All Her Sighs
Mustafa Avcı
Ethnomusicologist, composer
Translated by Sarp Renk Özer
Zeyno Pekünlü presents three new works titled All Her Sighs, Perfect Loop, and The Possibilities, Significances, and Connections in her exhibition All Her Sighs.
The work that lends its title to the exhibition sources from the discography of Sezen Aksu, renowned for recording some of the most heartbreaking sighs in the Turkish language. Often referred to as an 'artist of sighs' or “ahzen” in Turkish, in recognition of her mastery of this expression, Aksu debunked the stereotype once established by Cemal Süreya, attributing sighs primarily to male arabesque stars. Her sighs continue to resonate across generations and cultures through her career as a pop singer, marked by numerous hits over the years.
The phoneme 'a' as an exclamation has many diverse meanings. When this sound is combined with the '(k)hhh' sound generated as air frictionally passes (or even crawls) through the throat, it could signify a range of emotions such as 'a beg for forgiveness,' 'curse,' 'despair,' 'admiration,' 'longing,' 'pain,' 'anguish,' 'wailing,' 'sorrow,' 'regret,' 'surprise,' and more. The artist identifies and extracts all the sighs by Aksu from her tracks to produce a four-channel sound collage. It is presented as dialogue set among these sounds of sighs dispersed throughout the exhibition space.
These sighs, familiar to almost everyone in Turkey, are often sung along from the heart, yet sometimes they fade into silence and slip from our consciousness. Nevertheless, they resurface at times, piercing through our perception: 'I STAND BY HERE, I FEEL HURT, I LONG, I SUFFER, DAMN IT.' Why do these sighs, intertwined with their listeners' emotions, sentiments, and lives, resonate with us so deeply? Sighing is an action that applies to many situations and states of mind. But why do we sigh? And where do they take us?
Another work in the exhibition titled Perfect Loop is a video that is stuck in the beginning sequence. More precisely, the artist generates content drawing from waiting interfaces containing messages such as 'press any key to continue,' 'loading...,' 'please wait,' and 'opening,' serving as a form of non-content for media players. In doing so, she prompts us to consider the vacuity of the narratives imposed upon us in our daily lives and encourages reflection on why we find ourselves unable to access the video that perpetually eludes us in our dreams. It serves as a reminder that we are trapped in a vicious cycle, constantly exposed to blue screens in our daily lives, amidst the turmoil of political, economic, and ecological crises.
Constantly alluding to what lies beyond, the Perfect Loop ensnares us in a perpetual cycle each time we try to define it. This work could be more accurately described as a non-video, teasing the anticipation for the actual video that will follow by serving as a placeholder. It becomes a proxy for lives suspended by technology giants and oppressive governments. Thus, each time we refer to this work, it inexorably propels us toward the subsequent video.
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On the other hand, this work also serves as a metaphor for our lives, which often fail to meet our expectations. Beyond waiting for Godot, even the most ordinary and pleasant experiences seem to elude us, leading to a profound 'FOMO' (fear of missing out). In an era marked by an abundance of events and stories, we find ourselves trapped in a perpetual cycle, always moving on to the next video, waiting for it to load.
If this video serves as a placeholder, signaling the suspension of our expectations, does it then become a self-annulling creation? Are we confronted with a paradoxical work that simultaneously exists and doesn't? Or could we consider this work as a metaphor for the present moment and our timely circumstances, burdening us with its weight?
The series 'Possibilities, Significances, and Connections' comprises signs assembled by the artist from notes taken during meetings she has attended over the past 20 years. Question marks, stars, arrows, and lines connecting various points serve as reminders of the persistent and collective efforts, contrasting with the social impasse implied in other works within the exhibition.
While question marks may typically evoke meanings like inaction, confusion, and being at a loss about what to do, the artist stretches their meanings by placing them alongside symbols like stars, arrows, and lines to signify agency and collective action, seeking ways to act together and move forward. Despite the sighs we experience and the videos stuck in endless loops that never begin, these symbols suggest that it's possible to break free from this cycle by coming together and taking action, breathing life into the stagnant state and disrupting the repetitive pattern.