Orkan Telhan presents the outcomes of an ongoing research project centered on an investigation in Istanbul’s historical gardens and how they endure social, environmental, and political challenges over 1500 years. The talk features artworks and scientific research that foregrounds the less-visible aspects of the gardens, discussing the roles gentrification, immigration, nationalism, and the climate crisis in shaping their meaning in the public imaginary.
This March 25, 2022 talk by Orkan Telhan ("Where Do Gardens Come From? And Where Do They Go?") is the first of the virtual series BioArt Visionaries Talks @CBIS, presented by The Sanctuary for Independent Media's NATURE Lab initiative in conjunction with Rensselaer Polytechnic institute's Center for Biotechnology, Arts Department, and School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.
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www.orkantelhan.com
www.rpi.edu
Orkan Telhan investigates critical issues in cultural, environmental and social responsibility. He is Associate Professor of Fine Arts–Emerging Design Practices at the University of Pennsylvania, Stuart Weitzman School of Design. He holds a PhD in Design and Computation from MIT’s Department of Architecture. He was part of the Sociable Media Group at the MIT Media Laboratory and a researcher at the MIT Design Laboratory. Telhan is a co-founder of Biorealize and the head of foundry engineering at Ecovative. Telhan’s individual and collaborative work has been exhibited internationally in venues including the Istanbul Biennial (2013), Istanbul Design Biennial (2012, 2016, 2021), Milano Design Week, London Design Week, Vienna Design Week, the Armory Show 2015 Special Projects, Ars Electronica (2007, 2017), ISEA, LABoral, Archilab, Matadero Madrid, Architectural Association, the Architectural League of New York, MIT Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Walker Art Center, and the Design Museum, London. www.orkantelhan.com.
BioArt Talks @CBIS are an online series of one hour lunchtime presentations given by internationally recognized bioartists. Bioartists work with biological materials, consider bioethics, and look at the materiality of biosystems and the technologies used in biotechnology and scientific research. These artists cover a broad range of fascinating topics including research into lost environmental microbial systems, cognitive states of mind and behavior, biomechanical prototyping of assisted device design, colony-building with non-humans, and queering hormone disruption. The BioArt Talks @CBIS artists include: Orkan Telhan, Heidi Boisvert, Aisen Caro Chacin, Anna Lindemann, and Mary Maggic.
