Spatial experience and communication in biennials: A research on Istanbul biennials

In the scope of this thesis, spatial experience and communication in biennials are discussed, whereas Istanbul Biennials have been selected as the case studies of this research within the mentioned context. First chapter, briefly depicts the purpose of the study, the scope of the thesis and methods including a general description of the conceptual framework. Second chapter unfolds the contemporary artistic practices and the transformation of exhibition spaces. Beginning with the 20th Century, the exhibition space had been started to questioned in terms of investigating the potentials of liberating the artwork from it, where at the end spatial realm considered as an integral part of the artwork. Gradually, throughout the last decades of the 20th Century, large-scale biennial events has become widespread art events, where exhibitions mutually highlighting the importance of the venue in regard to the types of exhibition space (neutral space, alternative space, public space) and location that they had been taking part. Thus, in this chapter, components of biennials such as space, art, audience, artist and their interactions with each other are examined. Within this framework, the concepts of experience, communication and mobility are dismantled as well as opened into discussion through theoretical definitions and myriad examples. In the third chapter, the potential impacts of biennials are investigated. These impacts can be defined as generating creative and innovative milliues of expanding widespread geographies of cutltural interaction together with fostering intercultural experience and communication platforms in the global perspective. Biennial events which were organized in the world and in Turkey are examined in detail. This event model, which has been rapidly spreading all over the world beginning with the impacts created by the Venice Biennial, has been shaped by the diversities provided by cultural and local characteristics of the cities; and by means of the changing circumstances over the time, has created heterogeneous areas within the global environment. Doubtlessly, biennials differ one from another due to the hosting city, environmental conditions, public framework and the way of presentations; and they generate diversity within the event system in this field. Istanbul Biennials, which turn into be the most wellknowns among the all, draw an open city model that has effects on the generation of experimental environments because of the potentials presented by the city with its multi-layered structure. Accordingly, the potentials of changing structure of the city interrelated with the components of the event are examined; however the location of the biennial, and how it is possessed to the city, as well as how it has reached to the citizens that are living in the city of the biennial, yet the dominant role of spatial choices on communication of the event with the city are all evaluated in regard to all those previous Istanbul Biennial events that are performed until now. The assessment is made through the interrelation of Istanbul Biennials with the components, which provided to take part within the city and the world stage chronologically. In the fourth chapter, the case study, which aims to examine the art and cultural environment within the biennial event site through the spatial practices and visitors' experiences, is performed. In the scope of the case study, a questionnaire is applied to the exhibition visitors in Galata Greek Primary School, which was used as the main exhibition venue of the 2nd International Istanbul Design Biennial 2014. The questions in the questionnaire are prepared in order to examine the artistic and spatial experience of the visitors. According to this, questions are asked regarding to: * The evaluation of visibility and accessibility of the biennial events and the biennial spaces in the city, * The interrogation of penetrability of conceptual framework that is generated by the biennial theme, * Investigation of the factors that lead to the expectations of the participants from the events through their spatial and artistic experiences, * Effects of spatial qualities on people related with the interaction of their spatial and artistic experiences. Additionally, biennial works in Galata Greek Primary School, are examined in detail; determinations are made related with the concepts of space and interactivity. The data obtained from the questionnaire is evaluated and discussed in relation to the detailed spatial determinations. In the fifth chapter, a design proposal is presented which is related with the concepts of experience and communication that are handled in the scope of the thesis. The design proposal prepared within the course of Project III in ITU Interior Design Master Programme "IMIAD" (International Master of Interior Design) simultaneously with the thesis study. The presented project covers light structured system and programme proposals within the city which provide viewer interaction, stability or mobility for the 14th International Istanbul Biennial event which was held in 2015. Keywords: Experience, Communication, Mobility, Visitor, Space, Biennials, Istanbul Biennials.