MArchives Collection // Iconographic archives database // 2011 - . . .
MArchives Collection // Iconographic archives database // 2011 - . . .
visual and mixed
media artist //
UZUN INCE BIR YOLDAYIM // I ' M ON A LONG NARROW ROAD
video credits _ Iris Ganz //
This performance is a series of
performances _ new rituals
drafted on my knowledge of ancient rites transmitted by my ancestors.
In the town of Giswil,
in the middle of Switzerland,
at the base of a mountain,
there is a waterfall.
For this performance,
I transmuted this geological stage
into my travelling temple and
its ever-growing foundations.
There, I experimented and executed
my own translations of rituals into new rituals. Each rite reflects a past but evolves within
a new history and symbolism.
As an evolutive piece of my personal mythology, I'm building a sanctuary,
a laboratory for healing rituals,
perhaps a remedy for immortality.
This first rite was the beginning of
the performance, a procession,
a walk towards the next rituals.
First to join the walk was
the artist Murat_Mevlana_Temel.
Transitioning from his performance
and with a bell I gave him [family heirloom]
he shepherded the audience to me.
We then started our walk,
reciting together the poem
Uzun ince bir yoldayım
in Turkish and English while
guiding the audience on the road
to the waterfall, a sanctuary
that became my temple.
Uzun ince bir yoldayım _ I'm on a long narrow road
Âşık Veysel (1984-1973) is one of the most renowned representatives of
the âşık tradition in 20th century Turkiye,
which dates back to the 15th century in Anatolia.
The Âşık is a wandering troubadour, singing poetry of their own composition,
accompanied by the saz, a stringed instrument.
Âşıks became the voice of common people,
expressing their relationship with their land, their loves, inner conflicts, and expectations,
generally depicting all aspects of rural life.
One of the most beloved songs of the entire Turkish folklore canon
is his song Uzun ince bir yoldayım.
In which, Veysel compares the journey of life to a han
[ a long building often using small work areas for various crafts and professions ]
with two doors, a door at each end.
We enter life through one door, travel the length of it, and exit through the far door.
As in all Türkü of this type, Veysel applies the song to himself in the concluding stanza.
It is not an exaggeration to say that most Turks can sing it by heart,
and it has been interpreted by many musicians and singers of all eras.
Def . Türkü [Turkish folk music]
It is a type of song whose lyrics are usually in the form of folk poetry, whose author and composer are unknown.
In folk poetry, written in syllabic meter, usually with a conjunction, the pain, joy, etc,
of the individual or society.
It is a type of rune that is sung with a unique melody.
From Lead to Gold [ Transforming _ Transmuting ]
This next rite was in two parts:
First _
I executed my own version of the ancient rite called Molybdomancy.
I melted lead into a ladle then poured it into a bowl of water.
[ ceramic bowl by artist _Nida Şafak ]
Second _
With family heirlooms used as tools,
I started a make up routine by covering parts of my face with golden leaves on a charcoal based glue.
Then I covered the rest of my visible skin with blue pigment as a preparation for the next rituals.
Divination by molten lead, called molybdomancy,
is an ancient practice predating ancient Egypt, which consisted of dropping drops in water and
making predictions based on the noises, hisses and shapes that molten lead produces in cooling.
In the latin world, lead dedicated to Cronus (Saturn) and the infernal gods, was the “magical metal par excellence”.
Throughout the history of mankind and according to the regions, the lead ritual evolves in different forms and divinatory readings.
More than 5000 years later, these prophetesses, pourers of lead, still practice these rites shamanism in our modern society.
From the latin Aurum, meaning Shining dawn, gold has shaped and destroyed civilisations.
Since ancient times, gold has been endowed with innate value due to qualities including its resistance to corrosion and tarnishing.
Despite the variance in culture, religion, or race, gold has always been attributed to deities
and was conferred specific deities properties as embodied by the metal themselves.
Gold has a significant role in legend, symbolism and folklore.
In mediterranean culture the myths and legends have survived, they have been adapted to the general superstitions of today.
In ancient Greece gold was the metal that was precious to the gods to the extent that they were dressed in gold.
The colour and lustre of gold continues to be associated with the Sun and the sacred masculine.
Mythological and legendary mentions of gold cover are referenced in all ancient literature.
Gold has always been associated with the eternal, the unending, incorruptible and embracing powers of the divine.
The Olive tree [ Planting ]
After the rituals of transforming
comes the ritual of Planting.
To symbolise peace and immortality,
I planted an olive tree on the dry road of a river that connects to the waterfall.
Among rocks, in the mud,
the tree cannot grow
like an individual trans_planted far from its natural and cultural roots,
it tries to adapt to a new environment.
Once the tree planted,
I went to get the amphora,
collected water at the waterfall
then poured it onto the olive tree.
Thereby setting off the next ritual, the water.
Olea prima omnium arborum est - the olive tree is the first of all trees
Roman agricultural writer and theorist columella (4 - C. 70 AD)
The Olive plant is an evergreen tree,
is omnipresent in mythology and lore, particularly in the Mediterranean regions.
The cultivation of wild olive trees first occurred approximatively
6000-8000 years ago but its origins are believed to date from the Oligocene period, about 20 to 40 million years ago.
The olive oil was related to rituals and considered a sacred liquid in Antiquity.
The olive branch has been accepted as a symbol of peace for centuries
since a dove returned to Noah’s ark with an olive branch as a sign of vitality after the Great Flood.
The olive tree has been a source of many legends in history and has taken place in inscriptions and holy books of ancient civilisations.
It grows slowly but has a very long life. The average lifespan of an olive tree is 300-400 years but olive trees are also found at 3000 years old.
For this reason, the name of the olive tree is the “immortal tree” in mythology and botany.
It symbolises peace, purity, strength, longevity and prosperity.