eylem:duygu

The PhD research on The Politics of the Balcony in Contemporary Art explores the visual politics of public space and art practices that deal with political histories. It focuses on the balcony as a site of public address and representational space of power, a liminal space between the private and public realms, between the inside and outside, between the “above” and “below”. It investigates the political meaning of the balcony through visual and performative analysis of two recurring acts: balcony speeches by political figures in the last century and contemporary art practices on or related to the balcony. Using media photographs that have captured the political action in balcony speeches, it deconstructs the images of power to explore different aspects of political representation through elements of architecture, the performance of bodies, and assembly in public space. It aims to reveal the symbols and dynamics of creating a representational space of power and investigates how this knowledge is used in artistic strategies. 

The balcony has been a contested subject, a critical place, an image, and a statement in contemporary art through photographs, video works, paintings, performances, installations, interventions, exhibitions, etc. By analysing a wide range of contemporary artworks that directly or indirectly involve the space of the balcony in relation to their political and social context, the research critically examines the artistic strategies in dealing with a space of political power. How can art respond to public spaces with troubling histories without reproducing the performance of hegemonic power or creating an image of oppositional power, but instead appropriating public space for a critical reflection and negotiation of power? Researching the relations between balcony speeches, the public sphere, and artistic practices offers new perspectives on the public function and political philosophy of the balcony, and I hope will contribute to debates on artistic strategies dealing with power and representation in public space.