Sketching the bufferzone
The gallery Polistar in Istanbul ist hosting the first results of a series of workshops held in Istanbul and Nicosia to explore the phenomena of the bufferzone from different multidisciplinary perspectives. Participants from Berlin, Istanbul and Cyprus joined for a journey to experience the different realities and complex cognitive layers of the bufferzone.(May 24th – June 8th)
Following the project, the final productions of the artists will be presented as an exhibition and a publication in October in İstanbul and in 2014 in Berlin.
In the Video you see a performance by Didem Erk. “Abrogation” was performed on different spots in Cyprus and on the roof of the gallery Polistar.
Anna Heidenhein and Frederic Lezmi produced a wonderful book out of photographs and documents. With a certain folding technique the reader explores the contradictions, overlapps, the unknown, inexpressable and surprising from different angles. The process reflects the multiple sides of the bufferzone and the torn history of the island of Cyprus.
Does the bufferzone create meaningful correlastions between the three cities involved? Yes it does! The bufferzone is still an existing reality on the divided island of Cyprus. In Berlin the wall vanished, but its symbolism is still visible in all kinds of iconic items all over the city. In Istanbul, there is no bufferzone. The transformation of the city momentarily is nevertheless part of a wasted try to cover up the clashes of a past, which left scars all over the city in quarters with rottening old minority houses, that are partly demolished now by the muncipiality. The buzzing cultural life is opposing this process with theatre plays, exhibitions, interventions… So Istanbul is the ideal place for workshops about bufferzones.
‘bufferzone, organized in 2013 by Apartman Projesi in collaboration with Uqbar from Berlin and EMAA (European Mediterranean Art Association) from Nicosia, is an experimental workshop and a cultural collaboration project within cultural organizers and artists.