My perception of and relationship with dance and performance have evolved significantly since graduating from a related bachelor’s program in Istanbul. Initially rooted in set movements and result-oriented dance performances, my practice expanded towards interdisciplinary improvisations, site-specific explorations in urban spaces, nature, and the profound ancient landscapes of the Aegean coastline. This journey became a process of unlearning and reflecting on a desire to broaden the scope of my performativity—once deeply intertwined with indigenous cultures—beyond the confines of the “black box” into alternative and traditional performance settings.
This exploration continued until the onset of the pandemic, which forced us into restricted movement and led to diverse bodily research within the domestic space. During this time, I revisited televised stage performances and encountered works by emerging choreographers with innovative stage designs. This rekindled my admiration for the stage, compelling me to reconnect with the stage while integrating my past experiences and future aspirations.
The seed of my idea was to create a participatory performance—one that dissolves the boundary between audience and performer, fostering a communicative space through movement, contact, expression, and collective creativity. My conceptual map was drawn from the displacement and misplacement story of my grandfather. Through performance, I sought to empathise with his emotions and efforts on making a new, unknown place home. Using my body and chalk, I traced lines of searching for belonging, while audience contributions transformed the space into a shared act of homing. This process of embodiment, collective memory, and reimagining mirrored a kind of daylighting—the act of bringing hidden narratives and histories back to visibility, much like reviving lost rivers.
Cartographic Echoes became my first officially produced piece in England. Alongside my audience, I engaged with non-human bodies—bark, flax, dried leaves, and mosses on the stage. Moving with and through these elements, sensing their textures, scents, and forms, allowed my body to transform, deepening my ecosomatic awareness and expanding my sense of presence beyond natural environments. These organic materials reminded me of both the fragility and resilience in life, exposing the fluidity of time concept and our capacity to move beyond imposed linearity of it. They echoed the long-standing companionship between humans and plants, reinforcing a profound connection to the natural world. Through this performance, I was able to write and rewrite my grandfather’s story—alongside countless other shared narratives of displacement—stories that remain timeless and universal.
Last but not least, I want to express my deep gratitude to the collaborative environment provided by Schumacher College, Dartington Arts, and Plymouth University. The convergence of academic insight merged with artistry, holistic philosophy, and ecological awareness created fertile ground for my research and for the realization of this daylighting experience. Under the guidance of Dr. Rachel Sweeney, I was encouraged to access and trust the authentic layers of my creative self—particularly those tied to my cultural memory and mother tongue. Sensing the inclusive atmosphere through her mentorship not only created a safe and rigorous space for exploration, but also helped me understand how my voice could emerge with greater clarity and confidence, free from external expectations or the need to translate myself into other frameworks.
Finally, this performance, and the process of developing it, became a pivotal point in my journey as an artist. It expanded my perception of the stage as a living site for dialogue, remembering, and transformation. This experience didn’t just add to my artistic toolkit—it also empowered me to move forward with deeper integrity, resilience, and rootedness in body, story and ability to go beyond the stories by multiplied ways of applied research and performance.
*This writing has been published online with the invitation of Funmi Adewole, De Montfort University https://www.fepdn.net/2025/05/09/449/