Public Sleepers

'Dokumak' (meaning weave inTurkish) was a research residency and exhibition developed from an Art in Public Space international program. Seventeen artist/researchers travelled together to Sile, Istanbul where they were hosted by partnering group Sile Municipal Council to develop a series of art in public space projects that responds to the surrounds of Sile. Sile is known as a resort area of Istanbul and is generally busy during the peak summer season. The project occurred in the September in the low season of the tourism economy.

During this research trip I collaborated with artist/researcher Shao Xiongchia. Our work entitled 'Public Sleepers' developed as a response to being unusual as Australians of Chinese descent in the Turkish environment. The body of work developed explored the displacement of typically Chinese public personal habits in the new environment of Sile, Istanbul. The work comprised a video work followed by images of the artists publicly sleeping in various sites.

The outcomes of 'Dokumak' was an exhibition that occurred throughout the town centre and was developed in partnership with Sile Municipal Council.

New knowledge that was bought to this project was an exploration of how cross cultural exchanges through a dialogue in public art practices can impact upon the landscape of small town relying on seasonal tourism. Our project dealt specifically with the migration of habits that have occurred through the increased globalisation and how particular behaviours are displaced through the process of migration.

Dokumak（土耳其语意为“编织”）是一项源自“公共空间艺术”国际项目的研究驻留与展览活动。17位艺术家/研究者共同前往伊斯坦布尔的锡勒（Sile），由合作方锡勒市议会接待，旨在开发一系列呼应锡勒周边环境的公共空间艺术项目。锡勒是伊斯坦布尔知名的度假区，通常在夏季旺季时十分繁忙。该项目于9月开展，正值当地旅游经济的淡季。

在此次研究之旅中，我与艺术家/研究者邵雄佳（Shao Xiongchia）展开合作。我们的作品《公共睡眠者》（Public Sleepers）源于作为华裔澳大利亚人在土耳其环境中的异质体验。该系列作品探索了典型的中国公共生活习惯在伊斯坦布尔锡勒这一新环境中的错位现象。作品包含一段视频，以及艺术家们在不同场所公开睡眠的影像资料。

“Dokumak”的成果是一场在镇中心各处举办的展览，由锡勒市议会合作开发。

该项目带来的新知在于探索了通过公共艺术实践对话实现的跨文化交流，如何影响依赖季节性旅游的小镇景观。我们的项目具体探讨了全球化加剧背景下习惯的迁移，以及特定行为在迁移过程中如何发生错位。