Lilik
April 2026 - March 2027
Rize
Affiliate: Hemşin Life Association
Lilik is a participatory public art project aiming to recirculate Hemşin's endangered oral narratives, cultural memory, and unique forms of relationship with nature through contemporary art. The project compiles narratives about mythological beings passed down through generations in the region through meetings, interviews, and field research with the local people, transforming them into large-scale three-dimensional installations.
These figures are considered not only as representations of a folkloric past but also as symbolic carriers of collective experiences such as gender roles, ethical order, famine, seasonal cycles, bodily fragility, fear, and ecological uncertainty. Through the reinterpretation of these liminal beings in the contemporary context, Lilik considers cultural heritage not as a fixed and preservable relic, but as a transforming, negotiable, and living memory space.
The sculptures developed in the project are not merely objects to be observed; They are designed as public structures that are tangible, usable, capable of growing plants, and hosting practices of rest, gathering, and sharing. Three-dimensional printing technologies are combined with recycled and environmentally friendly materials, linking the narrative of each figure to the ecological, social, and historical context of its location.
Workshops conducted with children and local residents create space for the collective development of a new mythological character, drawing inspiration from the needs, transformations, and shared experiences of contemporary Hemşin. Thus, the Lilik Project aims to create a living cultural ecosystem where new community practices, rituals, and encounters can be produced, going beyond simply archiving past narratives.
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