walk for Yasemine

by Salamis Aysegul Sentug for Famagusta New Museum

Famagusta New Museum

Ambient sounds in Famagusta on May 13th

Interwoven Narratives Hub Three cultural organisations, Famagusta New Museum, the Center of Performing Arts MITOS and the Famagusta Walled City Association, have come together to form the Interwowen Narratives Hub to connect public spaces with personal stories. Funded by the Vaha Programme , together, we are exploring the shared intangible heritage of Cyprus, listening to people’s stories, recording them, and making sure they can be passed on and shared with others.

While the Varosha area is increasingly open to visitors, this work focuses on the human impact of Famagusta / Varosha history and aims at creating empathetic understandings for both locals and visitors. The poet explores place memory and refers to the interrupted life trajectory in Varosha, a place marked by forced displacement. By tapping into the collective memories of several public spaces, such as the Glossa Beach, the Municipal Garden, the Municipal Agora, the Greek Gymnasium and others, Akdeniz aims to identify the familiar and foster a deeper understanding of the refugee experience and the complex realities of the Cyprus conflict. These geo-triggered poems are accessed through the application ‘Sound Walking’ on location and on-line with printed QR codes at specific locations in Famagusta. The title, We Are Not Ghosts, echoes a common phrase used by Varosha refugees. It serves as a counter-response to labelling the city a “ghost town”. Instead, it reclaims the collective memory of its former inhabitants, and the possible future of the city. With these poems, Akdeniz, skilfully navigates the memory of this historical place and merges it with the present experience of the city as a post-war site. This work is produced from Akdeniz’s belief in poetry, aiming to enhance the human experience by involving all the senses and making both tangible and intangible aspects of human existence visible. The sound walk is a collaborative work of the poet Nafia Akdeniz, curator Alessandro Vincentelli, cultural director Argyro Toumazou, sound designer Inal Bilsel, visual designer Andriana Lagoudes, and application developer Jason Murray Winn. The project is produced by D6:EU, a visual arts organisation based in Cyprus, developing new opportunities for artists and cultural collaborations in Cyprus, Europe and the Middle East. Supporters: the Famagusta City Museum, Famagusta Avenue Garage, Famagusta local community, Paralimni – Deryneia Municipality, and Jason Murray Winn – Narrative Infrastructure. The project is a collaboration between the poet Nafia Akdeniz and D6:EU and funded as part of the Art for Social Action small grants programme.

On ECHOES Kapalı Maraş giderek daha fazla ziyaretçiye açılırken, bu çalışma, Mağusa / Maraş tarihinin insan üzerindeki etkisini odak noktası yaparak hem yerel halk hem de ziyaretçiler için empatik anlayışlar yaratmayı amaçlamaktadır. Şair, mekân hafızasını irdeler ve zorunlu göçün izlerini taşıyan Maraş’ta kesintiye uğramış yaşam yolculuğuna atıfta bulunur. Glossa Plajı, Belediye Bahçesi, Belediye Agora’sı, Yunan Okulu ve diğerleri gibi çeşitli kamusal alanların kolektif hafızalarına dokunarak, Akdeniz tanıdık olanı ortaya çıkarmayı, zorunlu göç deneyimini ve Kıbrıs çatışmasının karmaşık gerçekliklerini daha derin bir şekilde anlamayı amaçlar. Mekânla tetiklenip çalmaya başlayacak bu şiirler, Mağusa’da belirli yerlerde basılı QR kodları ile yerinde ve çevrimiçi olarak ‘Sound Walking’ / ‘Ses Yürüyüşü’ uygulaması aracılığıyla erişilebilir. “Biz Hayalet Değiliz” ifadesi, Maraş göçmenleri tarafından sıkça kullanılan bir itirazı yansıtır. Şehri “hayalet şehir” olarak etiketlemeye bir karşı yanıt olan bu başlık, eski sakinlerinin kolektif hafızasını ve şehrin olası geleceğindeki söz hakkını sahiplenir. Bu şiirlerle, Akdeniz, bu tarihi yerin hafızasında titizlikle gezinir ve onu şehrin savaş sonrası bir alan olarak mevcut deneyimiyle birleştirir. Bu eser, Akdeniz’in şiirin iletişim gücüne inancından üretilmiştir ve insan varoluşunun hem somut hem de soyut yönlerini görünür kılarak tüm duyuları dahil etmeyi amaçlar. Ses yürüyüşü, şair Nafia Akdeniz, küratör Alessandro Vincentelli, kültürel yönetmen Argyro Toumazou, ses tasarımcısı Inal Bilsel, görsel tasarımcı Andriana Lagoudes ve uygulama geliştiricisi Jason Murray Winn’in işbirliğiyle hazırlanmıştır. Proje, Kıbrıs’ta bulunan, Kıbrıs, Avrupa ve Orta Doğu’daki sanatçılar ve kültürel işbirlikleri için yeni fırsatlar geliştiren görsel sanatlar organizasyonu D6:EU tarafından üretilmiştir. Destekçileri: Mağusa Kent Müzesi, Mağusa Caddesi Garajı, Mağusa Belediyesi, Paralimni - Deryneia Belediyesi ve Jason Murray Winn - Narrative Infrastructure. Proje, şair Nafia Akdeniz ve D6:EU arasındaki bir işbirliği olup, Sanat için Sosyal Eylem küçük hibe programı kapsamında finanse edilmiştir.

While the Varosha area is increasingly open to visitors, this work focuses on the human impact of Famagusta / Varosha history and aims at creating empathetic understandings for both locals and visitors. The poet explores place memory and refers to the interrupted life trajectory in Varosha, a place marked by forced displacement. By tapping into the collective memories of several public spaces, such as the Glossa Beach, the Municipal Garden, the Municipal Agora, the Greek Gymnasium and others, Akdeniz aims to identify the familiar and foster a deeper understanding of the refugee experience and the complex realities of the Cyprus conflict. These geo-triggered poems are accessed through the application ‘Sound Walking’ on location and on-line with printed QR codes at specific locations in Famagusta. The title, We Are Not Ghosts, echoes a common phrase used by Varosha refugees. It serves as a counter-response to labelling the city a “ghost town”. Instead, it reclaims the collective memory of its former inhabitants, and the possible future of the city. With these poems, Akdeniz, skilfully navigates the memory of this historical place and merges it with the present experience of the city as a post-war site. This work is produced from Akdeniz’s belief in poetry, aiming to enhance the human experience by involving all the senses and making both tangible and intangible aspects of human existence visible. The sound walk is a collaborative work of the poet Nafia Akdeniz, curator Alessandro Vincentelli, cultural director Argyro Toumazou, sound designer Inal Bilsel, visual designer Andriana Lagoudes, and application developer Jason Murray Winn. The project is produced by D6:EU, a visual arts organisation based in Cyprus, developing new opportunities for artists and cultural collaborations in Cyprus, Europe and the Middle East. Supporters: the Famagusta City Museum, Famagusta Avenue Garage, Famagusta local community, Paralimni – Deryneia Municipality, and Jason Murray Winn – Narrative Infrastructure. The project is a collaboration between the poet Nafia Akdeniz and D6:EU and funded as part of the Art for Social Action small grants programme.