Client

Overview

Nohlab’s solo experiential exhibition FLOW was open between October 29 and November 14, 2021 at AKM, Istanbul. Bringing light-sound-motion-space together, the installation weaves AKM’s place in Turkey’s cultural memory, its current rejuvenation, and our collective future into an immersive experience in three parts. At the entrance GATE, formed by light rods, invites people in with a special light and sound choreography, using excerpts from past performances and symbolic representatives of our memories about the space. With MOMENT, visitors find the chance to experience the moment they are in, through twin LED tower corridors they pass. A spatial choreography formed by more contemporary expressions in sound and light, combined with visuals creates a hybrid experience. At the end of our journey, TRACE offers an interactive experience area, where people guide the sound and visuals representing the future with their own body movements, leaving a trace to the future with their momentary acts.

Goals

The main goal was to kickstart the much anticipated reopening of a prominent cultural center in Turkey, with an immersive exhibition that could reflect the past, present and the future of the building and its cultural importance.

Process

The first section, representing the past, was formed as a light tunnel that invites people in with a special light and sound choreography. In addition to recordings from PAST performances in AKM, music and colors are used as symbolic representatives of AKM’s place in Turkey’s cultural memory. So the fragments about this iconic building come together to create an experiential journey.

In the second section of the experience, visitors found the chance to experience the Moment they are in, through twin LED tower corridors they pass. A spatial choreography formed by more contemporary expressions in sound and light with visuals referring to the iconic façade of AKM, let people experience NOW as a whole, building a bridge between the past and the future.

At the end of the journey, a concave structure made of LED towers offered an interactive experience area. The installation acted as both a mirror and a visual depending on the position of the visitor. People could guide the sound and visuals representing the future with their own body movements. Not only do they symbolically contact the future, but also they leave a Trace reaching out to the future with their momentary acts. So in a way, their Trace prevails in the FUTURE.