thepalliativeplay

palace of the homoludens..

I. MARKINGS: FULL-EMPTY INTERROGATION AND ALLEGATIONS

In the set of patterns and markings where I began by questioning the relationships between fullness and emptiness, I progressed by generating porous structures. Sometimes, by deforming the full areas and other times the empty ones, different volumes, networks, and spaces can be created. In this structure, developed and derived from the relationship between fullness and emptiness, contrasting spaces were formed as if viewed through an X-ray machine. When observed, a parallax effect is created, encompassing various contrasting contexts within it. This porous structure, marked like a cover at the top of an abyss, aims to be a solid mass in the middle of nothingness, pursuing the creation of irony even within its own essence.

II. SITE: YILANLI OBRUK

This sinkhole, unlike one within a communal plateau of sinkholes, stands more solitary and on the fringes, existing alone with its own nothingness. When one arrives here, they are left to confront a sense of detachment from life, amidst a scale-less void. Even the nearest Meke Lake is not visible from here. The progression or regression, or in other words, the transience of the sinkholes, reminds one of the impermanence of life, space, situations, and the solutions that can be created in response to these situations. In such a transient place, answers to the idea of creating a structure or a temporary commune start with the question, "Why would anyone come here?"

III. MANIFESTO OF BLINDNESS (?): FORMATION OF A COMMUNE

âmâ : the blind (kör)

In this palace, blindness is sacred. Those we call blind are actually people with certain visual impairments (in reality, they are the kings of this palace, shhh). This visual impairment could be color blindness where colors cannot be distinguished, diplopia which causes double vision, Todd's syndrome which leads to distorted perception making objects appear larger or smaller than they are, or metamorphopsia where straight objects appear curved... In this palace, these are considered superpowers rather than illnesses. This group consists of people eager for life's novelties and fun, enthusiastic to discover new things. In this community, which still has a zest for life, enthusiasm, passion, socialization, and openness to new experiences prevail.

"There are games and everyone is having fun."

amaroz: the seeing blind (bakarkör)

This is the name given in the palace to people who no longer have anything to look forward to in life. This group forms a "survivors" society dominated by the hysteria of survival. Too alive to die and too dead to live. In this community, where there is no longer any zest for life, withdrawal, solitude, exhaustion, and boredom prevail. These people spend their days in distractions. They do not feel happiness or pain, because when pain is blocked, happiness becomes bland and turns into a boring comfort. And this community wishes to spend their days in this comfortable, boring ease.

"There are games and no one is having fun."

potential commune

In response to the question of how and why these two communities matter, Nietzsche's definition of pain and happiness can be roughly applied. Pain and happiness are twin siblings; they either grow together or remain stunted together. These two groups, viewing life from different perspectives and with different expectations, can form an ideal commune fostered by contrasts and the gradients created by these extremes, feeding off or influencing each other. The more opposite two things are, the more varied and numerous the tones between them.

The palace, which metaphorically interprets blindness and defines these blindnesses with different epithets, offers both separate and joint temporary solutions and distraction strategies to these two communities.

palliativeness

a temporary fix that is not a deep solution, a makeshift or provisional remedy

Creating a solution that distracts the "amaroz" society and excites the "âmâ" community cannot go beyond being temporary for people who consume things quickly. This community, coming together temporarily in a temporary place of a temporary life, forms a palliative commune. A palliative commune requires palliative solutions. Thus, palliative games emerge.

Transience of life + Transience of place + Transience of situations + Transience of solutions =

Palliative commune = Palliative games

IV: GAME: HOMOLUDENS (PERSON THE PLAYER)

In his book Homo Ludens, Johan Huizinga states that play is a part of human behavior and demonstrates how society is shaped, communicates, and establishes its norms. Play is not just a form of entertainment but a serious matter with rituals. It has the power to hold societies together and connect people. Play represents a transition from ordinary life to a state of being different, without a specific benefit or necessity.

This palace hosts a performance society. In an active society, there is no place for the passivity of suffering. This activeness is maintained through games in this palace. Games with specific rituals that have become sacred, symbolically correspond to certain activities. For those who no longer have anything to look forward to in life, these games are boring and serve as a way to kill time. However, for those who are eager to see new things in life, these games become sacred and unique experiences. In this theatrical drama, the one constant for the players remains the same: being part of a palliative game.