Fatoş Oyuncakları (Fatoş Toys), 1971-73 products. Courtesy Fatoş İnhan.
One
and the Many is a research-based
exhibition that looks into the production and distribution of things.
It tackles the period 1955–95 in Turkey, by following the material
results of gradual industrialization as well as its contingent
infrastructural disposals. The exhibition frames the topic primarily
through stories of selected artifacts common to the ’80s, a period
when industrial products met a voluminous consumer market for the
first time.
The
research and narrative of One
and the Many
are structured around the notion of genuine copies. Questioning our
standard expectation of ingenuity versus the opportunity of building
atop each other’s ideas, the exhibition suggests a fresh
perspective on the history of production in Turkey. From the
early-day assembly industry, to today’s abundant copyright
infringing replicas, copies have been scrutinized from both economic
and intellectual viewpoints. The exhibition brings together artifacts
from a variety of industries—automotive, white goods, furniture,
toy, stationery, pret-a-porter, textile, food and beverage,
tableware, cutlery, and hygiene—inviting users to value things per
se, in order to recognize the ingenuity prompted by circumstances and
appreciate copying as a method of learning.
One
and the Many
was produced with rich contributions from collaborating industries,
professionals, consultants, academics and students who provided
various ideas, content and narrations. The exhibition is part of the
five-year program The Uses of
Art — The Legacy of 1848 an1989,
organized by L’Internationale.
September
6–November 13, 2016
SALT
Galata
Istanbul
