Istanbul Biennial presents public program

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

(L to R) Bige Örer, the director of the Istanbul Biennial, and curator Fulya Erdemci speak the press conference of the event.

Public Alchemy, the public program of the 13th Istanbul Biennial entitled “Mom, am I barbarian?” will continue on March 22 and 23 at the Istanbul Technical University (ITU) Maçka Campus. Questioning the relation between public speech and private power, the second cluster of events of the 13th Istanbul Biennial Public Program, entitled “Public Address,” asks if it is possible to find and sustain spaces of freedom of expression in the context of a neo-liberalized public domain.

The event, titled “Public Address,” will explore the relation between public speech and private power, the forms of address used by politicians, professors and publishers in addressing citizens, as well as the question of freedom of speech in the public domain.

“Public Address” events will start with an opening speech by the co-curators of the public program, Fulya Erdemci and Dr. Andrea Phillips, on March 22 at 6 p.m.

After poet and art critic Fırat Demir and writer and publisher Burak Fidan’s poetry reading of Ahmet Güntan’s poems, the program will continue with the presentation of writer Eren Erdem. The first day’s program will conclude with a lecture by Darren George Fleet and Pendro Inoue Sardenberg from Adbusters Media Foundation.

The second day of the Public Alchmey program will start with a show titled “Improvisation” by artist and musician Cevdek Erek on March 23 at 2 p.m. Ultra-red member Robert Sember will then discuss Ultra Red’s approach to collectivity, pedagogy and sound-based investigations in relation to the project, “What is the sound of freedom?”

The event will conclude with presentations by writer Dan Hind and writer and online activist Lina Ben Mhenni. The event will be free of charge but a reservation is required.