Emre Okçuer
Sinopale 6, International Sinop Biennial 2017
Sinop Forest Orchestra
The preliminary work for sound workshop named
“Sinop Forest Orchestra” by artist Emre Okçuer took during September 7th and 8th at the Sinop Science and Art Center and the woods nearby.
The children contributed to the music that includes three folk songs from Sinop -arranged by Istanbul Bilgi University academic Enis Gümüş- by performing on *Mogees and Makey Makey. The rhythms performed by the children selected by Tuğba Özcan from Sinop Science and Art Center, converted into instrument sounds.
*Mogees can turn any object into an instrument, while Makey Makey can turn every object into a touchpad.
The sound workshop was a result of a multi-disciplinary work.
The rhythms applied on a table, trees, leaves and a percussion instrument, tumba (congas), were converted into sounds as a part of musical arrangement, using Mogees, which can convert anything intro musical instruments. Additionally, Makey Makey allowed children to create percussive sounds using their bodies that were made touch-operated. Not all of the children were given cables connected to Makey Makey but they were made to hold hands; thus children realized that they were conductive, as they produced sounds using their bodies.
The children gained experience of collaboration through their interaction with their bodies and nature.
The project, belonging to Sinop with the vibrations created by
the children, bringing out a musical work representing the energy of this place and contributing the improvement of the environmental awareness; met its audience with a performance and a video presentation on September 9th 2017
at the Sinop Ice Factory (Buzhane) as a part of 6th edition of Sinopale.