Interview by Ekin Sanaç

This is the original English version of the interview with John Robb on the Membranes published in Bant’s 57th issue.

Which bands were the biggest deal for you when you were growing up? Who did you see on stage perform and wanted to make music of your own and perform it?

I grew up with glam rock in the early seventies. It was time of insane musical possibilities in the middle of grey times in the UK. Whilst the country seemed to be falling apart eh music just went crazy! The soundtrack was Bowie, Trex, Mott The Hoople, Slade and even bands like Mud and the Sweet who get sneered at by critics but had some great moments…add to this the hangover of the Beatles and the Stones and you’ve got some great music to grow up with. I grew up in Blackpool which is a seaside resort in the north of Blackpool 60 miles from Manchester and we felt very cut off from the music scene- music for us seemed to be made by aliens from another planet.
What really made a difference for me was when punk rock burst into our lives- the idea that you could make your own music was revolutionary and it was at that point that my generation rallied and made its own music/art/media- it was the beginning of everything that we know now. Someone at school ha d a copy of the Buzzcocks Spiral Scratch EP which looked home made and that was truly inspirational- we made our own record a year later- the idea that you could make your own record was so thrilling…
Punk changed everything- it changed our music, our politics, and our trousers!
DIY is the key to punk rock and the most revolutionary thing that came out of the movement- the idea that you could create your own art and not to be a passive consumer wa avery powerful stamenet and one that so many people from my generation were inspired by…

Reading about the Membranes, it looks like you started out pure D.I.Y. in terms of instruments as well, with building your own bass guitar and so on. Was it also the first time you started playing the bass as the Membranes?

I had never played an instrument in my life- like most of my generation we were never encouraged to play instruments and the idea of making music was really alien to us- but DIY and punk empowered us and that a powerful feeling- I wanted a violin bass because they look amazing- such a bizarre shape for a bass guitar but there was no way you could buy one on Blackpool so I bought a chunk of wood and spent the summer carving it with a pen knife whilst sat on the street in Blackpool- I had never made anything before but the great thing about punk DIY was that you believed that anything was possible- there no such thing as no- if you wanted to be in a band then you formed a band- if you wanted to have a magazine you made one (we made our own fanzine called Rox) and if you wanted a violin bass you got a piece of wood and made one- somehow the bass sounded amazing- a stupidly heavy bass sound…!

You were the punk rock band who did not sound like a punk rock band. And it still sounds true. Did you have control over how you wanted to sound like when you first started out, like consciously? Or was it an unconscious consequence of your wide range of influences?

We were influenced by so much music- we loved the psychedelic punk of the Stranglers and tat opened a lot of possibilities we loved the clash the pistols and the Buzzcocks the dammed and also post punk as it started to emerge with subway sect, the fall, the Manchester bands, killing joke, public image- we also loved blues, free jazz and so called world music- John peel was important his radio show played such an eclectic amount of music that it turned you onto whole areas of music- we also knew lots of older hippies- in smaller towns all the youth cults were closer than in the cities- so we heard a lot of their music…nights spent on magic mushrooms wallowing in the genius of Can and Hawkwind were important!
We thought we were apunk band but for us the idea of punk rock was to make your own music and even I w eloved a lot of the bands who just copied the punk bands we didn’t want to do that. We wanted to go our own way but still be a punk band, a punk band as we understood it was to be something really original and I think we achieved that!

During the years you were together, looks like you have toured quite all around. What were some of the peaks of the Membranes being on the road? Did the Membranes toured together with some other bands as well?

Touring was very important and we would be the first Death To Trad Rock band to go to many of the towns in the U/Europe and America- people didn’t always understand the music that we were trying to make and the levels of intensity that we would play it at- we were quite far out on a limb but we nearly broke through in the UK- we were mainstream TV programmed the Tube and had several national music paper covers etc- we preceded the American post hardcore scene of Sonic Youth, Big Black etc by a couple of years- we mainly headlined gigs- there were not many other bigger bands that we could play with and we were evry much involved in the underground- we would take out all the new bands from the Death To trad Rock scene with us on tour (all these bands are written about in my Death To trad Rock book)

I have come across to so many interviews with different bands/musicians who mentions the Membranes as a huge influence… It’s always the music + the attitude. What could you say attitude wise the Membranes had different that most other punk rock bands lacked?

That’s nice of those bands to acknowledge us! I guess at one time we were the noisiest and most extreme band of our time and we played music with a level of insanity that was unusual in the UK- our attitude was what we believed punk rock was- we would employ all the punk rock ethics - the idea that the band and the audience were the same community- looking back now I guess we were pretty original and that can inspire people! We also had a lot of energy- an energy that would transfer to people and we would encourage people to make their own music and their own art- we did our fanzine, ‘Rox’ which featured many of the bands as they started- quite often their first piece pf press- the fanzine was quite over the top- a spew of ideas, writing and stupid jokes…(I could send you a jpeg of it if you want) we wanted to turn the music scene over and were quite ambitious even though we had no money. I guess we were a catalyst band- one of those bands that inspired people…

What was recording for “Kiss Ass Godhead” with Steve Albini like? How did you meet him? Was he a fan of your music when you met him? It was his early career. Did you see that coming that he was gonna get this big as he is now?

Steve was already a fan of the membranes he told us that in 1985 he made a trip to the UK and tried to get in touch with a handful of bands and one of them was the membranes but he couldn’t find our number which tells you a lot about life in the pre internet times! We met him in 1987 when Big Black did their first UK tour. I loved the sound of their early records and figured he could do a great job for the membranes- we had made some great sounding records and some that sounded just OK. This was before he was known as a producer…by the time we got in the studio with him to record Kiss Ass Godhead he had worked on a couple of other records like Slint and the Pixies.
It was great working with him- we shared a lot of very similar ideas about music. The first thing we did was four tracks at Steve’s house in the suburbs of Chicago. Our drummer couldn’t make it because he was knocked back by the visa people! So we had to use the Big Black drum machine which was a huge wooden box- I’ve never seen a drum machine like it! the tracks sound great you can hear the door creaking in the room!
We then finshed the album off in Leeds and Steve ame out to do it there- we all splet in this damp cold room in Leeds and went into the studio to to the album by day…he did agreat job even if the studio was falling apart!

Kiss Ass Godhead was when we got the sound perfect and songs of love and fury was pretty good as well— songs of love and fury got the best reviews- even rolling stone made it one of their top ten albums of the year- when I look back at the press we got I cant believe that we didn’t end up being massive but I don’t think our record labels were big enough to make that push and that’s what music is always about…

In all these years, up until the ATP Festival, has there been any times where you wanted to get together and start performing again as the Membranes?

I am so busy that I never thought about it! When we got asked to play ATP it was like a bolt from the blue and I agreed straight away to do the gig and when we started rehearsing it sounded great…I like doing things on the spur of the moment and the membranes paying ATP felt right and it was great to play that kind of music again!

How have your recent gigs been? Both, the ATP, and the Manchester gig you played… How does the crowd react? Do you have old Membranes followers or is it more a mixture of young kids who are into you now?

The crowd was a real mixture..At ATP there were youth there who had never thought of the Membranes and thought we were an amazing new band…there were also lots of old membranes fans there and it got quite emotional! The Manchester warm up gig was great- we only mentioned it on facebook and people came from all over the country to check it out- someone even flew in from Moscow to see it!

Mark Cunnigham answered our questions on New York’s no wave and his band of that times, Mars, before his appearance in Istanbul as Convolution with Silvia Mestres.

Interview by Ekin Sanaç

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Do you relate “no wave” to punk and new wave, and believe that it emerged from the power of what it was opposing and resisting?

New wave yes, punk no. except for the Ramones. We were a New York movement, and definitely came out of previous NY movements, from the Factory – Velvets scene to the early 70s new wave, Television, early Talking Heads, Patti Smith…there was a sense of transgression in all of that and we took it further. The ramones were the first and only true ny punk band, and they came before the brits. Mars was already playing in clubs when brit punk became popular, and we didn’t like it at all, musically speaking.

Do you personally like or despise the name “no wave”? Do you think it sums up what was going on at the time?

It’s as good a name as any, although it leads to the idea that we were negative, which I don’t believe. But we were saying no to the typical idea and attitude of rock.

Why was being in New York in that certain period of time crucial in terms of the artistic trade? How did the city, Manhattan, the possible gentrification of the neighborhood and your lifestyles affect the growth of the musical and artistic movement labelled as “no wave”? Can you please tell us a bit about the life in New York city back then?

Lower Manhattan was a dangerous place when I moved there after finishing school back in 74. We lived in the east village, which was not at all gentrified yet. It was necessary to cultivate a defiant attitude in order to survive, and that definitely fed into the art scene. But also important was that it was a cheap city, very easy to rent a place and survive on part time jobs and gigs. That encouraged a whole generation of artists to move there from around the US. Most of the new and no wavers were from places like Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, Milwaukee, etc. I was one of the few from the Metropolitan area of NY.

Mars is known and referred to as the first band to emerge “no wave”… Considering that the movement ceased away anyway, almost the moment it was labeled with the name “no wave”, were you aware back in the time when you started Mars that you were starting some kind of a “movement”?

Not at first, cause we felt more like we were continuing a NY tradition, we started out practicing on velvets songs. But later it certainly did feel like a movement, partly because we all were connected, using the same rehearsal spaces, hanging out in the same clubs. Sharing partners. And at that time I’d say we felt like we were the trailblazers, the most experimental, which definitely influenced the others to take more risks.

Being someone who experienced New York in the certain period, has “no wave” been something that started and died in that certain period of time and in the certain place for you? Or do you think it somehow kept growing with more recent bands who are influenced by the bands and call themselves “no wave” around the world?

It was clear that the next generation, like Swans and Sonic Youth, were influenced in the same way we had been, in a natural way, thru the NY tradition. It’s difficult for me to judge the more recent stuff, as they may or may not be trying too hard to imitate a style, and no wave was not about style, it was much more about method and attitude.

No wave is known to be one of the few movements (maybe the most) that is genderly integrated. Men and women are equally involved and it does this, not with an obvious statement, but rather naturally. What do you relate this to? What do you think about the world not being able to get over this gender discrimination in music in general?

The whole macho rock pose was one of the things that we hated the most. Maybe cause we came more out of the art scene than the music scene, and in the 70s NY art scene women counted, there was a definite sense of equality that had evolved there probably more than anywhere else. It was natural for us, when we formed the bands and in our relations, but lamentably this didn’t last, not even in the art scene. Incredibly sad and ridiculous. In rock it’s simply pathetic.

It’s possible to say that what the bands who were labeled as no wave had in common was the originality of music both in terms of how it was made and how the end results sounded. And this came out from the shared nihilistic approach and the resistance to what came before. Do you think it is still possible today to create music which is “that” original, to have the same impact? Or do you think nothing from now on can sound that divergent, yet they can be interesting and fresh which is ok?

Very good question, but difficult to answer. I’d like to think it’s still possible, but certainly more difficult, as there’s this feeling that all has been done and heard before, so the only possibility is to recycle. I’ve been fighting this my whole career. Your point about sounding fresh is important, because we were recycling as well, just without any commercial considerations (at least for some of the bands) and this is very important. As soon as you start thinking about what people expect of you, you might as well give up.

Do you think there is still as much room for resistancy in music, where so many things are interwined together and much more available both in terms of the methods of making it and the sounds?

Absolutely, but it takes a lot of fucking energy.

Why did you call it an end for Mars at the time?

There was a feeling that we had gone as far as we could in terms of deconstruction, and that there was something very final about our last period. There were extra musical reasons, but I think if we had agreed on a way to continue, we would have.

According to the press, the reason you re-released the Mars recordings in 2003 was the dissatisfaction with Jim Thirlwell’s previous take on the album. How was the remastering/renewing process of the recordings released by G3G/ Spookysound?

Jim’s work was limited by the fact we could only do vinyl transcription, and the technology at that time didn’t allow to equal the original sound, so Jim added effects to make up for it, which at the time seemed like a good idea, but later I couldn’t live with it. Luckily we were able to recuperate the masters, and the Complete Mars Studio sessions is with the original sound, in fact even better.

When did you move to Spain? Was it a musical decision to do so?

More personal, but the music scene in Barcelona was very good for me at the time. And it has been a fantastic place to work and live.

What are your favorite/influential music from Turkey?

I love the traditional music, as well as all the modern music which uses and transforms it, like all the Doublemoon stuff. I’m very interested in knowing more. Silvia and I came to Istanbul for the first time last December and we were very inspired by what we found. This is why we came back to play. Hopefully it’s just the beginning.

What kind of equipment do you use to process your trumpet?

A delay modeler and a Kaoss multi effects pad, both of which are looping devices as well.

What projects are you on currently?

Convolution, with my partner, Silvia Mestres, which started at the turn of the millennium, as well as a more recent project, Bèstia Ferida, with two Catalan musicians, which has a more hard free jazz sound. Perhaps it’s the closest project I’ve had to the sound of Mars.

This is the original English version of the interview published in Bant’s New York themed September-October issue.

Interview by: J. Hakan Dedeoğlu

Before their mind-blowing show in Kadıköy arkaoda on 18 October, Batoh and Espvall answering our questions:

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The inevitable question. How did your roads cross each other, how did you team up?

H: We met at Terrastock6 in Providence, USA. We saw each other’s shows and enjoyed it. Batoh gave me an Unari Yumi (hand-made bamboo instrument), I gave Batoh my solo CD, we stayed in touch and decided to record an album during my Tokyo visit in 2007.

What are your similar tastes in music? Which musicians do you both enjoy?

B: Both of us love old rock from ’60s and ‘early ’70s. And also classic, medieval, tribal, ethnic and, etc.

“Overloaded Ark”seems to have more energy and more diversity in sound compared to the debut album. How did “Overloaded Ark” shape, what were the initail ideas behind it?

B: There were diversity of methods in the beginning. We could easily play Swedish trad arr again or gentle folk tunes of course. But I had concrete idea to construct quite different commotion in spirits beforehand. Anti-war has been my consistent attitude in any notion of me. War-such a futile hell had been supported by ordinary citizens for sometimes like US/ Afghanistan war. Simply I wanted to write a song to make people notice how tragic it is for all over the world. “Ark” is just only a thought provoking ornament. Such a symbol of Christianity won’t move our minds easily by itself. But who knows that anecdote can expose how much we fell through again and again. “Ark” was made in our minds.

These kind of collaborations tend be one-record-only, but it seems like, with the second album, you will carry on doing this, and it’s not just a side project.

B: Yes we’re a team! Will do more works.

What kind of musical void does this collaboration fill for you? What does the “Helena Espvall & Masaki Batoh” have that your other bands don’t have?

H: I’m usually mostly playing the cello, for me it’s exciting to get a chance to sing and play guitar too. and also this is the only collaboration where I get to play early music, which I love. And Batoh is a very unique musician, he’s a joy to work with.

B: Classic musical aspects are what we wanted to do. We are mixture of the pure essential of phsychedelic music and classic / medieval.

So what is happening with your other bands? Any new albums of Ghost and Espers ahead?

H: Espers will release a new album on drag city later this fall.

B: Ghost is playing in Berlin soon just before Istanbul show of Helena and Batoh. Ghost is on production for new album next year hopefully.

There are 5 covers on the new album. Covers of old and anonymous tunes. How do you decide and pick the tunes and how does interpretation process follow?

H: I went to a music school in Sweden where music from all over the world was being taught, songs from Balkan, Haiti, Brazil, France and so on, and other songs I learned while traveling. Some of them stayed in my mind and I suggested to Batoh that they could be used for our duo project. Since we live continents apart, we send each other demos with different arrangements and interpretations that we try out when we get together. Some things are carefully planned out beforehand, other arrangements are happening more spontaneously in the studio. I was very hesitant to use any Swedish folk songs for the second album. But when I heard Ogino’s lovely recorder ensemble as accompaniment for Vem Kan Segla, I was convinced!

Listening yo your music I feel a huge longing to the past, ancient times, an infelicity to today’s world… Would you say that your music carries this thoughts and emotions, or do you really feel this way?

B: Thank you for your deep imagination. I really appreciate it. My belief on music is that takes listeners to far away beyond secularism. Each listener should have each own impression and trip in their minds. It’s quite natural phenomenon. But recently people seem forgetting it. Music becomes realistic material.

H: Being a woman, I prefer to live in today’s world and not in the past. But I’m deeply unhappy with many aspects of modern life: car culture, ugliness, rampant capitalism, soulless materialism, destruction of old beautiful buildings and thus minimizing possibilities for artists and others to choose simple and inexpensive housing, etc. These feelings are probably reflected in the way I live and in how I play music too.

Which music makes you wanna dance?

H: Afro beat and samba.

B: Bon odori-Japanese traditional ceremony music.

What are you listening to now-a-days?

H: Turid (swedish folk singer), Guty Cardenas (mexican singer from the 1920s and 30s),

Jordi Savall (viola da gamba player), Eric Dolphy, some Brazilian music like Novos Baianos, Joyce, Milton Nascimento, Elis Regina and more.

B: Sorry I don’t listen to music completely.

What was the best gig you’ve seen recently?

H: A silent movie by Eisenstein with live piano accompaniment by Matti Bye a couple of days ago. Brilliant and beautiful.

B: Umm….. Roy Harper in 1989?

What are you reading now-a-days?

B: Henri Michaux , Osamu Dazai

H: Ruth L. Ozeki, and “teachings of silver birch”.

What bothers you and what makes you happy now-a-days?

B: Sad: Terrible situation in Tibet caused by China. Happy: New president of US.

What is your recent favorite item?

B: Counselling therapy.

What is your favorite city in the world?

B: Maybe Marrakesh in Morocco or… Sevilla in Spain.

So, Batoh, you have been here before, what are your memories from you recent visit and what are your expectations for this one? The second question goes for you too Helena…

B: Istanbul was very strange beauty to me. It was a most wild precious stone in the middle of east and west. People were so nice in the city even in the club. So naturally they yelled and crapped with our music. We were completely fascinated by them. I wonna visit small islands if it’s possible.

H: Never been to Turkey. Very curious to see Istanbul, I’ve heard it’s enchanting…

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Bant Sunar: Talibam! @ Peyote, 13 Ekim Salı, 2009

New York’lu ikili Talibam! ile İstanbul konserleri öncesinde yaptığımız röportajı sizle paylaşıyoruz.

Bu isim nasıl size yapıştı, öğrenebilir miyiz?

MATT: 2001 yılında Amerika’nın Afganistan’ı bombaladığı ilk gün NY POST’ta yayımlanmış bir başlıktan geliyor ismimiz. Korkunç bir başlık ve dilin iğrenç bir kullanımıydı bu. Biz de bu ismi alarak anlamını ve çağrışımlarını değiştirmek istedik. Şimdi insanlar bu kelimeyi görünce bombalar yerine New York’ta müzik yapan iki tuhaf tipi düşünüyor.

KEVIN: NY POST muhafazakar zenginlerden Rupert Murdoch’a ait. Bir sonraki günün başlığı da “KABULLSEYE” idi. Basını ve anahtar kelimelerin damgaladıklarını eleştirmek bir kenara ismimiz aynı zamanda Amerika’nın dış ilişkilerine duyduğumuz nefreti de temsil ediyor.

Spontanlık müziğiniz için nerede duruyor? Ne kadarı spontan ve ne kadarı değil?
M: Bu turne için 35 şarkılık bir konser listemiz var. Ama bizim grubumuzun en keyifli tarafı her gece şarkıları farklı bir hisle ya da farklı bir tarzda çalabilmemizde yatıyor. Müzik keşif yapmak için çok elverişli. Böylece her gece aynı şeyi çalarak sıkılmıyoruz ve kendimizi sıkışmış hissetmiyoruz.

K: Plastik kompozisyonların engellerinin giriş ve çıkışlarının pazarlığını dilediğimiz gibi yapabiliyoruz. Talibam!, farklı gözüken prensip ve bağlamların plansız bir şekilde karışmasına işaret ediyor. Kendi bestelerimizi yeniden yorumladığımız, nasyonalist grup psikolojisinin sahteliğini eleştirdiğimiz, kendini geliştirme operasyonlarının sosyo politik ve çevresel ahlakını, alfa-insan teoristlerin kanunun kendiliğinden şartlanmış köleleri haline gelişini sorguladığımız bir şey.

Emprovizasyonun farklı şekil ve yöntemleri var. Enstrümanlarında çok iyi olan bir ikili olarak sizin emprovizasyon anlayışınızın cazibesinin arkasında ne yatıyor? Benimsediğiniz ve emproviazyonun nasıl yapılması gerektiğine dair kafanızda belirli fikir ve metodlar var mı?

M: Eğer seyirci önünde emprovizasyon yapacaksanız enstrümanınız hakkında bilgi sahibi olmanız şart. Böylece izleyiciyle doğrudan bağlantılar kurabilir ve müziği sadece kendi iç dünyanıza doğru bir keşif yolculuğu olmaktan kurtarabilirsiniz. Onu yatak odanızda yapmanız daha iyi olur. Ben insanların seyirci önünde eğlenmelerini izlemeyi seviyorum ve biz de bunu yapmaya çalışıyoruz.

K: Sanırım iyi bir emprovizasyon doğal olarak janr, bağlam ve stil olarak algılanan şeylerle örtüşür. Teknik icraların yeterli değişimi ve ileri yöntemler, bir timsahın ölü taklidi yapması misali yetiştirilmiş ve yetiştirilmemiş ses çıkışı kabiliyeti önemli. Bir diğer önemli şey de estetik fikrin sınırlarının dışında durmak, mümkün olan bir dolu fırsattan bihaber olarak tek bir yönteme takılıp kalmamak. Biz tarihsel süreçle kanıtlanmış bir yöntemle ya da seyircinin beklediği ve kabullendiği bir şekilde emprovizasyon yapmakla ilgilenmiyoruz. Grup ve seyirci aynı fikre sahip olunca müzik henüz konser başlamadan ölmüş oluyor. Usta müzisyenler tarafından icra edilebilir, ama biz evrensel grup cazibesiyle kişisel tatmini destekleme fikrini sevmiyoruz. Biz daha ziyade fikirlere sahip olmayan bir müziğin peşindeyiz. Ben bazen nefret ettiğim şeyler çalıyorum. Daha çok estetik bir disiplin, insanın bulduğu ve kabullendiği dersleri yok etmeye yönelik. Çok fazla müzik ve sanat insan duygularının kaygılarını vurguluyor. Ben birinin değerli fikirlerinin ötesindeki, dışarıdaki gerçeklikle kurduğu ilişkiyi gölgeleyen, kendini geliştirme ve senaryoyu kişiselleştirme adına olan sığ tuzakları yok etmek istiyorum.

Kendinizi yakın hissettiğiniz ve benzer perspektife sahip olduğunuza inandığınız müzisyenler, gruplar ve sahneler var mı?

M: Biz kocaman ve derin bir suda yüzen, birçok grupta birçok arkadaşı olan insanlarız. Ama yine de bizimle benzer şekilde çalışan insanlar bulmakta zorlanıyorum. Sevdiğimiz kişilerden bazıları: New York’tan Peter Evans, Cooper Moore, Up died sound, Zs, Child Abuse… Avrupa’dan Chops, Api Uiz, Headwar, Ovo, Vialka, But God Created Woman, Hiroshima Rocks Around.

K: Ben geniş çerçevede müzikal beceriye sahip olan ve bu sayede ses ve müziği o kadar da gerekli kılmayan yetenekli müzisyen ve bestekarlara ilgi duyuyorum. Kültürel anlamda farkındalığa sahip gruplarda çalışan, üzerlerine minik güzel kendiyle takıntılı programlar giymemeyi seçmiş, ikonlaşmış figürlerin damarlarını manipüle etmeyi bilen, popüler şarkı yazarları tarafından getirilmiş harmonik ve sahneye ait metodolojileri anlayan ve sorgulayan insanları seviyorum. Ben bir grupta olmanın ne anlama geldiğini sorgulayan grupları seviyorum. Sınırları zorlamayı sorgulayan, var oluşu öğrenilmiş olandan ziyade süreçte yatan gruplar ilgili çekiyor. Son zamanlarda sık sık Stockhausen’in 50’lerden kalma solo piyanosunu dinliyorum.

Eğlenmeyi seven bir grupsunuz. Müzikte şu an en sıkıcı bulduğunuz şeyler neler?

M: Ben bir minibüsle gelip tüm ekipmanı kirlanmış olan ve rock yıldızı gibi davranan ve kendini bir şey sanan grupları çok sıkıcı buluyorum. Ben müzikte bir drone ve ritimden daha fazlasını arıyorum. Özellikle de kolej eğitimli beyaz çocuklar tarafından icra ediliyorsa…

K: Sorgusuz sualsiz takılan grupları çok sıkıcı buluyoruz.

Plak şirketlerinden yayınlananlar dışında kendinizin albüm hazırladığı da oluyor. Hala kendi hazırladığınız albümler var mı? Yeni bir tane hazırlama planı var mı? Talibam!’ın ajandasında neler yazıyor?

M: Bu turne için yanımızda elle numaralandırılmış ve sınırlı sayıda üretilmiş üç CD’lik bir Live Talibam! setimiz var. Her CD 60 dakika ve içinde iki konser barındırıyor. Delirmek ve hayat boyu yetecek kadar Talibam! isteyenler için… New York’ta ve başka yerlerde yeni albüm kayıtları üzerinde de çalışacağız. Tabii turneden dönünce. Talibam! Hard Vibe Trio olarak saksafoncu Jon Irabagon ile ortak bir şeyler yapma planı ve “Talibam! goes to bed with Sam Kulik and discovers Atlantis” adı altında tromboncu Sam Kulik ile kayıt yapma planı var. İkili olarak da “Puff up the volume” ve “Corpse Riot” adlı iki parti albümü üzerinde çalışacağız.

K: Aynı zamanda tatiller için multimedya bir tiyatro gösterisi üzerinde çalışıyoruz. Bu senenin sonuna doğru yayınlanacak olan The Peeesseye + Talibam! CD’si var. Ocak ayı için bir Kaliforniya kış turnesi planlıyoruz ve Mart’ta da onuncu Avrupa turnemizi yapmaya hazırlanıyoruz. Nisan’da da bir Japonya turnesi olacak. Mayıs’ta ise yeniden bir Avrupa turnesi. Tüm bunlar olurken her ikimiz de farklı gruplarda çalıyor ve müsrif yaşam tarzları icra ediyoruz.

İnsanların konserleriniz hakkında harika şeyler söylüyor ve yazıyor olmaları şaşırtıcı değil. Peki sizin şimdiye kadar bu sene gördüğünüz en iyi konserler hangileriydi?

M: Benim geçen turnedeki en favori konserim Paris konseriydi. Sekiz grupla birlikte bir işgal evinde çaldık ve insanlar çılgın gibi dans ederek zıpladılar.

K: Almanya’da Moers festivalinde Mostly Other People Do the Killing adlı bir caz grubunda çalmıştım. Orada Timuçin Şahin’s 4 adlı bir Türk gitaristini izledim. Onu senenin en iyi konseri yapan davul setinde oturan Tyshawn Sorey idi.

İstanbul’daki ilk konserinizi yakında vereceksiniz. Bir süredir buraya gelmek istiyorsunuz sanırım. Burada özel olarak yapmak istediğiniz şeyler var mı?

M: Yeni yerler görmek, güzel yemekler yemek ve çevreyi gezmek istiyoruz. Bir de bir keresinde içinde harika Arap ritimleri olan bir Türk işi Casio org çalmıştım. Batıyı bir süreliğine terk ederek başka bir yer göreceğimiz için heyecanlıyız. Bizi şehrinize davet ettiğiniz için çok teşekkür ederiz. Konseri iple çekiyoruz.

K: İyi müzikler duymak için de sabırsızlanıyoruz. Geleneksel ya da değil. Amerika’da olağan olmayan müzikler duymak istiyoruz. Yakında görüşürüz!

Röp: Ekin Sanaç

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Interview by James Hakan Dedeoğlu

How were you introduced to art? When did you realise that you wanted to be an artist?

I loved “manga” very much in my childhood, so I wanted to become a cartoonist and started drawing. Maybe, every Japanese child who loves manga draws pictures like I did. I think , Japanese love mangas and illustrations more than people from other countries. There are many cartoonists and illustrators drawing for magazines, books, advertisements and CD covers, etc. I was influenced by their work, and naturally I aspired to became like them. When I was a teenager, I wanted to be an illustrator, but I actually started in my thirties which is rather late to start a career.

What and who has been your biggest influences in your art?

I’m always influenced by my travels, dance and music. I discover inspiring colors and images I’ve never seen before during my travels. I’m inspired by the beauty of women expressed in dance, and especially in Bellydance. And, music always gives me energy and passion.

In your art we see the Japanese style mixed with Indian and Asian folkloric motives… Can you tell us more about elements that create your style?

I like oriental art , like “Ukiyoe” (Japanese woodblock prints) , Indian and Turkish miniature painting. I ‘m also very inspired by some types of “Outsider art” , “Naiv art” and “Folk art”. And I also love traditional motifs like tiles and textiles. But anyway, I think my pictures are very much Japanese “manga” in style.

What kind of metarials and medias do you use in your work?

In the past, I painted with acrylic guache. But it takes too much time to finish . When I received work where I had to draw many pictures in a short time, I changed my drawing method. Now, I draw with a nomal pen, scan the drawing, and color it using Photoshop. But somtimes I still paint by acrylic guache.

Besides your books on Turkey and India, what other works are you involved in?

“Girls India!” is my first book. My other work include, illustrations for magazines and books and CD covers.And I drew illustrations for four illustrated language books

of Turkish, Hindi,Tagalog and Thai. I also write and draw illustrations in a serial installment in a Japanese bellydance magazine.

There are so many drawings in the books, it must have taken you a very long time to finish it. How long does it take you to finish one book?

From start to end , it took about a year. But I concentrated on drawing for seven months. During that period, I worked everyday for more than ten hours.

How did your interest in Turkey start? When did you first come here, and what were your first thoughts?

My first visit to Turkey was in 1994. I was very normal tourist. I went to Topkapı Palace and Ayasofya and bought a carpet…. I was fascinated by the exotic view of Istanbul and delicious foods. I had a very ordinary impression. My next series of visits were during 1996 to 1998, when my husband and I were backpackers. We stayed in Istanbul for two months each year. Istanbul was very comfortable and an incredibly beautiful city. There is a Europe-like sophistication, and on the other hand, an Asian-like chaotic energy and humanly warmth. Around that time, the prices were still cheap. We could stay for a long time with small amount of money. In 2002, we came across music by the Doublemoon label, for example Mercan Dede and Babazula. We were pleasantly shocked and felt refreshed by their music. Then I start take belly dance lessons from 2004, and I was fascinated by Sema Yıldız’s dance. We’d like to find out more about music and dance of Istanbul and its background culture. So our search for Istanbul still continues.

How did you decide to do such a book on Turkey?

The Turkish-Japanese language practice book is not my own writing. The editor asked me to draw the illustrations. This kind of illustrated book for practicing language is very popular in Japan. You can easily find such books for various languages in the bookstores. This is just a volume of the series. The editors decide design, context, direction, and illustrator. I just drew what they asked for.

But now, I would like to write my own illustrated book about Istanbul, following “Girls India!”. It would be my own book and I write the text, draw the illustrations and design it on my own.

For the book, I guess you had to observe a lot of the Turkish culture. What do you find most interesting about the Turkish culture and what kind of similarities do you see in

the Turkish and Japanese culture?

Turkey is not so easily understood as India for us. Many elements of Turkey are hiding behind the touristic picturesque landscapes. You have to go deeply and dig the mosaiques of the elements. I don’t know why I’m so interested in Turkey, but, that’s why I want to make my own book about Turkey.

I think Turkish people and Japanese people have a similar mentality and sentiments. Our language also have a similar grammatical structure. For example, I have read the book “Istanbul” written by Orhan Pamuk, and was so impressed by the word “Huzun”. We have a word “Wabi Sabi”, that means “melancholy” and our culture loves melancholy like your culture!

Are you planing on making new books on other countries?

First of all, I will concentrate on my book of istanbul .

What is the concept of your “Girls India” book? I ask this because I can’t understand the writings as they are in Japanese…

The main concept is a travel guide of India for women. In Japan, many people think India is a backpackers sacred land, an awfully place, or a land of spirituality, etc. Their impression of India is quite intense. But, In India there is wonderful culture of clothing , an unique sense of colours, movies, music and there is also Ayurveda–a system of traditional medicine, health and beauty. These kind of things attract women especially! But they are not yet well-known to Japanese. That’s why I created this book.

What is your favorite location, food and music band from Istanbul?

I like Beygolu very much, indeed. I get so excited when I see many people sitting on the narrow street, drinking at night. I feel as if something exciting will happen! And, when I wander around the streets, and see the blue Marmara sea in the background of the streets, I realize the beauty of İstanbul.

As for the food of Istanbul, I would like to say “I love everything!” I love drinking Raki and eating Mezze at Meyhane. I love eating Hamsi Tava in cheap fish restaurants!

As for music, I love Baba Zula because they have all the qualities of an Istanbul-born band. I danced with their music on the stage of Babylon and if Factory in Ankara, and I fell in love with their music again. I also love Roman music of İstanbul, as well.

What is your favorite music to listen to while you are working?

I always listen to music that fit the motif and theme of the picture I ‘m drawing.

What are you working now-a-days?

I am drawing manga for a belly dnce practice book. My Manga presents some small tip for the readers. After that, I will start to prepare for my own book.

This interview was published on Bant Magazine’s July-August 2009 issue.

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Mudhoney were to headline the Wake Up Now Festival supposely taking place in Antalya this past summer. We were too excited that couldn’t belive it was actually happening. It didn’t anyway. The festival was cancelled and we were left with the interview we realized with legendary Mark Arm.

Interview by Ekin Sanaç

Have you ever been offered to play Turkey before? Not for a festival in the south coast city Antalya, but probably Istanbul?

No we haven’t. We met a Turkish fan living in Germany in the early 90s who stressed that we should go, but this is the first time we’ve had the oportunity.

Do you like living in Seattle?

Yes. I’ve lived here for a long time and many of my close friends live here, but I’m not too attached to Seattle. I wouldn’t mind living where the water is warmer and the surfing is friendly.

How does hanging around and making music in Seattle feel different over years?

That’s kind of hard thing to answer. Things change over time and everything feels different, yet eerily similar.

What kind of a change has it gone through?

There hasn’t been a big change in how I make music, but my influences have broadened over time.

What’s your favorite thing to do in where you are living? Here in Istanbul, it’s safe to say that taking the boat to the other side is the cheapest and best thing to do!

I like to hang out with my friends and sometimes go skateboarding with those who skate.

I also enjoy hanging out at home with my family and doing nothing in particular.

How often does Mudhoney get together to rehearse and to play music?

We try to get together once a week, but that doesn’t always happen. It’s been much harder to practice since Steve moved to Portland over a year ago.

Other than playing music together, do you still hang out together as a band?

We don’t hang out as a band, but we do hang out as friends. I usually see Dan & Guy at social gatherings and I try to skateboard with Steve when he is in town and has some extra time.

In Everett True’s book “Nirvana: The Biography” I remember reading this piece where Jack Endino explains how Mudhoney was professional, how you were always rehearsed and how you always knew how to play the songs once you were there. How would you describe the balance between spontaneity and constraint or consciousness and unconsciousness when Mudhoney is writing songs and recording a new album?

I don’t know what kind of recording sessions Jack is used to doing with other bands, but we usually have a limited amount of time in the studio and it makes sense to have a pretty good idea how your songs go before you enter the studio, otherwise you risk wasting a lot of time and money.

Steve’s lead guitar playing is usually pretty spontaneous, and we are open to changing arrangements and trying things out in the studio. Also, we are usually conscious when we play and record.

You have recorded “The Lucky Ones” in a three and a half days time and that sounds like a conscious decision of what you want the record to be like. What were you aiming with this record and what have been your motivations about it?

We recorded 4-track cassette demos of all of the songs before we went into the studio so we had sketches of those songs. We were playing 5 of them on a European tour. The rest

We had to review the demos. The version of “I’m Now” on the album, was the first take of a song we didn’t know very well. We are very lucky that we ended that song all at the same time.

We didn’t expect the album to be recorded so quickly. We had another long weekend booked a month later because we figured that we might get 6 or 7 songs down and write a couple more before the next session. When we finished everything so quickly we took it as a sign from god that these 11 songs should be the album. Instead of recording more a month later, we mixed the album.

How did your not playing the guitar on “The Lucky Ones” effect the songwriting process of the album?

It allowed me to concentrate on the vocals during the songwriting process. Usually I concentrate on guitar and then I have to figure out how to fit in the vocals.

As a band who has been together for 20 years, what could you say is that keeps you together? Do you ever feel like retiring from touring and playing music?

We are semi-retired. We don’t do long tours. Mudhoney is kind of like a glorified hobby. We don’t rely on the band for our income (yes we have jobs) so we can make the kind of music we want to hear without any pressure to be commercial or “relevant”. We enjoy playing together and creating new music. We even get new opportunities at this late stage, like the chance to go to Turkey for the first time. Being in this band is very rewarding and we are lucky that we get to do things on our own terms.

Are you doing anything else than touring and making music as Mudhoney currently?

Yes, I’m living my life.

You’ve recently played as Green River for the Melvins 25th anniversary after the previous reunion shows in 2008 but it’s quite clear that Green River is only going to be playing shows and not go in the studio to record new stuff, right?

There is nothing that is clear about Green River. We have talked about doing more, and writing new songs, but it can be difficult to get all 6 of us together at the same time.

Is it too early to talk about a possible new Mudhoney album?

It’s a little early. We’ve been talking about it and have tossed some new riffs around at practice, but that is about it so far.

How do you cope with your former fans disliking what you are doing now?

We have former fans?

What’s the first ever real grunge record in your opinion?

I don’t have that opinion.

King Buzzo was quoted recently saying that if bands like Nirvana and Alice in Chains hadn’t had attractive frontmen, their bands wouldn’t have had much mainstream success. Do you agree with that?

You might want to ask TAD that question. I’ve been told (by my wife) that I’m an attractive frontman, where’s my success?

Do you wear ear plugs on stage?

No, but I do when we practice. I started doing that after I learned that I’m missing a big chunck of my hearing, the frequencies that help one distinguish consonants. But its too difficult to perform live with earplugs because all I hear is my big dumb voice.

Are there any new bands you are really into and would recommend?

Pissed Jeans, The Intelligence, The King Kahn & BBQ Show, Toe Tag (the one from Seattle).

This interview was published in Bant Magazine’s July-August 2009 issue.

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The bedside book about the city…

Following Garanti Gallery’s exhibition in DAM, Frankfurt last year, the book titled “Becoming Istanbul” has been published in 3 different languages; English, German and Turkish within the first months of this year. The book consists of over 150 topics that touch to various problematics of Istanbul, written up by almost 80 different writers. Meriç Öner, the coordinator of the project is answering some questions we ask.

Have you had already made the decisions about the format, the multi-writer feature and the content of “Becoming Istanbul” when it was just a projected book?

M.Ö.: “Becoming Istanbul” did not emerge as “another book on Istanbul”. The “Becoming Istanbul” exhibition lead to such a book project. Yet, the book is not a catalogue for the exhibition, it is more like a starting point. With its enourmous population and spacious borders, we evaluate Istanbul as a metropol today. A big number of and a rich variety of components such as Bant’s “City Star Nights by Converse concert series”, Marmaray excavations, ecologic skyscraper utopia, Istanbul Bienale, the demolition of Sulukule compose the content of this metropol. However, when we proceed to analyse, to discuss, and to explain Istanbul, we are exposed to loads of formulaic expression. Moreover, all these expressions have been repeated dozens and dozens of times and they have invaded various minds in various ways. The way to oppose this situation could not have been pronouncing another epilogue. The book’s multi-writer and multi-topic format takes off from here. In short, the construct was clear since the very first days, but we owe the richness of the book’s content to the process and the excitement of the collaborators.

Can you explain how the multi-writer feature and thus the polyphony is beneficial to this encyclopedia-like book?

M.Ö.:First of all the book is alphabetically indexed but it is not a typical encyclopedia; it is more like a bedside book. Actually it is possible to come across to such books within the last few years. But since these recognized examples point to certain disciplines, they unavoidably bring together writers who have a voice in the certain area. “Becoming Istanbul” does not have chosen topics; it has striking facts, problematics and metaphors. We wanted to go further than debating all these within one or two disciplines. Therefore we wanted to reach to writers from various backgrounds and areas. Thus, it may count as an advantage that it does not need to engage in a certain discipline and its terminology. And the alphabetical index breaks the lineer reading habits. There are typical dictionary “vide”s which enable the transition between different texts. These define a pattern relating to the city. You can move around the book. That’s why we call it a bedside book. It is not some book that can be consumed quickly at one go and with a singular point of view.

Individualism goes beyond academic standards with this book, yet without compromising from competency. This competency is surely related to the writers picking their topics themselves… What was the process of choosing writers to contribute in the book like? How did this competency reach this convenience and thus the originality?

M.Ö.: We believed that the writers we invited shared the common concerns against the formulaic expressions on Istanbul. Surely all the writers brought along their professional knowledge, but the invitation we addressed them explained that this book was not an academic publication and personal determination and experience especially mattered. We emphasized that the topics in the book were carefully chosen with the transformation of Istanbul within the last 150 years taken into consideration, yet they were all precious in a current context. So the writers, who were looking at a long list of topics with examples such as anarchy, ATM, electricity, security, hotel, beach, etc., must have guessed easily that the topic titled as “byzantine” was not supposed to be the summary of Byzantine history. One of the main reason for the convenience you mention is probably this. And another one doubtlessly is the hot trail of the editors.

This interiew was published in Bant Magazine’s March 2009 issue.

Aron Koriech explains how he came up with the idea of publishing limited edition art books and zines as the london based Mörel Books, what his motivations are and how he is making it possible.

When did you start Mörel Books and what have been your motivations?

Morel books as a concept started years ago, though its first manifestations were in early 2008.There a variety of motivations which urged Mörel books into publication.

Primarily is my love for tangible information. Books seem to have a magical quality to them with their ability to transfer ideas to its viewer, its not only their content but the relationship between the content and the actual design and materials of a book.

They have the aspect of portraying sequences as well as randomness when one flips through them. Books are intimate with the viewer, yet are shared.

On the other side of motivation, Mörel books aims to work with young innovative artists as well as the more established artists. That sort of mixing gives a democratic approach to the exchange of arts and information. We endeavor to work closely with the artist in the feel of the book, thus portraying their vision to as complete a manor as we can.

We also want to make accessing art books easier, thus we aim keeping prices as low as possible. Its a mixture of all these things which catalyzed Mörel Books.

How many of you are responsible for the publication of these little books?

The amount of people involved in a book is project dependent. It can be just between the artist and the publisher, or on the other side of the spectrum can include P.R., distributers, designers etc etc.

What’s different about books that Mörel Books put out?

Most of our books come in very limited editions and can also be ordered with a print.

We also choose to work with artists which we think have something special to give to the public. Between these two aims and keeping the books well designed and affordable, we produce some magical, simple and clean books which are treasured by those who find/pick them up.

How do you seek for artists?

We find artists and artists find us. We get a few proposals from people who would like to work with us, and we also put out proposals to people. Sometimes its by word of mouth or accident. In the case of Gerard Malanga, who used to be Andy Warhols right hand man, we were going to publish some of his poetry. He liked one our photography books and suggested doing a book on some of his found images, thus “Someone’s Life” came about.

Can you please tell us about how the book project for Edwyn Collins’ bird illustrations come about?

At the time, I was thinking of including more illustration books to our catalogue, then

one day, Edwyn’s art manager contacted me and sent me some of the bird drawings.

I was instantly amazed by them and couldn’t refuse to do the project. I then heard the full story of how the images came about after he had two cerebral hemorrhages. That added a whole new dimension to the the drawings!

What else do you do besides running Mörel Books?

Existential loitering and talking about Mörel Books. Its all very primal…

This interview with the Turkish artist Nermin Er was published in Bant’s May-June 2009 issue. This is the translated English version of the original interview.

Interview by Arzu Uzunali

Her job is animation and her passion is playing with papers, light and shadows.

We had the honour to meet and do an interview with the talented artist Nermin Er during her exhibition in Galeri Nev which was held in January and February 2009. Here’s the story:

You originally studied sculpture. How did you develop an interest towards paper as a medium?

Yes, I studied sculpture but my interest towards different mediums dates back. I have been cutting papers and making models from clay since I was very young. I am so lucky to have been able to turn this into my working area in real life. I am loving my job. I sometimes think that I am one of the loved ones. While I was studying sculpture, I mostly worked with metals, but my main subjects were silhouettes and shadows. And this lead me to always look for new materials. I have been very much into papers for a long time because I love the way they are transparent. Cutting and arranging them by taking advantage of the light and the shadows is something I developed afterwards. My sculpture education has been very useful in this sense. Let’s say, interest I have towards paper has grown into something else with the help of sculpture.

How did you start working with shadows? How did you develop the technique of placing light source behind them?

In the beginning, I was just cutting silhouettes. There was nothing behind or in front. I used to lift them up to the sunlight and look at the shadows. Then, for a while, I created spaces on top of the table resembling 3 dimensional towers. Because of the direct light, there appeared direct shadows. When I looked at it, I sensed something was missing. I was excited to think about the possibility of creating mid-tones. This is actually how the game started.

Were you influenced by the classical paper artworks? Paper art has been present in Ottoman art as well as Japanese culture…

No, my interest was grown later. I didn’t know about the paper cutting art named “Katı” in Ottoman. I am not very young, I don’t really remember the 3 dimensional tale books from my childhood, but I vaguely remember seeing one in someone’s house. When you open that book, the whole environment changes. When you see the paper standing up, it takes its place in the world you are living in. I was very moved by this, although I don’t exactly remember how old I was when I saw it. I think that day has an influence. Other than that, I used to play with clay a lot. One can develop things as playing games.

Paper art has a childish side to it. However when you include the shadows it becomes darker. Which side reflects you better?

To me shadow is more dreamy than it is dark. I think you can comment on shadow differently according to the impression it leaves on person. About the childish side, I used to draw a lot of charicatures when I was in school and I had picked animation as a job; they all belong to me. Therefore they are not coincidential but they don’t seem dark to me. I like the effects of shadows. I have tried working with shadows through other materials.

There are short stories to your works. People who have this kind of imagination usually have good storytellers around them. Is there such influence in your life?

As far as I remember there were good storytellers in my family but I cannot say I have heard a lot of good stories. It was more like a traditional thing. But for example we always had the radio on in our house. There was always the sound of the radio. I think radio has such an influence. The sounds you don’t see or know directly triggers your imagination. Maybe that had an effect, but it never occurred to me before as such before you asked me about it. I remember hearing a lot stories through radio. Sounds are always meant to be imitated and stories trigger the imagination. I am always curious of sounds and I always try to make little sounds, imitate them. It is again no different than playing games.

How do you start a piece? Do you usually have the story ready or do you sit in front of a table and start it?

Usually some topics come to my mind. And the first thing appears about a topic is like a stain. This stain is the one thing that I want to be seen first. After that, I build the rest of the composition. It’s not really like something that you sit in front of a table and start doing. However, there has been times like that too. But usually I have the topic before I start. Sometimes I write about the topic on a piece of paper. Not drawing but writing. For example I start cutting from the one thing that I want to emphasize most. For this exhibition, there was this guy who had his feet in the water. The feet in water was the one thing I thought first about that, I had dreamt of having my feet inside the water. Then came the rest of the composition. It was also true for the bats. I wanted to create the image of seeing them by chance inside the cave. They are in their natural environment, inside the cave, but we are not. They are just staring, not posing, just looking with their eyes wide open.

How long does it take to complete a piece?

That depends. If the composition is done in my head I sometimes can finish the piece in a really short time since I have become really fast in terms of the technique now. I don’t waste time with it. In cases like that I can finish a piece in about 2 or 3 days. But for example there was this piece in the exhibition which had 1 milimeter squares behind it… Making only those squares took about two and a half month. The forest piece took about 3 months. It really depends if I have the composition ready in my head or not.

What materials do you use?

I usually use white cansons. Not the thickest ones though, since they have to be half transparent for I use the light. Other than that, I may use very transparent papers too like for example when I want to picture the water, the smog or the fire. But usually the white cansons. I like working with accessible materials where the work is totally dependent on the idea. I try to think that way too. You can get the material I use from every stationery. Not the material but the idea to be rare is exciting for me.

Paper is not a durable material. Do you have any concerns about this?

Actually the early works I have done have been ruined for they haven’t been exhibited properly and for I didn’t really take good care of them. But this way, they are in closed boxes. There’s glass in front and there’s the light at the back. I have works dating back to 10-15 years which have been exhibited this way and they are fine. Other than that, I don’t find this really important. I like doing them and showing them and I don’t think there’s really more to it. I try to shoot them as good as possible which is really difficult. Since they are 3 dimensional they look like illustrations and it is hard to balance the colours, etc… They are just photos that describe the works. At least I try to do that but I try not to worry too much. Like us, they live and die if they have to.

You work with detailed stuff. Cutting the papers one by one, the shadows, etc… Does this working style also reflect your personality too?

No, I am only like that with my work. I am not that obsessive. I am obsessive with the work but you have to see my wardrobe and my house. There shoudn’t be the scarf in the socks drawer. They should all be socks and hang out there…

The traits of the city life are really present in your work…

Yes, the city is definitely there but I also really like the nature. I can’t go out camping here and there but at home the tv is always on with the nature documentary channels. I read about it a lot too. I like reading books about the way animals think. I really like it. I was born in the city but grew up in a house woth a garden. In a way they merge, I don’t think they are really seperated.

How did the first personal exhibiton in Gallery Nev take place?

It was in October, 2004. Before that I participated in some other exhibitions too. In year 2000, I participated in an Istanbul themed exhibition in Aksanat. The same year, the same work was exhibited in Israil too. Similar exhibitions took place in Mental Klinik the same year. The theme was game and I had prepared toys with paperworks. But in order to survive I do animation in an agency and it is quite a busy job. Therefore there are long gaps between the exhibitions.

Was this last exhibition which presented you only exciting for you?

Even though it wasn’t my first exhibition, it was really exciting for me. The first one did pretty well too but because there has been a long time in between the two it was kind of tense. I was kind of worried that it would remain below the first one but I got really good feedback.

Who was interested?

I got feedback from both youngsters and from middle aged and over middle aged people. Since I am also doing animation and standing in a more trendy spot, I had thought that it would only be young people but it wasn’t like that and I was quite happy about it. It’s not about the age when you find something of an interest, it just pulls you. I actually know this from myself.

You are doing an original work in Turkey, and using original materials. Are there any similar works that you follow

I haven’t actually scene works with shadows. And as I said earlier, since I am working with another medium I can’t really follow these things. But I think one has to stick to individuality. You have to take risks.

What effects does animation have in your life?

I studied sculpture but I was cutting papers and working with clay even before that and I find this really lucky. I am lucky in the sense of doing jobs that define me. Animation is not a very monotonous job. It is not a job that you cannot carry into your life. I am creating a character. In order to create animation characters, every single thing in life is important. Otherwise you cannot do the job. I mean, tomorrow I may have to do the character of the tea glass I am drinking tea from at the moment. I have to look at this glass and dream about it. Therefore I am not doing some job that becomes someone completely else when I get home. Everything you see is a material and a supporter. I think this effects me positively.

What characters have you created so far?

Turkcell chicken, Pinar dolls, Petrol Ofisi mole, Max lion, Avea cuckoo. There are many actually. I work at Anima, it is a good animation agency. We have created long living characters.

What animation characters are you a fan of?

From the older days, I am definitely a fan of Pink Panther. Other than that, there are not many old ones but there are many new ones. Pixar’s many works, Ratatouille; I am a fan of every single character in the family. There are so many more from the current works actually.

“Ya da?” in Turkish is known to English speakers as “or”. It’s the name of the design brand which is lately created by graphic designer Aslıhan Özgen and architect Nuray Togay. They have created the “white series” that consists of extraordinary patterned and hand binded notebooks and they are available in various spots in Turkey. Here is a short interview with the creators.

How did the idea of making notebooks first occurred?
Today, there are hundreds, thousands of types to every single object. And it’s boring that the varieties are only repeating each other in such wealth. For example, notebooks are objects which are produced in high amounts and consumed casually. It’s challenging for us to think that even though there are so many different types to them, they are produced in strict standards. Not that it’s bad to have standards; but notebooks tend to be more free objects, yet they always are made up of lines with constant distances. However, notebooks are like playgrounds where everyone can express themselves however they want. In order to make the user conscious of this, we started the process with the lines. We challenged the order and the stability and gave it a white binding. White being a messy colour is also helping the freeing of the object. It scares the buyer, but it was intended. You can wipe them clean, don’t worry about it. The production process was quite adventureous. Hand-binding issue complicated the whole process.

Do the hand-binding process point out that you actually hand made them in your studio?
Having our own studio is the one thing we want to have most. But we don’t have one yet. We transformed the printing houses’ bookbinderies to studios and this was quite extraordinary since we kind of unsettled their territory. But with all the staff, except for the bosses, we had so much fun. We were there during the whole process, even as much as asking the printing houses to start paying us salaries. We needed to be there all the time because of the sensitivity the work requires and the current conditions of the printing houses.

So is the reason behind the “limited amounts” a result of both wanting to create a special products and giving it a hand touch?
Hand-binding is not the only reason behind the limited amounts of production. It would be a controversy to talk about mass production with the things we did and will be doing that question the relations beteen consumption and design. We are not after growing habits. We are after building consciousness. This is a game for us and there are many more different notebooks we want to create.

What kind of difficulties did you face while producing the notebooks?
The easy models we made became inextricable once we started trying to produce them. There were even more problems to be overcomed while we were at the point of “What else could go wrong from no on?” The biggest obstacle was the current system in printing houses being suitable for mass production. And when you want to do something else, the system does not let you do that very easily. This is very particular to Turkey. “Boutique” therefore cannot improve here. That might bring up the question: If the production is that difficult in Turkey, why do we insist on doing it here? It’s because the common situation of buying the design from outside and producing the inner materials outside is irritating us.

You have a strong manifestational ground like “a life beyond consumption”… What determines you to define such a stage in terms of the current designing ideologies?
Ya da is a brand that wants to be alternative. Instead of reproducing what already is there, we move on by questioning the standards and usual habits. That’s why we called it “a life beyond consumption”. Ok, we are aware that there is no escape from consumption but we believe that today the designer has to take some risks. Instead of taking off from the habits of the market and doing what is told to be “good”, change has to take place. If the boundaries are not pushed, there is no way for the design neither to be placed in its correct place, nor to be demanded.

www.yadatasarim.com