Project [W-AFPIAAP] art initiative with the motto ‘Art for Peace,’ our financial sponsor is the EU and the EU Education and Youth Program Center Presidency,” says Ürüm, also adding the project’s website is www.w-afpiaap.org. “The project is composed of eight participant countries, which include EU members and candidates for membership, eight nongovernmental organizations and young people interested in arts who are between the ages 20 and 30. The project gives importance to interaction and participation through mass education methods and this program of art consists of workshops on musical forms and examples of Ottoman music day by day; interactive film-sequence workshop; creative instant drama; two and three dimensional visual art workshops and a final program of communal painting of ten meters which is going to be realized on the last day.”

The project is not confined to these activities, according to Ürüm’s account. “Apart from these, we will have the Youth in Action program of EU presentations, games of introduction and comprehension through mass education methods and a visit to the İstanbul Museum of the History of Science and Technology,” he says.

“The participating institutions were determined a year ago,” explains Ürüm. “And the young participants whom the institutions would send were determined by the institutions three months ago. In this respect, we requested the institutions to choose young people who were interested in arts, but had limited opportunities.”

“We are planning to realize an exhibition for a day at the amphitheatre shared with the final workshop on the last day,” says Ürüm. “And we will consider the opportunities for a long lasting exhibition in terms of the permanency of the project in the future.”

“Everybody is an artist. … I think Joseph Beuys said that, but other people must also have said it as well,” notes Ürüm, explaining one of the main ideas on which the project is based. “Our project does not have a strict election system and if our project can make people appreciate art, how happy we would be. … That’s the main goal.”

“On April 29 in the afternoon audiences can come to our communal painting final,” says Ürüm making a call to art lovers. “They can see the work and even contribute to the work.”

Ürüm also makes a call to participants to bring materials from their countries. “Collage will be a technique that we will use a lot,” says Ürüm. “So we wanted them to bring materials from their countries with local features and that can be used in the collages. These local features will come together in İstanbul. I also wonder what will come out of this work.”

As for the outcomes of the project, Ürüm believes that it will have extensive results. “I’m sure there will be some influences and interactions,” he says. “For instance, I am applying a method of training that I learned in Kosovo four months ago. I believe that our project will be a source of inspiration ... for the participants in their new projects and professional lives in the future. Besides, we will continue to build on the communication and interaction that we achieve in this project for future projects through the usage of social media.” The project takes place at the Beyoğlu Youth Center until April 30.