Bengi Çakmak Uçar | Middle East Technical University (original) (raw)
Conference Presentations by Bengi Çakmak Uçar
SHIFTY MUDS: Land, Water and Life in a ‘Patchy Anthropocene’., 2023
In November 2020, a large pile of slimy mucus appeared on the surface of the Marmara Sea in Istan... more In November 2020, a large pile of slimy mucus appeared on the surface of the Marmara Sea in Istanbul, Turkey. It was called sea snot, or marine mucilage, which is composed of a variety of microorganisms and caused by an increase in phytoplankton. The occurrence of marine mucilage is caused by drought, static water, intensification of certain substances, and
climate change. The Ministry of the Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change intervened in and has struggled with it ever since, alongside non-governmental organizations, academics, scientists, and the people who have witnessed the situation. For two years, with a gradually decreasing sense of urgency, discussions have focused on the possible methods of cleansing it, the measures to prevent it in the future, and its travel along the coasts of the Sea of Marmara. The repercussions concerning its appearance at different places and in different shapes, depths, and sizes include ecological anxiety and grief, which have become familiar due to climate change. However, interestingly enough, such sentiments and reflections are intertwined with feelings of disgust, objection, and loathe. The slimy and oozy character of the snot has turned a natural outcome into an abomination in the eyes of many, and, in the literal sense, a scum of the Earth. In this paper, I want to elaborate on how such sensations and exclamations burst in dealing with climate change and related natural-cultural crises. My purpose is to grasp and discuss this as a specific aspect of the anthropocentric perspective and mucilage formation as a consequence of the Anthropocene. I will use discourse analysis to reveal the reactions and reflections such as prioritizing fishing, tourism, and the anthropocentric aesthetics over the health of the sea, other marine species, and the ecosystem of the snot itself. I propose that the agency of mucilage, gained after its creation as an abomination, should be discussed as a dis/appearing, gross, filthy, moving, stalking, and haunting entity in contrast with the humanist comforts and claims of omnipotence. I wonder what mucilage would narrate as a more-than-human actant and how it could be traced towards an alternative ‘ethico-onto-epistemology,’ recalling Karen Barad, within the concept of ‘patchy Anthropocene.’
8th Symposium of the ICTM Study Group on Music and Dance in Southeastern Europe , 2022
This presentation aims to elaborate on the potential of sounds and vibrations within the context ... more This presentation aims to elaborate on the potential of sounds and vibrations within the context of Deleuzian-Guattarian understanding of becoming and Braidotti‘s nomadic subject. This philosophical position and conceptual route emphasize the non-hegemonic, dynamic, fluid, transgressing, and transformative potential of creativity. The DeleuzianGuattarian perspective of ―the privilege of the ear‖ will be further argued, extending the discussion to the process of creativity and the process of becoming a vibrant nomadic subject throughout the former. In other words, I propose that sound, and thus music, has a very special and crucial place in terms of the capacity of an artistic creation that is transformative and encompassing. Finally, I argue that the awareness of such a capacity would open grounds of not getting lost in the era of crises, flourishing the ways for coexisting. This presentation aims to contribute to the theme of 'gender‘ from the posthumanist and new materialist viewpoints, especially by tackling the concept of "becoming-woman" and "the nomad".
American Comparative Literature Association Annual Meeting - Political Ecology of Silences Conference, 2022
This paper aims to elaborate on the sonic universe as and of zoe. Concerning Rosi Braidotti’s quo... more This paper aims to elaborate on the sonic universe as and of zoe. Concerning Rosi Braidotti’s quotation from George Eliot’s Middlemarch, two entangled sides of zoe’s sounds will be discussed, which are the roar and the silence. From a posthumanist and new materialist perspective, the relationship between them will be tackled as different sorts of sounds and sonic potentials. I grasp their difference as different capacities of growing and becoming-minoritarian; meaning that the silence does not refer to the absence of sound, and thus the lessening of life as zoe. The significance of vibrations and sounds in terms of getting into transformative contacts with zoe and coexistence is the main argument within my discussion. Particularly the silence as a transgressive force and an encompassing medium bears ecological importance in this sense.
7th Symposium of the ICTM Study Group on Music and Dance in Southeastern Europe, 2021
3rd International Music and Dance Studies Symposium, 2018
International Music and Sciences Symposium, 2019
Thesis Chapters by Bengi Çakmak Uçar
Bengi Çakmak M.A. Thesis, 2019
Papers by Bengi Çakmak Uçar
Pandemi ve Yalnızlık: II. Uluslararası Yalnızlık Sempozyumu Kitabı - Bildiriler, Makaleler, Denemeler, 2021
Bu makale, “pandemi ve yalnızlık” temasını günümüz toplumsallığının modern duruma dair sorular il... more Bu makale, “pandemi ve yalnızlık” temasını günümüz toplumsallığının modern
duruma dair sorular ile eleştirel bir incelemesini ve sorgulamasını yaparak
tartışmaya açmayı amaçlamaktadır. Yalnızlık kavramının kendi içinde
çoklu anlamlar taşıdığı düşünülürse, mekânsal ve bedensel bir aradalığının
toplumsallığı beslediği toplum fikrini dönüştüren pandemi deneyimlerinin,
toplum fikrini ve hissini ne tür tesirlere maruz bıraktığını yalnızlık olgusu odağıyla
sorgulamak büyük önem taşımaktadır. Covid-19 pandemisinin fizyolojik,
biyopolitik, epistemolojik, ontolojik ve duygusal bir kriz ve salgın olarak halen
içinden geçtiğimiz bir sürece işaret ediyor oluşu itibariyle, bu makalenin
bir diğer amacı da mevcut tarihsel-toplumsal anın notunu düşmektir. Salgını,
deneyimlenen bir an olarak akışkan bırakmak, bilme ve tanımlama iddiasıyla
çerçevelemekten kaçınmak ve böylece anın notunu düşerken yeni sorular tahayyül
etmek hedeflenmektedir. Bunlar başlıca olarak risk, belirsizlik, güven,
korku gibi kavramlar çerçevesinde alternatif özneye dair soruları içermektedir.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Covid-19, Pandemi, Yalnızlık, Modernite, Kriz, Risk.
3rd International Music and Dance Studies Symposium: 17-20 October 2018, Symposium Proceedings, 2020
The notion of cultural preservation necessarily deals with the notions of time and memory. To thi... more The notion of cultural preservation necessarily deals with the notions of time and memory. To this regard, perhaps the major point is the vulnerable relationship between collective cultural memories, feelings, and affects of individuals and social groups and the fluctuations of time and space. Concerning the issue of preservation, one side of this relationship refers to the sense of stability, whereas the other is essentially fluid, dynamic and inevitable. This easily renders the maintenance and preservation to be a matter of struggle, which can
easily turn into a frustration and failure. I use the case of Shaft Bar, which used to be symbolic of Kadıköy rock culture and was recently closed. I will share and discuss the findings from my discourse analysis in which the written material on the Internet following this incident was analyzed. I use emotions and affects as my theoretical tools in understanding the reactions of people, and I will elaborate on the nostalgic perception of people that appeared to be the common sentiment in people’s reactions. The perspective of nostalgia is significant as it points out both the importance of emotions and affects within a culture, music culture in this case and the insufficiency of preservation. In this aspect, I critically approach the notion of preservation and I suggest that the notion of sustainability must be taken into account as an alternative way of dealing with change.
Talks by Bengi Çakmak Uçar
Müzik Endüstrisi Naber?, Açık Radyo, 2023
https://acikradyo.com.tr/podcast/241272
Metropolitika, Açık Radyo, 2021
https://acikradyo.com.tr/podcast/231950
SHIFTY MUDS: Land, Water and Life in a ‘Patchy Anthropocene’., 2023
In November 2020, a large pile of slimy mucus appeared on the surface of the Marmara Sea in Istan... more In November 2020, a large pile of slimy mucus appeared on the surface of the Marmara Sea in Istanbul, Turkey. It was called sea snot, or marine mucilage, which is composed of a variety of microorganisms and caused by an increase in phytoplankton. The occurrence of marine mucilage is caused by drought, static water, intensification of certain substances, and
climate change. The Ministry of the Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change intervened in and has struggled with it ever since, alongside non-governmental organizations, academics, scientists, and the people who have witnessed the situation. For two years, with a gradually decreasing sense of urgency, discussions have focused on the possible methods of cleansing it, the measures to prevent it in the future, and its travel along the coasts of the Sea of Marmara. The repercussions concerning its appearance at different places and in different shapes, depths, and sizes include ecological anxiety and grief, which have become familiar due to climate change. However, interestingly enough, such sentiments and reflections are intertwined with feelings of disgust, objection, and loathe. The slimy and oozy character of the snot has turned a natural outcome into an abomination in the eyes of many, and, in the literal sense, a scum of the Earth. In this paper, I want to elaborate on how such sensations and exclamations burst in dealing with climate change and related natural-cultural crises. My purpose is to grasp and discuss this as a specific aspect of the anthropocentric perspective and mucilage formation as a consequence of the Anthropocene. I will use discourse analysis to reveal the reactions and reflections such as prioritizing fishing, tourism, and the anthropocentric aesthetics over the health of the sea, other marine species, and the ecosystem of the snot itself. I propose that the agency of mucilage, gained after its creation as an abomination, should be discussed as a dis/appearing, gross, filthy, moving, stalking, and haunting entity in contrast with the humanist comforts and claims of omnipotence. I wonder what mucilage would narrate as a more-than-human actant and how it could be traced towards an alternative ‘ethico-onto-epistemology,’ recalling Karen Barad, within the concept of ‘patchy Anthropocene.’
8th Symposium of the ICTM Study Group on Music and Dance in Southeastern Europe , 2022
This presentation aims to elaborate on the potential of sounds and vibrations within the context ... more This presentation aims to elaborate on the potential of sounds and vibrations within the context of Deleuzian-Guattarian understanding of becoming and Braidotti‘s nomadic subject. This philosophical position and conceptual route emphasize the non-hegemonic, dynamic, fluid, transgressing, and transformative potential of creativity. The DeleuzianGuattarian perspective of ―the privilege of the ear‖ will be further argued, extending the discussion to the process of creativity and the process of becoming a vibrant nomadic subject throughout the former. In other words, I propose that sound, and thus music, has a very special and crucial place in terms of the capacity of an artistic creation that is transformative and encompassing. Finally, I argue that the awareness of such a capacity would open grounds of not getting lost in the era of crises, flourishing the ways for coexisting. This presentation aims to contribute to the theme of 'gender‘ from the posthumanist and new materialist viewpoints, especially by tackling the concept of "becoming-woman" and "the nomad".
American Comparative Literature Association Annual Meeting - Political Ecology of Silences Conference, 2022
This paper aims to elaborate on the sonic universe as and of zoe. Concerning Rosi Braidotti’s quo... more This paper aims to elaborate on the sonic universe as and of zoe. Concerning Rosi Braidotti’s quotation from George Eliot’s Middlemarch, two entangled sides of zoe’s sounds will be discussed, which are the roar and the silence. From a posthumanist and new materialist perspective, the relationship between them will be tackled as different sorts of sounds and sonic potentials. I grasp their difference as different capacities of growing and becoming-minoritarian; meaning that the silence does not refer to the absence of sound, and thus the lessening of life as zoe. The significance of vibrations and sounds in terms of getting into transformative contacts with zoe and coexistence is the main argument within my discussion. Particularly the silence as a transgressive force and an encompassing medium bears ecological importance in this sense.
7th Symposium of the ICTM Study Group on Music and Dance in Southeastern Europe, 2021
3rd International Music and Dance Studies Symposium, 2018
International Music and Sciences Symposium, 2019
Pandemi ve Yalnızlık: II. Uluslararası Yalnızlık Sempozyumu Kitabı - Bildiriler, Makaleler, Denemeler, 2021
Bu makale, “pandemi ve yalnızlık” temasını günümüz toplumsallığının modern duruma dair sorular il... more Bu makale, “pandemi ve yalnızlık” temasını günümüz toplumsallığının modern
duruma dair sorular ile eleştirel bir incelemesini ve sorgulamasını yaparak
tartışmaya açmayı amaçlamaktadır. Yalnızlık kavramının kendi içinde
çoklu anlamlar taşıdığı düşünülürse, mekânsal ve bedensel bir aradalığının
toplumsallığı beslediği toplum fikrini dönüştüren pandemi deneyimlerinin,
toplum fikrini ve hissini ne tür tesirlere maruz bıraktığını yalnızlık olgusu odağıyla
sorgulamak büyük önem taşımaktadır. Covid-19 pandemisinin fizyolojik,
biyopolitik, epistemolojik, ontolojik ve duygusal bir kriz ve salgın olarak halen
içinden geçtiğimiz bir sürece işaret ediyor oluşu itibariyle, bu makalenin
bir diğer amacı da mevcut tarihsel-toplumsal anın notunu düşmektir. Salgını,
deneyimlenen bir an olarak akışkan bırakmak, bilme ve tanımlama iddiasıyla
çerçevelemekten kaçınmak ve böylece anın notunu düşerken yeni sorular tahayyül
etmek hedeflenmektedir. Bunlar başlıca olarak risk, belirsizlik, güven,
korku gibi kavramlar çerçevesinde alternatif özneye dair soruları içermektedir.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Covid-19, Pandemi, Yalnızlık, Modernite, Kriz, Risk.
3rd International Music and Dance Studies Symposium: 17-20 October 2018, Symposium Proceedings, 2020
The notion of cultural preservation necessarily deals with the notions of time and memory. To thi... more The notion of cultural preservation necessarily deals with the notions of time and memory. To this regard, perhaps the major point is the vulnerable relationship between collective cultural memories, feelings, and affects of individuals and social groups and the fluctuations of time and space. Concerning the issue of preservation, one side of this relationship refers to the sense of stability, whereas the other is essentially fluid, dynamic and inevitable. This easily renders the maintenance and preservation to be a matter of struggle, which can
easily turn into a frustration and failure. I use the case of Shaft Bar, which used to be symbolic of Kadıköy rock culture and was recently closed. I will share and discuss the findings from my discourse analysis in which the written material on the Internet following this incident was analyzed. I use emotions and affects as my theoretical tools in understanding the reactions of people, and I will elaborate on the nostalgic perception of people that appeared to be the common sentiment in people’s reactions. The perspective of nostalgia is significant as it points out both the importance of emotions and affects within a culture, music culture in this case and the insufficiency of preservation. In this aspect, I critically approach the notion of preservation and I suggest that the notion of sustainability must be taken into account as an alternative way of dealing with change.
Müzik Endüstrisi Naber?, Açık Radyo, 2023
https://acikradyo.com.tr/podcast/241272
Metropolitika, Açık Radyo, 2021
https://acikradyo.com.tr/podcast/231950