Without A Doubt (Şüphesiz)

For this project, two researchers—a journalist and an art professional—analyzed thousands of pieces of printed material published locally in İstanbul that are significant to various subcultures, such as sports magazines, video games, film reviews, local news, horse racing, and more. In addition to this large-scale survey of print media, Elif Nahide Aslan and Gizem Çetimen analyzed thousands of social media entries filtered by tags provided by the SAHNE research organization, which also commissioned the project. They highlighted poetically significant entries for inclusion.

This project focuses on the issues of disinformation, fake or exaggerated news, and the hate speech that emerges in the media. As explained by semiotics, data and symbols referred to in a context different from their original one undergo a shift in meaning. This shift can be subjective, but the transformed meanings are also shaped by the cultural codes of the new media they enter. While creating a medium entirely independent of cultural codes is impossible, the design of this project adopts a minimal visualization strategy, employing simple formal elements to instill doubt about the reality of the presented content.

The project culminates in a digital media installation designed as a typographic digital display. Alper Eryurt, a creative consultant for digital media, helped design a p5.js framework that registers the content in specific color and proportions for the custom designed screens. The installation, operating in public space, questions the boundaries of public discourse, surprising viewers at times or making them doubt the reality of the statements that appear on the screens. The placement of the installation has been designed considering the historical and architectural features of the Terra Santa Monastery, with a minimal architectural intervention. It is located near the multicultural İstiklal Street in the lively district of Beyoğlu.