Cevdet Erek: ÇIN

to repeat oneself

leave a gap
between the doors
shortest distance
between neighboring states
-transit-
high-speed passenger
on an international route

found a place en route
dream a space from afar
dream a relation
leak in and out
build no wall
. . … . … ..
çın çın çıçıçın çın çıçıçın çıçı

pass through the facade
eliminate direct signal
leave behind
hear repercussions
remember
block your ears
tinnnnn
tinnitus
no cure
face history or keep on masking it

çınların içinden geçince
çınlamaların tümü
kulak çınlamasına karışmalı*
. . … . … ..

no pass
away terraces blocked
fenced ruin

series of events
great intensity
most recent jolt
fabricator of tales
distant past
war and death
reset with new jolt
ear pain

arched window
shortest distance
between military landscapes
-transit-
on a vaulted route

a biennial event
marked with a ding
2 years
scaled-down to seconds
. . … . … ..
a sonic timeline
an alarm sound
çın

whatever is square
is a record cover to us
one after another on A side
shoulder to shoulder on B side

pavilion
unreadable logo
a horizontal rectangle
representing a country
a horizontal rectangle
representing its borders
an individual
representing a country
an individual’s voice
growllllllhhhhrrrr
a whisper from afar

zang tumb tumb
drummer in the battlefield scene
a momentary hesitation in her hand
may the war end

(silence) May 5, 2017  

* when passing through the dings, the collective reverberation of them should blend with the tinnitus

ÇIN, a new work by Cevdet Erek, is now on view in the Pavilion of Turkey at the 57th Venice Biennale. Organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), the Pavilion of Turkey is located at Sale d’Armi, Arsenale, one of the main exhibition venues of the Venice Biennale. The installation can be seen until November 26, 2017.

A site-specific installation, ÇIN uses architecture and sound to explore poetic and political imaginings. Over the course of the Biennale it will continue to evolve, its form is never final.

ÇIN project team includes pre-installation project coordinator Yelin Bilgin, architect and a soft tone Gürden Gür, architect and smiling face Elif Tunçel, art historian and sibling Ayşe Erek and visual identity designer Yetkin Başarır.

A leaflet with a new text formed by inserting samples from texts Cevdet Erek has shared throughout the process accompanies the exhibition. A bilingual catalogue will be published during the course of the Venice Biennale 2017, featuring a description of the process of making ÇIN, its documentation and responses to the work. It will be published by İKSV and distributed by Yapı Kredi Publications in Turkey. In addition, a 10-inch record, which features separate samples and mixes of the sound ornamentations, and containing the exhibition leaflet, will also be released.

Cevdet Erek will host Open Table (Tavola Aperta) on Wednesday, May 17 from 1–3pm, offering visitors the chance to meet him over a casual lunch in the Sale d’Armi in the Arsenale. To reserve a place at this official biennale event, please visit the website of the Venice Biennale. The Open Table (Tavola Aperta) events will be filmed and streamed live on the Biennale’s website.