Domestic Archeology

Covid-19 Studio Logs / 53rd Day of Isolation in Istanbul (May 4, 2020)

This video first time published on May 5, 2020 as part of "Artists in Quarantine" a project initiated by L'Internationale

A small window in my studio leads onto the rooftop; my only access to the outside world amid a group of tall buildings in one of the busiest areas of the city that has been deserted nowadays. This reminds me of the Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük dwellings that people entered and left by means of ladders leading to the rooftops. I spend my days recovering material remains from the neighboring old building that was being torn down, a demolition was underway before the virus locked us in. Then I meticulously clean and classify my findings, looking for fragments of individual and collective histories. A very modest collection of Marseilles roof tiles with inscribed names allow me to identify the manufacturers, some bricks, concrete, and nails... Compiling a series of photographs that was taken at the dig, Domestic Archeology chronicles my ongoing fieldwork during the days of quarantine. (Excerpt from the announcement text)

Project notes on Domestic Archeology _ Covid-19 Studio Logs;
53rd Day of Isolation in Istanbul (May 4, 2020)
The boundaries between public and private spaces have been shifted to a new dimension. During this period of global isolation, I feel like the internet and social media platforms are solidifying their place and carrying us to the next road.
Everything has turned upside down. We are opening up our private spaces to the public, sharing them with the world. The digital world has become everything to us. Meanwhile, the streets and nature are embracing their true owners. We watch videos on TV and the internet of mountain goats, monkeys, and hyenas invading cities. These are priceless times to reconsider our relationship with the world. Now, we have time for everything. Time for books to be read, and special moments to be cherished with our loved ones...
Is this a dystopia? A utopia? What is this we are experiencing? It's difficult to grasp this voluntary state of seclusion, the virus, the illness, and the possibility of losing our loved ones...
GRASP! I throw myself out of the small window of my attic studio. The only place where I can be outside and safe at the same time, the roof of the building! I live in one of the busiest and noisiest areas of Istanbul. When I climb to the roof, the silence of the street and the neighborhood alienates me from where I am. It feels like a deserted town in Western Europe... strange!

I embark on an exploration on the roof. The demolition crews in the adjacent building left their work unfinished due to the virus. I examine the roof of the building and the materials around it. Bricks, planks, antennas, cables, broken chimneys, tiles, insulation materials are everywhere... Later on, I find roof tiles with French writings on them. This arouses my curiosity even more. I find my workspace for the coming weeks. THE ROOF (DAM) In ancient times, in the Neolithic period, the doors of houses were on the roof, and people socialized on the roofs...
I start to examine, classify, clean, and photograph the building materials on the roof one by one. Here are my first discoveries in front of me. Tiles from the second half of the 19th century from Marseille and Thessaloniki. Probably materials salvaged from the old building that was previously here. Additionally, I find and meticulously examine and photograph construction elements from the late 20th century and early 21st century. Indeed, what did these Marseille and Thessaloniki tiles witness in the past? Maybe one of the craftsmen who made these tiles caught cholera in the 1800s, or lost their life to the Spanish Flu in the 1920s.
In front of me are objects that have experienced 2 world wars and dozens of pandemics...
On the screen next to me, the health minister announces the daily Covid-19 case and death numbers. Then I throw myself from the window to the roof, taking a deep breath.
Osman Bozkurt,
4 May 2020, Istanbul