Migrant Bodies in the Land/City/Seascapes of 2000s Turkish Cinema

In this essay, I explore the land-, sea-, and cityscapes in six films (five Turkish and one Turkish German)—Bliss, The Wound, Rıza, Broken Mussels, The Guest, and Seaburners—and their use of place and non-place. Hamid Naficy’s concept of transitional space and Marc Augé’s notion of non-place, based on Foucault’s concept of heterotopia, will be the basis of the theoretical discussion. I focus on what I see as a major shift in the representation of the migrant experience in the Turkish cinema of the early and late 2000s, a shift from the land- and cityscapes to films whose setting is the seascape. This shift, I argue, corresponds to changes in the phases of migration that flow within and through Turkey, and both government policies and the public perception.

Adoration of the Joint

<p>At many sites across New Zealand, industrial demands and the built environment have taken precedence over considerations for neighbouring natural settings, with a lack of threshold or transitional space between the two often leading to heavy contextual clashes. This is a prominent issue where the Korokoro Recreation Reserve meets the numerous industrial sites at Cornish Street in Lower Hutt, Wellington. The aim of this research is to address these fragile contextual issues with an architectural intervention that acts like a joint on multiple theoretical levels, furthering our understanding of how architecture can contribute to the landscape, establishing a narrative between two conflicting conditions while establishing a transitional threshold between them. Marco Frascari and Kenneth Frampton write on the theory of synecdoche in architecture and the capacity of details as generators, evidencing the skilful joining and consideration of parts, defined as ‘a process of signification’ resulting in synecdochal architecture, in which a part is made to represent the whole and vice versa. When architecture evidences synecdoche, a sensitive viewer can understand an architectural intervention’s underlying meaning and understand architecture as a set of dialogues. Through these means of enabling a greater understanding of architecture, the humble joint provides a didactic role, and through this didactic capability people may come to see and understand the important role that architecture can play in the context of its natural environment.</p>

Adoration of the Joint

<p>At many sites across New Zealand, industrial demands and the built environment have taken precedence over considerations for neighbouring natural settings, with a lack of threshold or transitional space between the two often leading to heavy contextual clashes. This is a prominent issue where the Korokoro Recreation Reserve meets the numerous industrial sites at Cornish Street in Lower Hutt, Wellington. The aim of this research is to address these fragile contextual issues with an architectural intervention that acts like a joint on multiple theoretical levels, furthering our understanding of how architecture can contribute to the landscape, establishing a narrative between two conflicting conditions while establishing a transitional threshold between them. Marco Frascari and Kenneth Frampton write on the theory of synecdoche in architecture and the capacity of details as generators, evidencing the skilful joining and consideration of parts, defined as ‘a process of signification’ resulting in synecdochal architecture, in which a part is made to represent the whole and vice versa. When architecture evidences synecdoche, a sensitive viewer can understand an architectural intervention’s underlying meaning and understand architecture as a set of dialogues. Through these means of enabling a greater understanding of architecture, the humble joint provides a didactic role, and through this didactic capability people may come to see and understand the important role that architecture can play in the context of its natural environment.</p>

The Virgin Mary (Panagia/Theotokos) in Modern Greek Incantations: The Sacred Afflicted

Sacred personae of the officially recognized religious systems often appear in charms in order to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of the ritual. Their appearance is particularly common in Greek narrative charms where they often assume the role of the auxiliary agent who expels the malevolent factor and provides a cure to the afflicted person. In this context, the appearance of Christ, the Virgin Mary, Angels, Archangels, the Apostles, as well as various saints, is also quite frequent. There is, however, a peculiarity in terms of the role that the figure of the Virgin Mary (Panagia, Theotokos) assumes. This holy figure can not only assume the role of an auxiliary sacred agent who provides a cure to the afflicted person, but also the role of the afflicted, seeking healing treatment by another holy figure. Worth mentioning in the last case is that this affliction could have as its source another sacred figure such as the Apostles or even the Angels. In which particular charm-types does the Virgin Mary appear as the afflicted person? Which are the factors leading to the onset of this affliction and which are the symptoms experienced by the holy figure? How is this affliction cured and by whom? How could we, finally, explain this ambiguity of the Virgin Mary (Panagia) who appears to be standing in a liminal and transitional space between the sacred and the secular, divine and human, healer and afflicted? These are some of the questions that this article seeks to examine and answer.

Threshold space for prevention and control of COVID-19 exposed environment

Dwelling as an alternative to cure and isolate confirmed positive or asymptomatic people of COVID-19 becomes an essential place. However, it is necessary to ensure no physical contact between dwelling users since COVID-19 can be transmitted through droplets. Preventing and controlling the transmission is achieved by inserting transitional space between users, activities, or programs. The idea of transitional space is determined from Rumoh Aceh, an adaptive vernacular design that provides a boundary between public and private zones to limit access to strangers. This paper aims to translate space configurations of Rumoh Aceh as local wisdom to break the chain of COVID-19 transmission by making transitional space, a separation between confirmed positive or asymptomatic and healthy people. The data is obtained from the observation of three Rumoh Aceh in Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar. The space configurations are translated into five types of threshold space, promoting social distancing between users, providing cleaning space for personal hygiene, giving atmosphere for self-isolation, having natural ventilation features, and daylight exposure. Then, these types are explored and adapted in a contemporary dwelling design. As a final translation and exploration, this paper provides strategies and design recommendations for a threshold space in a contemporary dwelling design. The strategies and recommendations are explored and adapted in a 60 square meter house plan.

Post Trauma: Memory as a Catalyst

<p><b>In literary fictional readings, underlying allegorical ideas arise for todays architectural landscapes, both literally and figuratively. This design-led research thesis emerges from Andreas Huyssen’s allegorical theories of ruins as factual indicators that records ruins as palimpsests of historical events as an ongoing process (Huyssen, 2010, p. 17). The layering of graphic information is such that the past happenings merge with the present explorations to create a distinct narrative in itself. This represents a provocative and enigmatic allegorical response to the loss of forgotten landscapes in architecture today: Post Trauma. This investigation thus seeks to interrogate architectural ruins scattered at Perano Whaling Station as repositories for collective memory through enacting allegorical interpretations — challenging the conventions of historical fragments through [re]presentational techniques, weaving them into an experiential narrative. This narrative builds upon these forgotten scars as palimpsests — interpreting and [re]interpreting their [re]purpose — rather than removal from existence all together. Huyssen’s theories of enigmatic experiential ruins acts as an allegorical provocateur, the initial point of immersion — an evocative starting point to engage in the [re]presentation of Perano’s context. The PeranoStation, much like all ruins, possesses a liminal characteristic on its remaining spaces. An eerie threshold to a brutal past, aggressively carved into the landscape and its inhabitation.</b></p> <p>These scars act as a literal portal to evocative experiences — an act of trying to understand a traumatised landscape. The need for distinctive architectural elements that can translatethe essence and experiences of this liminal and transitional space, between both sides of a threshold; past and present, presence and absence, living and dissolving.</p> <p>Tim Edensor intrinsically positions ruins as a ‘fragile and ephemeral place’ (DeSilvey and Edensor, 2012, p. 472). Alice Mah also shows in her study ‘Industrial Ruination, Community, and Place’, ruin[ation] may be ‘a lived process’ in which memory is rooted in the experience of decline. “The present has not moved far from the past, and the future is at best uncertain” (DeSilvey and Edensor, 2012, p. 410). This can be understood as a response to the views of architectural ruins as monuments left behind by collapsed destruction and unfulfilled dreams; existing outside therealms of productive structure. The problem this thesis aims to address is not the visual problem of sight, but the visceral problem of drawing — using different mediums to read traces of past happenings. It is through this act of drawing that engagement with Virgil Abloh’s ‘Purist’ and ‘Tourist’ mentalities that this thesis began “Playing with mediums and materials to make an expression” as Abloh notes (HighMuseum, 2020).</p> <p>Including drawing as a medium of speculative inquiry to [re]interpret Perano Whaling Station’s contextual scarring; layering and juxtaposing information built upon the architectural narrative and proposition. This questions drawings role in architectural interrogation and how it can erase preconceived notions. This is motivated by a personal journey of engagement with such erasure, it took moments of critical reflection upon these scars, to try imagine them as mnemonic devices. Triggering a conversation within ourselves — reflecting on these transformations — toggling between the ‘Purist’ and ‘Tourist’ mindsets that Virgil Abloh poses for excavating and expressing modern design to an audience.</p>

Post Trauma: Memory as a Catalyst

<p><b>In literary fictional readings, underlying allegorical ideas arise for todays architectural landscapes, both literally and figuratively. This design-led research thesis emerges from Andreas Huyssen’s allegorical theories of ruins as factual indicators that records ruins as palimpsests of historical events as an ongoing process (Huyssen, 2010, p. 17). The layering of graphic information is such that the past happenings merge with the present explorations to create a distinct narrative in itself. This represents a provocative and enigmatic allegorical response to the loss of forgotten landscapes in architecture today: Post Trauma. This investigation thus seeks to interrogate architectural ruins scattered at Perano Whaling Station as repositories for collective memory through enacting allegorical interpretations — challenging the conventions of historical fragments through [re]presentational techniques, weaving them into an experiential narrative. This narrative builds upon these forgotten scars as palimpsests — interpreting and [re]interpreting their [re]purpose — rather than removal from existence all together. Huyssen’s theories of enigmatic experiential ruins acts as an allegorical provocateur, the initial point of immersion — an evocative starting point to engage in the [re]presentation of Perano’s context. The PeranoStation, much like all ruins, possesses a liminal characteristic on its remaining spaces. An eerie threshold to a brutal past, aggressively carved into the landscape and its inhabitation.</b></p> <p>These scars act as a literal portal to evocative experiences — an act of trying to understand a traumatised landscape. The need for distinctive architectural elements that can translatethe essence and experiences of this liminal and transitional space, between both sides of a threshold; past and present, presence and absence, living and dissolving.</p> <p>Tim Edensor intrinsically positions ruins as a ‘fragile and ephemeral place’ (DeSilvey and Edensor, 2012, p. 472). Alice Mah also shows in her study ‘Industrial Ruination, Community, and Place’, ruin[ation] may be ‘a lived process’ in which memory is rooted in the experience of decline. “The present has not moved far from the past, and the future is at best uncertain” (DeSilvey and Edensor, 2012, p. 410). This can be understood as a response to the views of architectural ruins as monuments left behind by collapsed destruction and unfulfilled dreams; existing outside therealms of productive structure. The problem this thesis aims to address is not the visual problem of sight, but the visceral problem of drawing — using different mediums to read traces of past happenings. It is through this act of drawing that engagement with Virgil Abloh’s ‘Purist’ and ‘Tourist’ mentalities that this thesis began “Playing with mediums and materials to make an expression” as Abloh notes (HighMuseum, 2020).</p> <p>Including drawing as a medium of speculative inquiry to [re]interpret Perano Whaling Station’s contextual scarring; layering and juxtaposing information built upon the architectural narrative and proposition. This questions drawings role in architectural interrogation and how it can erase preconceived notions. This is motivated by a personal journey of engagement with such erasure, it took moments of critical reflection upon these scars, to try imagine them as mnemonic devices. Triggering a conversation within ourselves — reflecting on these transformations — toggling between the ‘Purist’ and ‘Tourist’ mindsets that Virgil Abloh poses for excavating and expressing modern design to an audience.</p>