Deborah Semel Demirtaş

Is there a word that means what happens after hibernation?

If there is, that is what’s happening here, in Bodrum, in my house.

Built as a ‘summer paradise’, it can be a winter hell. Not because there is nothing to do – as many a lady, tired of endless handicraft courses, may opine – but because the infrastructure sucks. That means your house is cold, because there’s no insulation. Which leaves you susceptible to very tiny creatures crawling around your insides and wreaking havoc – creatures that are probably crawling around inside your tap water…

That’s where I’ve been this winter.

After putting together an exhibition for International Women’s Day on March 8, I thought I would take a few days off to go up to Foça and plants some artichokes and some trees, and when I came back to Turgutreis, the bugs got me. (Insert frowny-face.) Slowly-slowly, though, things are starting to turn green on the outside (of my house), and a rosy-pink on the inside (of me), so it may be time to start gearing up for springtime: Better late than never, isn’t it?

A friend – I forget who – was expressing a slight bit of jealousy in that I could always ‘just post pictures’ on my blog, and that I did not actually have to write anything. In fact, because of ‘the medium in which I realize my practice’ – to quote some grad student somewhere – I don’t necessarily have pictures to post, even though I most certainly have started working again.

I suppose I could do a drawing of the inside of my brain, but that might not be pretty. So, rather, a list:

1. Thinking about ‘spatiality’ – how not every place is the ‘right’ place for every work of art.
2. Thinking about ‘collaboration’ – how not everyone appears to be ‘into it’.
3. Thinking about ‘drawing’ – how, in spite of the fact that it is probably of more benefit to the draw-er (artist) than to the draw-ee (audience), it could have potential as an enjoyable source of income.

As they say in Turkish, ‘cemre düştü’* – so I guess it’s time to translate 1, 2 and 3 into a., b. and c.

a. Write that paper for the conference on Spatiality at Mimar Sinan University in Istanbul, and fill out that application for the 2nd Bodrum Biennial  so that I can exhibit the installation ‘Have Your Photo Taken as an Ottoman Princess’ at the Bodrum Castle – ‘nazar değmesin’** – a ‘right’ place for it.
b. A couple of projects to be written, or implemented, or both…
c. Have already cut lots of paper to size to continue with the ‘water paintings’ series as soon as this latest cold-snap ends – ought to start investigating exhibition opportunities… all suggestions are welcome (Insert winkyface.)

As a reward for having gotten this far, here are some pictures:

what comes up in our water-logged ‘garden’,

‘Giant Fennel’ (‘körek otu) taking over the lot next door, and

A little detail of springtime in the countryside of 13th-century Sienna,

all of these providing inspiration for ‘1, 2, 3, a.b.c.’

(For more pics, just scroll down or click on a tab or two…)

*’ the heat has fallen’, ie, ‘spring has arrived’

** ‘don’t let the evil eye touch it’, i.e. ‘protect my luck’)