Becoming a Book:
Nothing Surprising

SALT Galata, Workshop II-III

For the fourth event in the “Becoming a Book” series, Ali Taptık will discuss his publication Nothing Surprising with Okay Karadayılar and Suna Kafadar.

Nothing Surprising is the result of a long-term project established after the anxiety of the 2007-08 financial crisis. The photo book concentrates on urban life, following acts of crisis and resistance, street memories, personal stories, interior images and lives of the artist’s friends.

Unique folding techniques used throughout the publication induce flashbacks to the 90s by juxtaposing artifacts and newspaper clippings, including images previously exhibited in various venues such as SALT Beyoğlu (Istanbul), Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle (Warsaw) and MAXXI (Rome).

Designed by Okay Karadayılar, the book was co-funded by Marraine Ginette Editions and SAHA.

The talk will be held in Turkish.

Ali Taptık is an artist and architect, who explores, among other themes, the representation of urban landscape and architecture, and the relationship between the individual and the city. Taptık is one of the founders of Bandrolsüz collective, for the distribution of independent artists’ books.

Okay Karadayılar is a graphic designer and co-founder of İmkanmekan, a thought platform for design in/of public space; Bandrolsüz, a collective of independent artist book publishers, and Book Lab, an annual book design event.

Suna Kafadar is a writer and translator, and one of the editors-in-chief of 5Harfliler, an independent internet magazine focusing on pop culture, history and politics.