karadeniz Music by LABOUR | 2021
Tanzhaus Düsseldorf

karadeniz can be seen as a departure point and like other references in the work, refuses to adhere to representational portrayal. The piece examines identity, labour and migration, collaging memories from the artist’s childhood from snippets of Turkish weddings with other remembered images and cultural signifiers, resulting in an assemblage of references that permeate every element of karadeniz. More than an identity marker, teker and their accomplices employ queering as a methodology; blurring or eliminating boundaries, muddying distinctions or subverting expectations.

We see references to the figure of the köçek, who were young, cross-dressing, male dancers, employed for entertainment first in the Ottoman palaces and later in Turkish weddings and other celebrations. Although the köçek were predominantly active between the 17th and 19th Centuries, the tradition continues today. The themes of identity and labour collide within the body of the köçek considering the performative and affective labour entailed in their movement vocabularies. Echoed in the labour of the performer’s own at times repetitive movements, it begs the question as to who fills the role of the köçek in contemporary society. Or more pointedly, whose affective and/or performative labour is being exploited? (from PW-Magazine, February 15, 2022)

video of karadeniz