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Ersan Ocak's Page
Profile Information
- Age
- 39
- Artistic Field or Interest
- Documentary filmmaking, video works as experimental films, installations and performances, Writing essays/articles on visual culture
- Profession
- Filmmaker and video artist, urbanist
- Artistic and professional experiences
- I graduated from City and Regional Planning Department of METU (Middle East Technical University) in1993 and got a master degree on Urban Policy Planning in the same university in 2000. I got my Ph.D. in fine arts institute of Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey, in May 2008. I worked as a research assistant in Political Science and Public Administration Department in METU; as a research assistant in Audio-Visual Research and Production Centre in METU; as an instructor in the Department of Radio, Television and Cinema in Başkent University. Now I am an independent filmmaker and researcher.
Since 1993 I have made experimental videos and documentary films mainly on cities/spaces/bodies/memories/politics. Mostly I have made my art works in a collaborative understanding (as being a part/member of www.korotonomedya.net). I have been making video installations and performances. I have been working also as a social and cultural researcher and wrote down some essays and articles. Parallel to my art works, my essays and articles are on the same issues (cities/spaces/bodies/memories/politics). In the last years, I have concentrated on visual culture and published an article in Radical Philosophy with a colleague (Mahmut Mutman and Ersan Ocak. “Fetal Culture: Ultrasound Imaging and the Formation of the Human Form.” Radical Philosophy, Issue:147 (January/February 2008), pp. 23-32. http://www.radicalphilosophy.com/default.asp?channel_id=2188&ed...
And recently a short essay on my last video-installation project is published in Leonardo journal.
(Ersan Ocak and Şafak Uysal. “Obliterated Bodies: An Installation.” Leonardo, Vol. 41, No.1 (2008), pp. 96-97.)
I am an independent filmmaker and a social/cultural researcher. I am going on to make some films and video works on cities/spaces/bodies/memories/politics… Since the end of 2007, I have been also working as a project coordinator of an EU project, which is supported and financed under “Civil Society Dialogue: Culture in Action Programme.” The issue of the project is “on early and forced marriages ” (For more information you can have a look at http://www.avrupa.info.tr:80/News_Archieve/Jan2008,31jan0802.html?L...) or http://en.ucansupurge.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=vie...
- Statement
- I want to participate to RELOADING IMAGES DAMASCUS 2008 as an independent filmmaker and video-artist who has concentrated on cities / spaces / bodies / memories / politics within cultural studies approach both at global and local political discourses. Hence, the work in progress approach of RELOADING IMAGES and it is openness both to discuss and explore ways of artistic practice in a collaborative way within daily life and political terms (which are not far away from each other, in my perspective) is both challenging and attractive for me.
Taking into account all the questions formulated in RELOADING IMAGES, I want to meet with aritists and develop my ideas and approaches in both social/cultural research and artistic production in a multilayered way of story-telling in an experimental and collaborative way…
- Research interests
- Foreigner’s Eye
Being a foreginer in Damascus (and maybe in his/her own(?) town). Living in the always-reminding, making-you-remember that you are not from there, from them. I am (you are) not a native, inhabitant, citizen of Damascus, but I insist (and suggest you too/2) absolutely NOT to be a tourist. Then, I am (you are) a foreigner, stranger, outsider...
This is an experiment. This is an experiencial experiment. But this is not an attempt of creating a personal diary or an autobiographical arrogance. This will be solely an attempt of finding and following the “common” traces of being a foreigner (as a social type) in Damascus.
Ersan Ocak's Blog
assignment06-watch room
w a t c h r o o m
Watch:
(noun) a small timepiece worn typically on a strap on one's wrist
(verb) look at or observe attentively, typically over a period of time
If I were the co-curator of the Museum of the Occident, I would like to suggest to the artists to design a room of watches (clocks).
The life of the Occident, especially the operation of capirtalism in daily life of people, is based on watching time: Looking at the watches on the wrists (body of the people) and the clocks on the wall… Continue
Watch:
(noun) a small timepiece worn typically on a strap on one's wrist
(verb) look at or observe attentively, typically over a period of time
If I were the co-curator of the Museum of the Occident, I would like to suggest to the artists to design a room of watches (clocks).
The life of the Occident, especially the operation of capirtalism in daily life of people, is based on watching time: Looking at the watches on the wrists (body of the people) and the clocks on the wall… Continue
Posted on August 20, 2008 at 2:36pm — 1 Comment
Research Subject: Foreigner's Eye
Foreigner’s Eye
Being a foreginer in Damascus (and maybe in his/her own(?) town). Living in the always-reminding, making-you-remember that you are not from there, from them. I am (you are) not a native, inhabitant, citizen of Damascus, but I insist (and suggest you too/2) absolutely NOT to be a tourist. Then, I am (you are) a foreigner, stranger, outsider...
This is an experiment. This is an experiencial experiment. But this is not an attempt of creating a personal diary or an autobiographical… Continue
Being a foreginer in Damascus (and maybe in his/her own(?) town). Living in the always-reminding, making-you-remember that you are not from there, from them. I am (you are) not a native, inhabitant, citizen of Damascus, but I insist (and suggest you too/2) absolutely NOT to be a tourist. Then, I am (you are) a foreigner, stranger, outsider...
This is an experiment. This is an experiencial experiment. But this is not an attempt of creating a personal diary or an autobiographical… Continue
Posted on June 22, 2008 at 12:30am — 2 Comments
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if you will be in Bodrum from next week on, as you said, you might run into the Syrian president and his family who are on holiday in Bodrum, too...:-)
I think once you are an outsider and rejected by a community You'll always be a Stranger .. somehow you'll celebrate your Out-side-ness and get dissconnected of the place >>> then you'll become aware but can't do a thing about it !!!! You're already Out of a place ...