Idil Alpa
A Gift to Myself
Installation
Paper, various materials
300 x 300 x 180 cm
Belonging, Devaluation, In-between, Tradition, Fusion
In ‘A gift to myself’ Alpa explored several layers through the technique of water marbling called Ebru which is one of the forms of traditional Turkish art. By experimenting with different materials as surface for the marbling, such as paper type, fabrics, typography, photographs, etc., Alpa tries to recall and transform her perception of the past, traditional rituals, and culture.
Through her work she conceptualized the gap between two cultures, the East and the West. As Alpa was growing up in a place where these two cultures meet she witnessed and experienced depreciation of cultural practices. Alpa’s work shows the process of understanding and creating different applications using Ebru art in order to rebuild the relationship with Turkish traditions.
In this installation, the search for constructing one’s own culture is explored by merging typography and Islamic calligraphy, and layers from the past are fused using children’s book pages and childhood pictures. New ways of using traditional technique and creating personal links to cultural elements through using different materials are investigated.
