Controlled Denotations
Elçin Marasli, Turkey
| Controlled Denotations
: Elçin Marasli, Istanbul, Turkey, December 2012 The Latin word for book is “liber” which also refers to the inner bark of a tree, and the concept of freedom. The front cover of a book is most often compared to skin, or perhaps clothing. As much as it is a flat surface, a smooth, glossy, hard, or paperback object, it is also a bodily relatable entity; it is very human. Before it can be called a book, Controlled Denotations is an imaginary term coined to help us denote primary meanings of words and images, and challenge processes of abstraction that assign them symbolic significance for ideological purposes. By constructing a poetic/metaphoric discourse around the 2007 car bombing on al-Mutanabbi Street, the book aims to transform itself into a shared, moral act. It is an anthology of found visuals and a critical essay regarding Internet's distribution and ownership of images and words in the recording and preservation of the history of 2007 al-Mutanabbi Street car bombing. Controlled Denotations uses one last metaphor with profound intentions to make realize that ideology itself is a metaphor. It can, however, be overcome through our very literal acts as simple as breathing, touching skin, changing clothes, or reading a book. Dimensions: 7.5”x7.5”; Material: Digitally designed/ Print on Demand/ Perfect Bound Artists' Book (56 pages) Elçin Marasli, M.A. 2013 Candidate Visual and Critical Studies. Elçin began her journey in the US with a B.F.A. in Studio Arts at School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and a minor in Mass Communications from Tufts University, Medford. She is now pursuing an M.A. degree in Visual and Critical Studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Elçin finds it most important that her art and research is conversational, always encouraging audience engagement, realisation of shared concerns, hopes, and on a deeper level, augmenting collective critical thinking. She is currently occupied with theoretical writings on popular visual culture, and she specifically enjoys spending time reading world literature. elcinmarasli@gmail.com http://elcinmarasli.com/home.html |