Contemporary dance workshop by Erdem Gündüz: Collective Movement
Erdem Gündüz is a Turkish dancer, actor, performance artist, choreographer, and teacher. He is interested in using “improvisation, ritual, and public action as tools for investigating political realities and social movement.
Due to his actions during the 2013–14 protests in Turkey, he has become “the face of the protest movement against the Turkish government.” He became internationally known as “The Standing Man” in June 2013, when he stood quietly for 8 hours in Istanbul’s Taksim Square in protest against the urban development plan for Istanbul’s Taksim Gezi Park and the conservative government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, being followed by thousands of persons all over Turkey but also inspiring the Arab spring movement by silent protest.
In this workshop, Erdem will guide participants in understanding the connection between the symbolism of a standing man and the power of transforming anger into constructive expression. By drawing parallels between theatrical elements like games and mise-en-scènes and real-life scenarios, Erdem will demonstrate how emotions and thoughts evolve through play. Participants will explore the profound experience of unity and the strength found in collective action and learn how to safeguard themselves and members of their community.
No prior knowledge or dance skills are required for the workshop.
The number of workshop participants is limited to 20.
To register, please, fill out the form.
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For French philosopher Jacques Rancière, Gündüz’s action of “still standing”, between movement and non-movement, interrupting the ordinary order of things is an example of the aesthetic side of politics, introducing individual act in the dynamics and space of the collective. For Ranciere, this action of standing for 8 hours with a view of the portrait of Kemal Atatürk is an example of unlearning from the usual passage of time and use of space.
“The temporality of the occupation is the conjunction of several forms of the recovery time. There are the interruptions of the normal course of the hours of the day and the actions that the standing man symbolized in his performance at Taksim Square, standing, silent, for 8 hours facing the Ataturk cultural center, a time of interruption that is also one of those new forms of encounter between the time of artistic performance and that of political action” Jacques Rancière –“Time, Narrative and Politics” from Skopje conference held on initiative of Edicija Jugoslavija and PhD In One Night
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In addition to the workshop, Erdem will participate in the inauguration talk on Microtactics in the conference program of the Mikser Festival and connect his urban protest to the experiences of forgotten agricultural methods he experienced, which could be a significant step toward a sustainable future.
“Methods like biodynamic farming and extensive farming offer ways to work in harmony with natural ecosystems. These methods represent a blend of traditional knowledge and modern technology, playing a crucial role in leaving a healthier world for future generations.” (Erdem Gündüz)
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In the announcement of the workshop, curator of the Microtactics program, Ivana Momcilovic will briefly present the dear guest and collaborator Erdem Gunduz and announce the latest book by PhD In One Night, an international platform for aesthetic education for all, self-publishing house by Edicija Jugoslavija in cooperation with Zalozba Sophia from Ljubljana, a bilingual (Serbian-Croatian/English) book, “Unpredictable Past of the Future, About the Political Potential of Utopia”, including a hitherto undiscovered sci-fi children’s social-utopian novel about new education written 100 years ago by Anonymous Mala Zora and reflecting a new type of community and education in nature.
Biography
Erdem Gündüz (Ankara, 1979) finished his master’s degree in performing arts at Istanbul Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in 2014. He graduated from Yıldız Technical University, Faculty of Art and Design, Department of Music and Performing Arts in 2007. He trained in acting at Ege University Theatre Assembly and he established Ege University Dance Theatre Assembly. In 2007 he trained at The John Kennedy Center during the Exchange Programme for Performing Artists in Washington and New York on contemporary dance. Erdem performed at İ.B.B.C.R.R Dance Theatre and Istanbul Dance Theatre and he joined several festivals and workshops all around the world with his performances. From 2005 till 2016 he gave dance classes and prepared workshops at Catı Dance Association. Also, he gave movement classes at Istanbul Yeni Yuzyıl University Faculty of Fine Arts Department of Performing Arts. For his courageous commitment to freedom of expression and human rights, he was awarded the 2013 M100 Media Award and the 49th Theodor Heuss Medal prize in 2014. He was awarded the 2014 Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent by the Human Rights Foundation. Now, he lives in Poland.