VOID FRACTION → Istanbul
For 10 days in June 2023, the Void Fraction project (an ongoing collaboration between Mari Rose Pritchard and Julie Upmeyer) was invited to Turkey for a residency and exhibition at PASAJist, an independent art space currently resident in Barın Han on the Golden Horn in Istanbul. Our trip is generously supported by Wales Arts International - Celfyddydau Rhyngwladol Cymru
We walked, listened, discussed, created and performed, we touched time and industry. Connecting limestone pathways. Following a material with shared intent. Created something new.
We created and discovered connections between Wales (Britain) and Turkey (Constantinople), through limestone landscapes and culture, overlaps in ancient folk tales and the built world – starting with the connection between Caernarfon Castle in Wales and the Istanbul City Walls.
At the Quarry
We visited the quarries around Cebeci, experiencing an extracted landscape, the formations of lakes, voids, piles and fresh meandering roads.
The city walls
We walked the entirety of the Istanbul land walls, from Kazlicesme to Edernekapi. The walls and gates are in a dazzling array of repair/dis/repair, overlaying additions from the 7th century, with repairs from the 12th, with sections that were rebuilt entirely according to various city plans and aspirations over the last 40 years. We discovered the wonderful world of ‘spolia’ and were inspired by the sharp visual contrast of weathering stone and scaffolding metal.
At Barin Han
Barin Han is the former workshop, studio and office of Emin Barin, a renowned calligrapher and book binder that bridged the transition from Ottoman Turkish and Modern Turkish through exquisite typography and graphic design. The journey from his former workplaces on the ground floor to our studio saw us up at least 6 flights of beautifully designed terrazo stairs.
Void Fraction - Quarrying the VERTICAL
Our performative installations were based on the top-floor project space of Pasaj. Visual and conceptual elements from all our experiences came together to create the works. The performance infiltrated the entirety of the staircase and entranceway of Barin Han.
