Artists Defne Tesal and Murat Yildiz live and work in Istanbul, Turkey and in Den Bosch in the Netherlands. Tesal has graduated from Mimar Sinai University and Yildiz from the Technical University in Istanbul. This is their second residency period at KulttuuriKauppila. Previously they were in Ii in October to December 2016.
“Ii offers space to be humane and develop as a human being. There is plenty of creative space and time here.” Yildiz explains the reasons why the artists wanted to return to Ii. “It is the silence that calls us. In Ii there is much more personal space than in bigger cities,” Tesal adds.
Now they are taking part in the KK AiC (Artist-in-Community) programme by working together with mental health rehabilitators from Oulunkaari health and social services. The visit is part of the Lähde! Empowering Daily Life Through Art project (ESF 2017-2020).
Together with the mental health rehabilitators Tesal and Yildiz will work on the project Dream News, which will become a printed newspaper. “Usually news is about problems and past events. We want to look into the future to dreams and hopes,” Yildiz explains. Dream News will be distributed widely, from libraries to political leaders, and will also be able to be read in the newly built Lähde! Park.
Tesal and Yildiz will take part in the Valon juhla – Festival of Light on Thursday 21 November at 17:00-18:00 in Lähde! Park behind the Ii health centre.
“The most important thing is to be together. You don’t need to express yourself all the time,” Tesal concludes.