UTOPIAN ASSEMBLY OF REBELLION

THE MANIFESTO OF UTOPIAN ASSEMBLY OF REBELLION

Utopian Assembly of Rebellion accepts that the concepts of good and goodness bring the concepts of evil and evilness with them when they are discussed, and that no absolute definition can be made for any of these concepts. To the assembly, the main problem with these concepts is to remain “NONCHALANCE”, both on an individual and a societal scale. Likewise, as people do not see any bond or similarity between themselves and animals, humans or nature that are exposed to an evil behavior, they never think that they are likely to face the same situation for a behavior they call evil. For this reason, nobody take a stand against evil and do maintain their nonchalance, assuming that such evils and events will only happen to those who are not in their immediate environment and to "OTHERS". As Kant claims, benevolence can be unlimited because we can love goodness without doing anything, but doing good, action of goodness is more difficult. Che Guevara's revolutionary perspective and words about not being nonchalance to injustice and violations of rights are the inspiration of the assembly. There are so many conceptual similarities and common goals between Revolution and Utopia, between Revolutionist and Utopian. The Utopian Assembly Of Rebellion is THE HEADQUARTER OF REBELLION created by the design of a REVOLUTIONIST UTOPIA against the problem of nonchalance.

The assembly is made up of "others" who are alienated by society and authority, who defeat their rights and want the better. Assembly has a dissident attitude. The Assembly attributes rebellion as a human and fundamental action, with the acceptance that the “urge to rebel” is inherent in human nature, as put forward by Albert Camus in his work "L'Homme Révolté". It is an activist assembly that challenges all authorities and status quo against injustices and inequalities. LGBTQIA people with different sexual preferences, ecological activists, women, human, worker, child and animal rights defenders, justice seekers and those who are not satisfied with the current conditions and want the better, come together within the assembly.

ACTORS of rebellion are "others" and everyone is considered to be a "POTENTIAL OTHER" in the assembly and it is possible for everyone to identify themselves with others with the "LIMINALITY" approach.

THE ASSEMBLY IS THE UTOPIAN THRESHOLD OF THIS REVOLUTION WHERE EVERYTHING IS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN. BECAUSE THIS THRESHOLD IS BOTH A POINT OF CONTACT AND A SEPARATION POINT, AND A PLACE OF UNIFICATION WHERE PEOPLE FREELY, ACT TOGETHER AS THEMSELVES AND SHOUT IN THE FACE OF AUTHORITY THAT THEY WON’T LOOK DOWN.

At this point, I would like to define the authority within the scope of the concept. Said authority; The United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights, which were indifferent to the rights violations committed against civilians during the war in the Middle East; even in 2020, the United States parliament and president, who could not adequately react to racist rhetoric and behavior; pro- and collaborative media bosses who do not respect the freedom of press and expression; employers who tend to enslave and exploit their workers, disregarding their rights; institutions and organizations that lack the ability to act effectively against fires in all parts of the country; government officials who do not even aim to create employment in a society where primary school children faint from hunger at school, income inequality is extreme and more than half of them live below the hunger line; dysfunctional judiciary bodies that have concluded that it would not be a problem for abusers to walk among us, as if rewarding child and animal abuse; mindsets that imprison artists, intellectuals, journalists, and even university students, by capturing them because they do not think like themselves or dare to ask questions; bullies who beat LGBTQIA individuals on the streets and dragged them on the ground because they had the courage to be themselves despite everyone; assemblies that have not deigned to pass animal rights laws for years; persons who have no concern to prevent murders and rapes of women and who terminate the ISTANBUL CONVENTION that guarantees women's rights and is in force; or in their collective opening ceremonies, “My house was burned in the fire, I HAVE NO ONE!” they are governments that ignore a people forced to shout.
Due to the influence and success of VIDEO ACTIVISM and SOCIAL MEDIA in the GEZİ REBELLION, the assembly increases the power of its activist actions through video activism, makes it’s call and sets up GATHERING CHOREOGRAPHY by going out into the STREET and OCCUPAYING THE PUBLIC SPACE in this way. MEKE LAKE is one of the most recent areas that we have destroyed due to nonchalance and its SURREAL APPEARANCE that can be a NEW THRESHOLD, in this context, Meke Lake has a MONUMENTAL FUNCTION and significance as one of the best reminders of our COLLECTIVE MEMORY embedded in our COLLECTIVE FORGETFULNESS. That’s why it was chosen as the headquarter of the assembly and rebellion.

In the end, the call of the Utopian Assembly of Rebellion, due to our nonchalant attitude towards each other, good and evil, before disappearing like Meke Lake, it is to revolt and organize against all authorities as revolutionists and remind everyone that the "other" actually consists of us and that we are the others.

THIS IS A CALL FOR ACTION!

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN DECISIONS

- The Assembly claims that there is a “BETTER LIFE” alternative. The Assembly’s attempt to exist with its architecture in such an extinction zone, symbolizes the “REBELLIOUS AND REVOLUTIONARY” architectural attitude of the assembly.

- It is respectful to the dimensions of meke lake and it’s existence on the site. Assembly’s battle for visibility is not with the Meke Lake, but with authority. That’s why Project is buried in the ground, except the main gathering area. The assembly strengthens the bond it establishes with the memory of Meke, by taking its power from the land that makes up the place and with volcanic rocks of Meke, which are became parts of the building.

Designer: Bengisu Yaman

Instructors: Assoc. Dr. Ülkü İNCEKÖSE, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ebru YILMAZ