THE IMPROVISING ENSEMBLE IN SEARCH
DOĞAÇLAMA ANSAMBUL (appl. in 2022)
Main Goal
This work examines a historic urban area as a study site, evaluating its significance and developing conservation strategies. It emphasizes the human element of these places, drawing on the concept of shared experiences and affective responses to construct an equal perspective on the area. To achieve this, the work creates a liberated learning environment where participants can freely express their affective experiences and stimulate their creativity.
The content is composed of seven parts:
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Quiet place expedition using senses and individual site documentation,
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Collective documentation of all notes, drawings, pictures, and videos by using a digital platform,
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Exploration of art interfaces [poems, writings, drawings, pictures, paintings, videos, music, etc.] representing spatial experiences and affective responses,
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Video making about the individual/collective/shared experiences and reflections using the gathered art representations,
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Integration of video making and vocalization training,
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Video making on-site and vocalization of the site with the participation of a professional choir,
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Presentation of course outcomes in a seminar/performance setting to a larger audience, including planners, decision-makers, and civil society.
Innovation
Doğaçlama Ansambul integrates music to place experience so as to connect people to a place's history, culture, environment, and ecology. Participants co-generate the music of a place as a collective in-situ experience and share their interpretation about the place through a creative video-making interface. Music becomes part of a spatial experience and allows opportunities to emerge through which participants create new ways to see and reflect on a place.
Instructors
Some invited instructors from other domains include Dr. Atilla Çağdaş Değer (Music Composition and Choir Master) from Hacettepe University and Enver Arcak (Film Director and Producer).
Participants
Doğaçlama Ansambul is formally open to students with city planning and architecture background; however, it also conveys the potential of including participants from any domain. In fact, its inclusive approach and collaborations expand the range of participants beyond the university. Youth groups, choir members, and residents of the studied places were all involved in various shared experiences.
