Technology’s evolving interaction with art creates new ways of expressing and exhibiting it. Dedicated to becoming the “festival of the city”, 212 Photography Istanbul has organised events in the city’s historical and cultural venues. This year, technology has allowed the festival to spread out into open public spaces. Formatting the City is an exhibition designed with augmented reality (AR), which thousands of people can experience. It seeks to answer the question, “How would you feel about giant sculptures in the city’s bustling squares?”

The creator of the giant sculptures invading the city centre is Özgür Ballı, a new media artist and academician who likes to work with amorphous and oversized forms. Bengü Gün took care of artist management, and artlabs prepared the 3D software during the development phase of this interdisciplinary project. Özgür Ballı’s previous chrome-painted polyester sculptures, Grotesque Pierro and David gain a digital layer with technology. The work opens doors to our changing perception, hinting at the potential of a ‘new reality’ in a grotesque style through fictive stories.

Özgür Ballı

artlabs

5-15 October 2023

Kadıköy Square