For this project we were tasked to decorate a mannequin based on a given city or country, the city my group was given was Istanbul. We decided to take inspiration from the history of the city, more specifically its religious history, creating something that showcased the transitional nature of religion in Istanbul, a city that has gone through ancient paganism, Roman Catholicism, Orthodox Catholicism and Islam.
Click here for the research behind our work.
After brainstorming various ideas, we went on to conduct further research on the city, looking at its history and art. We were quite taken by the impact of religious symbolism in the creative landscape of Istanbul, especially mosaic art, which took form both through murals and vibrant glass creations.
While conducting research we found out that the city had mythological beginnings through its legendary Greek founder Byzas, and that one of the Ottoman names for Istanbul was Der Saadet, which means ‘Gate to Prosperity’ in reference to Istanbul’s status as a major city in the region. These two factors inspired us to choose a male mannequin and spray paint it gold as a nod to classical Greek sculptures and the cultural wealth and significance of the city.
Whilst our concept was all about journeying through the religious history of the city, we still wanted to incorporate some aspects of modern day Istanbul, so we researched the artist Fahrelnissa Zeid, who is known for her dynamic mosaic-like abstract artwork. We wanted to reinterpret her art in our own way using colours inspired by Christianity and Islam to create a mosaic-like pattern on the mannequin. We also decided to use the technique of decoupage to directly add her work onto the mannequin and create an interesting contrast between the two areas.
We wanted to add the symbolism of the Tree of Life to the mannequin as a way to connect the top and bottom part as the tree is an archetype in many religious mythologies and often viewed as a connection between Earth and the afterlife.
We added gold leaf to the mannequin for added texture. After applying and brushing, it created a very unique cracking effect that makes it seem like the mannequin is emerging from underneath it, similarly to the layers of dust and patina on old bronze statues.
We incorporated small mosaic pieces to add texture and as a way to unite all the religious references we were trying to incorporate as mosaics have been a major feature throughout all the religious and people groups that have settled on the Turkish shoreline.
We knew from the start that we didn’t want the religious symbolism on our mannequin to be too obvious, we wanted something abstract that would require a viewer to delve deeper to understand, that’s why our mannequin is representative of the various cultures but can also be read as a symbolic journey through life, with the red lower regions representing Earth and the gold upper with its framed halo representing heaven. The two are united through the imagery of the Tree of Life, a mythological symbol often used to represent the connection between our world and the heavens in various cultures throughout history.