Azra Aksamija

>Slideshow

Wearable device (2014)
Commissioned by the Festival New Hamburg, German Theater, Hamburg, DE

Wanderjahre #1 [Journeyman Years] speaks to cultural and political dimensions of labor migration, of which the post-war influx of Turkish migrants in Germany is a classic example. The hard hat references the heavy labor of the first generation of Turkish migrant workers, the Gastarbeiters (guest workers) who were invited to Germany during the economic boom in the 1960s and 1970s. These migrant workers brought cultural traditions with them, as indicated by the 16th century Iznik pottery decoration on the helmet. The hard hat is made out of porcelain to create a contrast between the toughness of a covering used in dangerous labor and the fragility of expatriates’ migratory experiences, especially given that many families chose not to return to Turkey. Today, these guest workers’ fundamental role in creating Germany’s economic miracle is forgotten by nativist protests over the construction of mosques and other markers of Turkish and/or Islamic identity. Controversies over the public visibility of the Turkish minority group in Germany—with echoes of the sinister history of marginal groups in the Nazi era—and increasing polarization over the presence of “Islam in the West,” speak to the old continent’s challenges in coming to terms with its own history of imperialism, colonialism, orientalism, and competing nationalisms. The aim of this project is to destabilize the misconstrued and essentialist perceptions of Gastarbeiters’ identity in Germany by linking it to contemporary global politics of migrant labor and exploitation, also in and through architecture.

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Project commissioned by the festival New Hamburg by German Theater (DeutschesSchauSpielHaus), produced for the exhibition New Hamburg Gallery in Hamburg Veddel, curated by Adnan Softić

Materials: hard hat, 2 porcelain helmets, ceramic paint, glazing

Dimensions: 25 x 15 x 30 cm

Concept, design, and artistic direction: Azra Akšamija

Production: Nurgün Yavuz (ceramic painting), Ayşegül Aras (assistant designer, ceramic painting), Selim Yazıcı (ceramic craftsmanship), Mahir M. Yavuz (communication), Nina Softić (project coordination).