Hemzemin, 2014
stainless steel flagpole 2x150x150 cm
The word “hemzemin” comes to Turkish from Persian. It is a compound word: “hem” meaning together, same, and “zemin” meaning ground, earth. A flagpole carries the idea of national belonging. Consequently, it has the meaning of staging national, international and cultural identity. It governs its surrounding by standing vertically against the human body. Its function is to fortify the represented image by carrying the image to an “inaccessible” point. For the work, a 12 meter-high stainless steel flagpole is melted and cast into a 150×150 cm big open mould and placed on the sidewalk of the Hoher Wall Street in Dortmund. By carrying a flagpole to the ground level, the work changes the physical relation between the human body and the pole.
photos and film stills: Günyol&Kunt
