Documentación Fotográfica
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Długa, Gdańsk
The “Turkey” video is a recording of the performance I created in Istanbul on 24th December 2008. I walked down the Taxim Street, the main street in the city. I was moving with my eyes covered, going straight, barefoot. I was wearing a traditional gown of Muslim women – burka, covering the entire body, in an untypical, red colour. Red burka corresponds with the red in Turkish flag, a flag of a country where women’s rights are limited because of the ubiquity of Islam. To emphasize my identity of a person originating from a country strongly affected by the Christian culture, I chose Christmas Day for the day of the performance. My transformation into an abstract Muslim woman was a contrast to the superficially modern character of the Istanbul metropolis. When walking, I was remaining still, striding blindly ahead, as if in submission to the rules of Islam.
Julia Kurek