Graph Deuxmers

Ankara Trips

2012-01-28T10:23:00.005-10:00

Publisher Trademark (appears on the back of the cards):

Envelope:

A Gecko, Roach and a Spider [LIVING IN WAIMANALO 1]

2011-11-05T11:28:00.002-10:00

the good die young

2011-09-03T14:19:00.009-10:00

will be missed...

Looking Back - Manifest, Aug 13 - Sep 4, 2011

2011-08-01T09:47:00.018-10:00

Tracy was there [click]
(For the record, the show hung until Oct 16, 2011.)

mod 2010

2011-07-08T22:13:00.007-10:00

San Francisco, de Young, Aubrey, Art at SFO

2011-07-02T10:20:00.019-10:00

Chance meeting with Aubrey from Oahu—upcoming fashion with a promising vision.

Cardboard Kore, Michael Stutz

Petanque et St Savin IV, Fran Martin

Mujer Pegada, #4, Manuel Neri

Figure, Isamu Noguchi

Unidentified

Art at SFO Delta terminal, with a bit of narcissism thrown in.

Detail from “Cardboard Kore”

The Good Life in Sonoma

2011-07-02T09:05:00.004-10:00

Visiting Tom & Jaleh (and Ziba, the vineyard dog!) at Rubaiyat Vineyards.

La Règle Du Jeu (Mural by Vane Russo at Crazybox, Edition Waikiki)

2011-04-11T16:45:00.009-10:00

Movements in Still Frames: Kamea Hadar + Stephen Agustin/COTQ + Soul Revival Sound System

2011-02-09T18:45:00.006-10:00

Kamea Hadar show @ Edition Waikiki; Stephen Agustin @ Clones of the Queen EP release party @ Apartment 3; Soul Revival Sound System @ thirtyninehotel.

Shake+Pop—Definitely Happening!

2011-01-16T15:46:00.013-10:00

Stopped by at the Shake+Pop about midnight, the place was shaaakeeeing!

There was not enough room to compose any decent shots and not enough available light, plus I could not stop myself from moving to the music, so I got some awful shots (either too blurry or too noisy). In the spirit of sharing the experience, I salvaged a few shots and added more post processing noise—if you can't lick 'em join 'em! See the partyyyface pics here...

Saaj Lane Rags Till Stitches @ Apartment 3

2011-01-16T15:00:00.005-10:00

At Apartment 3 for an evening of very creative and smart and sexy fashion by Saaj Lane.

Out Of This World - Alt/Air EP Release Party at NextDoor

2011-01-10T20:05:00.021-10:00

Non-Stop Dance Magic...

Down to Earth...

And out of this world...

Aly, Aly, Aly...

There was dancing...

and more dancing...

She sang...

Up until the nuclear blast!

Mike and Christa survived...

Earthlings having dinner at the fallout shelter...

AYO AYO AYO AYOOOOO (shake+pop@thirtyninehotel)

2010-12-23T16:52:00.007-10:00

at thirtyninehotel pushing 6400 iso noise to the sounds of shake & pop. finally get to connect with rob of the multi-talented, hip, cool, beautiful partyyyface gang.

santa?

aerin and emili.

Jaynie & Shakti Dance Movement

2010-10-18T19:32:00.026-10:00

At the Medah Hafla, with Dr. Jaynie Aydin who was visiting from my hometown, İzmir, and with Shakti Dance Movement (as mesmerizing as ever, even when they were sitting down!)

thirtyninehotel 6000th year anniversary

2010-10-18T19:03:00.014-10:00

6000 years in Chinatown...

party inside... party outside...

to the left...

and to the right...

and in the middle...

having fun...

doing magick!

The Art of the Cocktail

2010-09-25T15:40:00.023-10:00

Melissa and Grady at Waikiki Parc.

Miso Eggplant at Nobu.

Single shot (roating lens, rotating wrist!)

Lizard skin pool (!) at the Halekulani.

Christian Self of thirtyninehotel at Lewers Lounge, visiting with Art of the Cocktail lad Simon Ford.

Christian back at thirtyninehotel, with Gelareh; Grady getting drinks.

Boys and Girls.

Upstairs at Fusion.

Pictures at an Exhibition II - Gina Osterloh

2010-09-16T22:15:00.007-10:00

At the Gina Osterloh exhibit at thirtyninehotel: Los Angeles, California to Manila, Philippines: You Are My Blindspot (Part 1).

Grady (rhymes with Party!)

2010-09-12T17:27:00.015-10:00

A "jump-in"... (off the pool, into the picture!)

Instant Fuji prints...

Peace!

Hamburger USA

2010-09-12T15:24:00.019-10:00

From the backside of a letter written to me by my friend Margarett Jolly, who worked with printing presses for quite a number of years. As she states, "... it was a pamphlet for an AFSC 1979 slide/cassette show exposing the insidious nature of the US food system." (Note that the two solid lines running vertically are the folds in the paper).

She does not remember who the artist was, however vividly recalls painstakingly creating the four negatives with colleague Bob Eaton, to reprint it in its four color splendor on their 11x17 A.B. Dick printing press. "Getting the colors right and lining up each of the four colors was quite a feat for a small basement print shop", she remembers.

The presentation is still available. Whenever I see such items I always keep being reminded that there really is nothing new under the sun—sure, the media has changed since 1979, that we have gone from slide shows and cassettes to streaming videos and mp3's, but the message is about the same human condition ("suffering", if you will!). (Not to mention the suffering we inflict on other living creatures.)

Ninjas Killed Her Parents

2010-08-31T17:41:00.011-10:00

Grady with best friend Jeannie, cooling off after his gig at thirtyninehotel (an hour-long, non-stop-dance spin, topped off by Spaghetti Circus!).

knit... stitch... crochet

2010-08-29T11:57:00.006-10:00

This is a drawing a dear friend had done years ago in high school. I recently got in touch with her after many years of no contact, to find out about her current interests. One can see the progression, or rather the preservation of attention to detail in her work over the years.

Art & Flea at Fresh Cafe II

2010-08-29T11:34:00.006-10:00

Aaron McMullen tuning up before his performance (while the giant termite in the attic looks down!).

(I am struggling with displaying vertical pics—they just don't look right in horizontal monitors, especially at this panoramic aspect ratio. Click on the picture for a larger view to at least get some more detail.)

Visiting the Browns — Visuals from Early Days of Learning English

2010-08-13T18:39:00.005-10:00

In the Class-Room

English Boys and Girls

In the Morning

Visiting

Mary's Birthday

Going to Work

(What a beautiful, but dreaded image--really makes you want to hurry up and finish your studies and start work as an adult!)

In the Afternoon

In the Evening

Telling a Story

The illustrations are from "A Direct Method English Course, Book I" by E. V. Gatenby, which is the first of a series of English language books that were used in high school language courses at various schools in Turkey during the 60's (and as early as the 50's and into the 70's from what I can gather).

The visuals, illustrated by a Leslie Haywood, are ingrained in my mind, probably due to the many classroom and homework hours during four years of hazirlik and lise (secondary and high school) at Ankara Koleji. The books seem to have the distinction of being more than just an ordinary textbook, as they have left an impression on many others, for one reason or another.

This post might have been titled "Gatenby", which is how we referred to the books colloquially; and for proper credit, it really should have been titled "Illustrations of Leslie Haywood" even though I doubt anyone had paid attention to the her name at all at that time (I certainly did not).

As I study the pictures now, I admire the innocent, safe and happy world represented in the pictures, whether it is truly reflective of a bygone era, or merely suggestive of an imagined one. I also notice—whether intentional on the illustrator's part, or as an inherent attribute of being English—a style that depicts very "proper manners", again either imagined, or reflective of another period (it may just be me, that I have forgotten the innocence of childhood, or most probably it is the doing of the artist herself Ms. Haywood reflecting herself).

Anyone who has had exposure to the books as a child cannot help remembering "Mr. and Mrs. Brown" as their first introduction to an "English family"; and as an adult, I presume one cannot help thinking about the cultural and social aspects, as well as the appropriateness of the books for the pupils of the young Republic of Turkey of those days. Since the purpose of my post is just to reminisce a childhood influence from a graphical perspective (and pay proper respect to the illustrator Leslie Haywood, whose name I did not know up until now when I started to write this post), I will not delve deep into discussions regarding such characteristics of the Gatenby books, however Elif Şafak's article Grammatical Errors is one good example in that regard. I do see her point from a story-telling perspective, and it may be generalized to be applicable to many Omers of those days, however I would not necessarily blame the books—after all, books are just one of the tools used in the process of teaching within an educational system, and it is the schools and the teachers who are directly responsible for patching the "holes punched here and there". (As a rather amusing coincidence, I am obviously not the Ömer referenced in her article, but one can compare the humble writings of this Ömer to Elif Safak's own eloquent prose to prove the point of her article!)

For reference purposes, the publishing notices for the Gatenby book are as follows:
A Direct Method English Course, by E. V. Gatenby, M. A., Illustrated by Leslie Haywood, Book I;
French-American Bookstore, İstanbul by Arrangements with Longmans, Green and Co., Ltd., London;
Copyright 1949-1964, Derya Yayinevi, İstanbul;
Yeni Savaş Matbaası, İstanbul, 1964;
Longmans, Green and Co. Ltd. 6 & 7 Clifford Street, London W 1.

Reed Space HNL at the Waikiki Parc Hotel

2010-07-31T13:52:00.009-10:00

At the Interisland Terminal / Reed Space / Staple Design pop-up bookstore at the Waikiki Parc Hotel, which was more of an event than just a bookstore—cool (or dope as NY'ers seem to say)!

Other than the show itself, I am amazed at the viral aspects of the event—I never thought New York could create a tsunami in the islands (unless of course, it swept over from Tokyo)!

Art & Flea at Fresh Cafe

2010-07-30T16:48:00.007-10:00

At the Art & Flea event at Fresh Cafe with Grady (finally got a chance to buy a print, a party-at-thirtyninehotel photo, in his classic "shoot from the hip, cut their heads off" style!), Aaron (bought a print which later turned up as the cover of the next Honolulu Weekly), Uvovu+Yeda (what a performance! I love the fact they are doing what they are doing), the Shopping List (a first for me, was already impressed after hearing the first number), Narwhal, Persian Excursion (Rob is wild!), Mike (shooting and mingling, wouldn't be a party without him), Aly (controlling the crowds with her smile and her clipboard!), Nicole (already organizing the next event), Alyssa (just hanging out, being beautiful with her friend Kori), Bootie (lounging around with her mom Tiffany and her buddy Christa), Shelly (being her always charming and cheerful self) and Melissa (as hip, creative and personable as can be), and many more faces that I cannot remember or list here...

Even though I hardly know these people (other than seeing some of them here and there around town), I do mention them on a first-name basis since I felt like I was among friends—the venue, the energy and the attitude was just right—young, hip and real, which I suppose defines a good party anyway you look at it.

Paraşüt Kulesi / Parachute Tower

2010-07-10T12:30:00.007-10:00

I have always had fond memories of our family visits to the Izmir International Fair as a child. The most vivid memory that I have is of the Parachute Tower, which stood in the middle of a circular plaza, surrounded by stands of perfume vendors.

There were many other attractions within the fairgrounds, both for children and adults alike, and I also remember the pavilions of exotic foreign countries with all the the promotional items that they gave away, and the open-air, white-tablecloth restaurants under the palm trees, the balloon vendors, and the ice-cream (Sütsan!) sellers... But none impressed me as much as the the parachute tower surrounded by the perfume sellers! Obviously for a child of ten the tower itself would be impressive, not only because it was really tall, but people actually jumped from its great heights and landed safely; and the perfume memory is probably related to the purchase or sampling of some cologne (kolonya in Turkish) by my parents, maybe the smells, or maybe the visual display of rows and rows of multi-colored glass bottles in all shapes and sizes.

For the last 40 years I was dying to go back to take another look; the nostalgic longing never left me all these years even though everyone in Izmir always mentioned that the fuar (as it is commonly referred to in Izmir) was not what it used to be. Even though I visited Izmir many many times over the years, I never could make it to the fuar for one reason or another.

So, finally in 2009 my wishes came true: The parachute tower was still there and was operational, however the the perfume sellers were all gone, replaced mostly by food vendors and exhibitors, of which I found the pişmaniye makers the most interesting (and got to taste some after many years).

The picture of me taking pictures of the tower, were taken by my niece, Ebru Atay.

Honolulu Magazine Photo Contest, 2009

2010-06-20T11:29:00.023-10:00

DREAMLAND
First Honorable Mention.
“Kids fall asleep at an adult party—surrounded by an adult life, symbols and icons that influence their dreams. I increased the contrast and added some noise to emphasize a dreamlike state. The picture can be viewed horizontally from the kids' perspective and vertically from the adults' perspective.”

I had submitted the photos for the 2009 contest from the airport lounge, as a last minute change of mind before we boarded the plane for a month-long vacation to Izmir. I had earlier decided that I was not going to enter at all, because I did not want the same look and feel of the prior two contests, of Chinatown crowds, art, dancers and such, and for some reason I also wanted to break away from the panoramic (1:2.4 aspect ratio) that I was shooting with for the last five years—I wanted something different, I was bored... (I bought myself a LEICA D-LUX 4 right around that time...)

Also that year, I had met Mike Keany, senior writer of the Honolulu Magazine at the Honolulu Pecha Kucha event where I was presenting. He mentioned that "they liked my photos at the Honolulu Magazine". Coming from the staff of the magazine, these words had made my day—I did not need another prize!

I had two photos that I really liked, which I had shot that year at the IONA event, Atlantika (you can see them here and here). But I held them back from the competition for the reasons stated above (and one can probably call it fear of success, which is too deep to go into here).

Another big influence at around the same time period was Peter Shaindlin, CEO of the Halekulani Corporation, the sponsor of the contest. After winning the contest three times, in 2005, 2007 and 2008, I wanted to find out more information about the jurors themselves, in search of validation of my work—was it a coincidence, did the jurors see something in my work, was I worthy of these wins? Up until that time I had sort of assumed that the Halekulani merely provided prizes as part of their marketing program and it had never dawned on me to ask "why a photo contest?" Of course, after I read more about Peter and his interest in photography, I realized that he was the visionary behind the event. I shared these thoughts in a letter to Peter, also thanking him for the opportunity that he had created for all of us who take photographs here in Hawaii. I met him later at a course he was giving for PNM and was extremely impressed by his brilliance and energy, his views and knowledge of photography and art in general.

Honolulu Magazine Photo Contest, 2008

2010-06-18T18:40:00.023-10:00

EMILY

1st Place in Portrait Category.

“Taken at an IONA Dance Company photo shoot, Emily, in her role as Strength is posing among her fellow dancers and friends. I was motivated to capture her as the center of the energy radiating from everyone surrounding her.”

LIZ

3rd Place in Portrait Category.

“Liz performed at thirtyninehotel for the IONA Contemporary Dance Theatre's promotional event, Paint by Number. Her solo interpretation and the emptiness of the space motivated me to capture the movement using a slow-speed rotating lens camera.”

Well, this was the third time that I had placed 1st at the Honolulu Magazine Photo Contest; and this time there was no film category to account for lack of competition (the categories for the first three years were technical: Film, Digital and Edited, and this year they were changed to subject categories of Portrait, Natural World and Built Environment).

So obviously, I was bathing in delight as I had the bragging rights for winning the contest three times, with two pictures each! I was a photographer!

Both pictures were taken with the Horizont; and the jurors were Peter Shaindlin, A. Kam Napier, Kristin Lipman, Olivier Koning and Steve Little.

Liz's picture at thirtyninehotel still thrills me to look at—an ethereal and spiritual ceremonial offering of “paint”; a primitive tribal ritual out of place in a very modern setting; and her nakedness and solo performance that matches emptiness of the place.

The appeal of the Emily picture is the energy that radiates from the photograph—the positioning of the audience around a nucleus, the light emanating from the dancer, the almost audible energy of the clapping hands, and the optical blossoming effect caused by the lens distortion, all contribute towards a visual unity.

The Emily picture was taken during the The Living Tarot photo shoot sessions by Sergio Goes for the IONA Contemporary Dance Theatre, where I was doing my own shooting along the sidelines, trying not to get in the way. This was in August of 2007, when I had met Sergio the first time—I find out later in October when the results of the 2007 contest are announced, that he was a juror for the 2007 contest. Of course, little did I know at the time that he would leave us the next year, in July of 2008.

Moving forward to 2008 again, the results are announced in December, and this time I was winning with a picture that was shot alongside Sergio, using his lighting. One immediately makes associations and cannot help interpreting (or maybe misinterpreting) the coincidences, but I believe that whether we were aware of it or not, this was an indirect, unintentional, small-kine gift exchange between us--his gift to me as a juror, as well as letting me share the photo shoot, and my gift to him in turn, by placing first with a photo that was taken alongside him. I meet Andrea (Torres, his ex-wife) later and go through some of his photographic equipment at his storage unit. Even though there isn't much that I can use (and could not afford the ones that I might use), she gives me some odds and ends, and a Manfrotto monopod that I know will come in handy one day to steady my hand for another award-winning, long-exposure shot.

Honolulu Magazine Photo Contest, 2007

2010-06-18T14:31:00.019-10:00

PIPE DREAMS SMOKESHOP

1st Place in Film Category.

“I walked around during a First Friday Gallery Walk. Using 1600 ASA film allowed me to get close to the crowds without using a flash.”

NIGHTLIFE IN HONOLULU

2nd Honorable Mention in Film Category.

“Taking photographs while walking the crowded streets reminds me of stills taken at a movie set. Shooting at night without a flash allows me to get close to the 'actors'.”

The two pictures that I submitted for the Honolulu Magazine 2006 Photo Contest contest were not selected at all. They were shots of trees at the Foster Botanical Gardens, which I realize were rather boring.

Starting in 2006, we had been frequenting First Fridays in Chinatown, and I was shooting away, capturing the art, artists and the crowds. The act of walking around in fast pace, while looking through the viewfinder of a panoramic camera gave me the impression of motion, a live-action movie being filmed in CinemaScope! And I was simply cutting selected frames of the movie film as photographs.

The two that I selected for the 2007 contest were--and still are--my favorites as I believe they truly captured my personal impressions, the very essence of what I liked about First Fridays--an action film, or rather, the set of an action film full of actors, actresses, extras and spectators!

Cocky or not, I was confident that these two that I selected for the 2007 contest would at least get some honorable mention. After the results were announced, I remember joking around with friends that I was the only one left using film (that everyone else had gone digital), so it was only obvious that I had won as the only entrant in the film category.

Both pictures were taken with the Horizont rotating-lens panoramic camera (which was now my "insignia", after having won two contests); and the jurors were Peter Shaindlin, Dana Forsberg, Sergio Goes, Kathryn Drury Wagner and Kristin Lipman.

Just a few months ago, I had met Sergio at an IONA Contemporary Dance Theatre photo shoot, where he was photographing The Living Tarot. I shadowed him, sneaking in before and after his sessions to shoot the dancers, talking story here and there, and I was telling myself that maybe I had found a mentor of sorts, that I could learn and work with him--and what happens next, he leaves us a year later.

Honolulu Magazine Photo Contest, 2005

2010-06-13T10:29:00.027-10:00

WAIMANALO CARNIVAL

1st Place in Film Category.

“I liked the blurring of the motion and the way carnival lights mixed with the light at dusk.”

WAIMANALO FUN

2nd Honorable Mention in Film Category.

“She was a first time visitor to Waimanalo; I wanted to capture her excitement.”

After seeing the Honolulu Magazine Photo Contest announcement in the Honolulu Weekly a day before the deadline, I submitted two photographs for the film category (there were three categories, film, digital, and manipulated). I had seen a 1980's copy of the magazine with pictures from the annual contest; apparently it was canceled and this was the first year it was being reinstated with sponsorship of the Hotels & Resorts of Halekulani.

I picked one picture that I had really liked, of Peeps (Annette Strube), then I noticed that the entrants were allowed two pictures maximum, so I submitted the Carnival picture as well. Both pictures were selected and published, and the Carnival won the first place!

Both pictures were taken with a Horizont rotating-lens panoramic camera. The jurors were Peter Shaindlin, A. Kam Napier, Linny Morris, Floyd K. Takeuchi, Allison Wong, and Jayson Harper.

APG/1 Poems

2010-06-12T18:20:00.035-10:00

The following are poems that were generated by APG/1, Artificial Poetry Generation/1 project.

UNTITLED

NO WEED WILL WHISPER MY MEGAPHONE
TERRIBLE WOMEN, THEY WIN WHICHEVER.

The very first APG/1 poem, 1977.

UNTITLED

AND THIS SLIPPERY BUSHMAN
PROPOSING YOUR ICEMAN EVIDENTLY TO ONLY THE FIREMAN

BETTY MEDITATES
NONETHELESS PERSISTING, WOODSMAN WILL APPRECIATE

NO CALENDAR TO ELOPE OR TO CEASE
THE FLIRTATION OF YOUR LENSES HAS OBJECTED HIM TO FEAST
An original APG/1 poem, 1977.

OFF TO WAR

I WILL BE DEPARTING AND WITHSTANDING WITHOUT YOU
DO YOU DEPART TO CLAP

AMONG APPRECIATIONS AND ZEPPELINS TOY IS THE STARLESS ONE
WHY CLASSIFICATIONS DREAM WHILE EXPERIMENTATIONS DO NOT HIBERNATE
WHY DO REPUTATIONS PROTEST WHEN CONFIDENCE IS SO OBSCENE
I WILL BE CRITICIZING AND MOTIVATING WITHOUT YOU
NO ROBOT WILL ELECT MY EXHALATION
DO YOU CELEBRATE TO BITE

HIS TOLERANT DENSITY CRASHED TO HIM
FOR I MUST NOT TRANSLATE WITHOUT DISCIPLINE
HE COULD NOT SUBMIT THE WOMAN SO HE YELLED
IN THE CHURCHYARD, IN THE STEEP ARENA
DO YOU SMASH TO SINK

HE COULD NOT ELECT THE FLIGHT SO HE CONTROLLED
IF SCOTCH AND SODA COULD BE LIBRARY
A MELODY WOULD MOTIVATE WIDELY
I WILL BE PROTESTING AND DISDAINING WITHOUT YOU
DO YOU FUCK TO STARVE

KNOWING WAS ECSTATIC WHEN ALL THE WOMEN ARE ELECTING IN ROTTERDAM
HIS DOMINANT MACHINERY SPEAKS TO HIM
I WILL NEVER TRANSLATE AGAIN
OVER IN SANTIAGO SPECIFICATIONS ARE IDEAL AND THE WOMEN ARE SPITTING
HE COULD NOT FIGHT THE VITAMIN SO HE YELLED
DO YOU STEAL TO SCAN

LIKE A COMIQUE COMPLOT OR A MELLOW SIGHT
AND YOUR ECSTATIC FASCINATION OFFENDS DUMBLY
WITH AN IDEALIST THAT DID SURPRISE
I WILL NEVER DEPART AGAIN
FOR I MUST NOT TRANSLATE WITHOUT POLICE
I WILL NEVER INTRIGUE AGAIN
I WILL BE MOTIVATING AND SPITTING WITHOUT YOU
WITH A HEART BEAT THAT DID GRADUATE
HE COULD NOT SUCK THE SPECIFICATION SO HE PACKED
SHE IS MY CARTON WISE RADIATION

DO YOU RESCUE TO RETARD
I WILL NEVER CLAP AGAIN
Another original APG/1 poem, 1977.

CIVILIZATION

THAT ASPIRIN HAS SET SEVEN CEMETERIES
PERHAPS CIGARETTES COULD BE TRAGEDIES

CARTON ELECTRICITY, CRYPTOGRAMMATIC CHRISTMAS TREES
APPROACHING AND DEPARTING, OR DECEIVING AND CONVICTING
ELECTRICITY OF YOUR CAROLINE IMAGINES DELIBERATELY THESE PARALLEL HIGHWAYS
INSTRUMENTS—AESTHETIC INDICATION, INSANE FEATURE—EXPECTS OVERLOOKING THE HAPPY REDWOOD
TEARFULLY INFLUENCING WITH PNEUMATIC MONKEYS, UNEASY
OR SELF-DESTRUCTION THAT AVOIDS YOU BIZARRELY

HESITANT BRILLIANCE
BLINDLY INTO SNOT

THE SENSE DID MOURN WITH SARCASM
FULL-GROWN RATTLE SNAKES ASCEND SEVERER
ILL FATED EARS ZIP HALFHEARTEDLY
INSINCERELY WE ANNIHILATE,
DISAGREEING AND OVERFEEDING OR LEAVING AND STREAKING
APPARENT ACTIVITIES DEVELOPED LIKE DEPRESSING BAGGAGE
FROM THE AGGRESSIVE PEPPERMINT, THE PEPPERMINT OF TRAGEDY HIT

SO THROWN, OUR INFINITY WILL THANK
SO CONTROLLED, OUR HEAVEN WILL STAY
THE ATTIC OF IDEAL, BULGING AS DAYBREAK

THINKING WITH MANHOOD
OVER THE DAFFODILS OF A HANDSOME FAIRYLAND
I AM CEMETERY, YOU ARE APARTMENT
Modified APG/1 poem (complete unmodified lines/stanzas from various poems have been grouped together), 1977.

UNTITLED

SELF-DESTRUCTION OF ANIMATED IMAMS
THE SENSITIVE EYES THROWS ON

WITHOUT BREAD, WITHOUT TABLEAU, SPEAKERS ARE SIXTEEN
AND APPRECIATE WITH PALMY AQUAMARINE

SWEETLY WE SWITCH
SWEETLY WE TWITCH

SLIPPERY CAESAR AND SLIPPERY CAESAR
SNOW IS HE SEAWEED OF DESTRUCTION

CAESAR MUST DEMONSTRATE
TWITCH TO BE UNSEEN
Original APG/1 poem, 1977.

TO SIR WITH LOVE

Dedicated to Rifat Hoca (Doç. Dr. M. Rıfat Sağlam)

DO YOU PHONE TO DREAM
FOR I MUST NOT COLLAPSE WITHOUT PRESTIGE

FOR I MUST NOT PHONE WITHOUT BIZARRENESS
THE OUTDATED ANTIQUITY CHEAPENS TO THE REASON AND UNITES AS IT EQUALS

WITH A BARRICADE THAT DID STANDARDIZE
DO YOU REAPPEAR TO SURPRISE

An original APG/1 poem.

HATE IS A LEGEND

AS IF IT WERE FLOATING IN ICH LIEBE DICH
WITH A TOOTHPICK THAT DID YELL

ENJOYING AND A KNEELING
WHEN I RECOMMENDED CONVERSATION WAS YELLING

DO YOU ABASH TO ARREST
WHEN I CONTROLLED DELICACY WAS ARRESTING

SHE HAD TO ELECT ON TUESDAY
THROUGH CONFIDENCE IT ACTED AS IF PAYING

AND HE WAS WISE TO MASTURBATE
WITH ICE-CREAM SHE HAD RECOMMENDED NOW SHE SCREAMS WITHOU RATE

THE CALCULATOR OF DEVIL MUST PASSIONATELY CLAP WHILE AUTOMOBILES SPIT
WITCHES ARE NOT CORRUPTED
Original APG/1 poem, 1977.

Troy MMX

2010-06-08T19:17:00.029-10:00

Troy, 2010 A.D. – Looking at the marble columns lying on the ground and reading from my guidebook about the many inhabitants of Troy over a period some 4,000 years--standing where Trojans once walked, where Helen and Paris strolled together, where Herodotus stopped by in his travels, and maybe Homer actually had been there too.

I contemplate that I like the columns lying on the ground--if everything was preserved intact in their original positions, it would have been undoubtedly an impressive sight and an archeological gem, but having the columns lying at my feet gives me a better sense of where I am now in the historical timeline of mankind; an appreciation of the fact that let alone humans, even marble columns cannot stand the passage of time.

[MMX is 2010 in Roman Numerals]

Hanging Garden at Artane

2010-06-05T10:29:00.011-10:00

At the Guerra de la Paz exhibition at the Artane gallery in Istanbul, "smelling" the "flowers" of the Hanging Garden installation. Hanging Garden, in conjunction with the photograph/digital décollage exhibition, Travelogue, introduced me to the artists's work, for which I am grateful as I find their work amazingly precise, to-the-point and beautiful.

While enjoying the show and visiting with my friend Sevil, I could not help smelling the flowers of the garden, feeling good, just fooling around...

Pictures at an Exhibition I - Magnetic Fields Forever

2010-06-01T19:12:00.056-10:00

Pictures at an Exhibition I -- At the Gelareh Khoie exhibit, Magnetic Fields Forever, at thirtyninehotel, Honolulu.

As has been for the last several years, I somehow insist on using available light at nighttime, which most of the time translates to almost no light (the title of the show is barely visible on the wall illuminated by disco lights--click on picture for a larger view).

Magnetic Fields Forever exhibit is beautiful (the individual paintings, as well as the entire space, whether the paintings are illuminated in full gallery lights or dim disco lights afterhours, as shown here!) As stated on the thirtyninehotel newsletter: According to Khoie, "In seeking to understand natural phenomena and to translate its deeper mechanisms into a visual language, a path to self-knowledge unfolds. The knowledge becomes clear that art and artist are indistinct from what we label the “natural world,” and that all things in the universe exist in perfect accord: things are as they are and cannot be another way."

Huni / Funnel

2010-05-29T08:49:00.154-10:00

Kafama huni geçirip dolaşmak geliyor içimden,
Deliliği bilirmiş gibi.

Omer Kursat, 1974

Literal English translation:

I feel like wandering around wearing a funnel on my head,
As if I know what madness is.

Google translate:
To move through the funnel and comes to my head of me
Like the freak you know.

Bing Translator:
Renewing the funnel and move around the coming içimden,
The madness such as bilirmiş.

And as Faruk says:

I wouldn't even try to translate it. You need to rewrite it

Dunce in me gushes forward,
taking refuge in ignorance.
or
me wear my hat I man tin man
walk in the can can mad can

plus many more,
F

Depicting characters with a funnel on their heads to emphasize their madness is a common theme in Turkish cartoons, more common than I have seen elsewhere. However Wikipedia states that it is an old universal symbol: “The inverted thistle funnel is a symbol of madness. It appears in many Medieval depictions of the mad.”

The poem uses the madness/craziness symbolism to express an ironic sense of emotional disturbance brought about by either a desperate love affair, or more likely, a philosophy where the whole consciousness of life is perceived as complex and too much to handle. The author is expressing a desire to be crazy by acting crazy, as a means of showing to the world his state of mind, at the same time acknowledging a longing for experiencing a nirvana-like awareness.