Cabinets of curiosity, theaters of the world
The trompe l’oeil painting above, dating to 1690, testifies to the importance that cabinets of curiosities had attained all over Europe by the end of seventeenth century, bringing viewers face to face with the curator’s conception of the entire world.
De-colonizing the “Universal Museum”
Museums are deeply political spaces, tied to very specific histories and contexts. The reality is that the “universal” museum is not universal at all.
Initial reflections (2) on Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “Ahlat Ağacı” (The Wild Pear Tree)
Both dialogues are interesting not just for their content. The movement and physical position of the characters while the conversations take place is also worth noting. Both dialogues begin on a hillside overlooking the community, and as the conversation takes place, the characters move downward, into, and across the community.
Reflections (1) on Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “Ahlat Ağacı” (The Wild Pear Tree)
Sinan’s personal struggle strongly suggests an autobiographical element. Nuri Bilge Ceylan grew up in a small town slightly to the east of Çan, which is a one-hour bus ride east of Çanakkale (on the Dardanelles) over the Kayacı Mountains. Ceylan’s home town is called Yenice, and he had to start from the bottom, with no help whatsoever, to make his own name in Turkish cinema. This is perhaps echoed in the way Sinan is trying to break out through literature.
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