Asli Kiyak Ingin and Merve Gül Özokcu are currently residency grantholders at IASPIS, the Swedish Arts Grants Committee’s International Programme. The presentation is introduced and moderated by Annika Björkman and Magnus Ericson, IASPIS.
Asli and Merve are both based in İstanbul and works in different ways with socially and politically engaged critical projects within urban and rural contexts. They research, highlight and engage on site with issues of social structures and possibilities for commons, sharing and solidarity practices. Merve works has partly focused on transformation of rural buildings as women's and children's spaces, spaces of alternative education and the re-possession of public spaces. She does participatory fieldwork and oral history research that uses cooking together as a tool. Asli works with issues related to the city, urban regeneration and gentrification, and by advocating sustainable and participatory models for alternative visions. She has initiated and developed the project and concept Made in Şişhane, which aims for safeguarding the craft neighbourhoods in İstanbul.
Merve Gül Özokcu is an Istanbul-based architect, researcher and activist. She has been conducting participatory projects and working on creative actions for over 10 years. Her works, along with Architecture for All collective, have a social impact on political-based problems, prioritize on-site and together interventions and adopt a proactive approach, which can be viewed here. Projects that she has been she part of have focused on transformation of rural buildings as women's and children's spaces, spaces of alternative education and the re-possession of public spaces.
Aslı Kıyak İngin is an architect, designer, activist and educator based in Istanbul. She is running a critical design practice. She works in various fields such as design, craft, architecture, urbanism and art, with projects concerned with social, cultural and economic issues related to the city, against to the top down urban transformation and gentrification developments, and by advocating sustainable and participatory models for alternative visions. She has since 2006 initiated and developed the project and concept Made in Şişhane , which aims for safeguarding the craft neighbourhoods in Istanbul. The project has since the beginning also highlighted and discussed the role of design in the urban development through various local and international events. Made in Sishane became the finalist of City to City Barcelona FAD Award 2016 Learning Initiatives in The City. She also worked on the development of participatory and sustainable practices in order to stop the demolishing process of Sulukule, an old Istanbul and Romani neighbourhood. She was the co-founder of the Sulukule Platform and organised the event 40 days 40 Nights Sulukule, which aimed at making this process visible and creating a dynamic platform to stop the state-led gentrification process.