Greek Photini Papahatzi and Turkish Ece Eledek co-creating the “HOME” book
Late September and October 2023 artists Photini Papahatzi and Ece Eldek met in Istanbul to co-create the photobook of Photini. Photini was invited by Anadolu Kültür in the framework of Mobility for Creativity call, supported by Anna Lindh Foundation.
"I am grateful to Anadolu Kültür and to AnnaLindh Foundation that geve me this opportunity to nvite me to Istanbul to design in tandem with the artist and graphic designer Ece Eldek a photobook that includes the diary "Mapping of trace" and my HOME photos. This intercultural initiative took place in the framework of Mobility For Creativity and took place for a month at the end of September 2023.
"Mapping of trace" is a diary email correspondence between writer Apostolis Artinos and Photini Papahatzi, during the creation of HOME, in 2016. This is Photini’sPapahatzi personal history as a third-generation refugee. HOME has a personal starting point which is the actual and symbolic quest of the artist’s grandmother’s house in Burdur, Turkey (formerly Polydorion). It traces the route of her forced migration that she took in 1922 from Burdur to Izmir. It is a self-reflective project, like a visual diary, including photographs, videofootage, interviews, archival research, personal and found objects from theareas where the enforced immigration has happened.
This intercultural initiative namely the creationof the dummy for a photobook is important for this is an act of creativity to take place in the nation where my ancestors left from. It's a symbolic act, a creative act for peace and reconciliation when the news is filled with battle cries between the two countries. It's an act of intercultural dialogue because it underlines the culture that unites us, it’s an attempt to share the different histories, face the transgenerational trauma and heal with creativity and art through incorporating past experience. It is the act of resolvement that opens a space for dialogue and future expectation. In our times, the notions of residence, community and homeland, wherever one feels safe and accepted, has his roots and develops his social and family relations, are no longer a certainty."
Photini Papahatzi
“I am the designer of the book called "home" by Photini Papahatzi. We started working together months ago, before our main schedule. We talked and wrote to each other about the project. We base our ideas on the design and also on the story of the book. We talked a lot about the story and about Greece and Turkey.
When Photini came to Istanbul, we met several times in person. We talked a lot, we shared our feelings. Photini wondered about my feelings about the project and especially about the letters between her and the writer "Apostolis Artinos". We talked and at the same time we worked on the design of the book. We had texts and pictures. The texts were the emails between her and the writer. The texts were so deep. These emails were written like letters. That's why we wanted to separate the text side of the book within the book design. We made closed pages as the design of the book. And we put this text inside the closed pages. If people want to read this book, they have to open the closed pages. It brings "curiosity" to the reader. And also it keeps the feeling of something personal between two people, like the way of reading and writing letters. Besides these pages, we put pictures inside the book between the letters pages.
When we finished the design of the book, we went to the printing house and checked about the paper, colour of the photos, binding, etc. for the dummy of the book. We went here a couple of times to check about the printing. In the end we have this beautiful book with the story of Photini inside. “
Ece Eldek
