Conceptual Statement:
We are living in a mediated world and strikingly, the whole mediation occurs virtually. This is a complicated phenomenon surrounding us in everything we do regarding our existence. It is totally a new phase for perception of reality, shaped by communication technologies and virtual relationships. We are no more self-standing individuals sharing our thoughts or creating together or gathering for any particular aim. In a sense, our position shifted to be objects of the digital mediation rather than operating as subjects of action. We are walking through a passage made up of flowing images in pursuit of catching them. Along this way, we do not contact or touch each other but we touch to screens. The dilemma is we are both stuck between screens as we are bound to them and also we highly appreciate them. The position of art and the artist transformed inevitably, in these circumstances. The recognition of an artwork or an artist is depending on the visibility of them on the internet. Social media is the most popular way for reaching to virtual art galleries, contacting artists or attraction of artworks. Therefore, the art and design are coming to the fore by communication technologies. We “hashtag” art and design to introduce them.
The installation takes its inspiration from centuries back, Acropolis of Athens, the caryatids of the Ancient Greek art, one of the milestones of art history. A caryatid was a supporting column sculpted in form of human and was also used in later periods like Renaissance and Baroque. Caryatids carried the roof structure, generally the multi-layered top parts of the temples in Hellenistic Period. In the installation, the analogy of caryatids used as the position of art transformed into the supporting of screens by humans today, on top of their heads depicting the appreciation and respect in a temple structure. Differently, the human head of this new technological era, don’t know where to turn their head in midst of flowing information and images. So they are in continuous dilemma of virtual and real and so double-sided/headed. Just as the well-known caryatid porch of temple Erechtheion, the installation is introverted, designating a territory of its own referring to the closed community of virtual existence. The bodies of the caryatids in the project are branched to extend each other. But they cannot connect in real world; they do not reach each other, regardless of how much they afford for it. The branches are climbing to the top, and take their identity only when they cross into each other and turn into a hashtag. In the world of digital mediation, the depth of thoughts or philosophical backgrounds is shortened and hashtagged as short captions. At the top, they cross into each other, the heads are hashtagged and the connectivity exists only via screens and formation of hashtagged heads. The present artist is a double-headed caryatid carrying the screen as a tribute on the top for connecting to the world of mediation with its hashtagged meanings.
The installation takes its inspiration from centuries back, Acropolis of Athens, the caryatids of the Ancient Greek art, one of the milestones of art history. A caryatid was a supporting column sculpted in form of human and was also used in later periods like Renaissance and Baroque. Caryatids carried the roof structure, generally the multi-layered top parts of the temples in Hellenistic Period. In the installation, the analogy of caryatids used as the position of art transformed into the supporting of screens by humans today, on top of their heads depicting the appreciation and respect in a temple structure. Differently, the human head of this new technological era, don’t know where to turn their head in midst of flowing information and images. So they are in continuous dilemma of virtual and real and so double-sided/headed. Just as the well-known caryatid porch of temple Erechtheion, the installation is introverted, designating a territory of its own referring to the closed community of virtual existence. The bodies of the caryatids in the project are branched to extend each other. But they cannot connect in real world; they do not reach each other, regardless of how much they afford for it. The branches are climbing to the top, and take their identity only when they cross into each other and turn into a hashtag. In the world of digital mediation, the depth of thoughts or philosophical backgrounds is shortened and hashtagged as short captions. At the top, they cross into each other, the heads are hashtagged and the connectivity exists only via screens and formation of hashtagged heads. The present artist is a double-headed caryatid carrying the screen as a tribute on the top for connecting to the world of mediation with its hashtagged meanings.
