Ekin Can Göksoy
Writer, Turkey
Ekin Can Göksoy is a writer and a storyteller currently based in Istanbul. Born in 1987 in Bursa, he completed a BSc in Electrical & Electronics Engineering at METU and a MA in Cultural Studies at the İstanbul Bilgi University. He published his first short story book Münhal in 2014 and his first novel Epope Tatavla in 2016 with İletişim Press label. Working on verbal and nonverbal storytelling performances, Göksoy took part in a series of performances, staged in Istanbul and San Francisco since 2017. In 2018, his first exhibition A Chance for a Miracle opened at poşe, an art space in Istanbul. Göksoy is a PhD candidate on urban history at Boğaziçi University History Department.
Cezbe (Ecstasy)
Set in 1910, Cezbe follows a young, educated but daydreamer and naive son of an Ottoman general, Abdülkerim Bey, who, after a long period of education in Paris, returns to Istanbul with one dream: to be the first private investigator of the Ottoman Empire. He would be drawn into entangled and fervent politics of the Middle East when he takes his first case. During his adventure, he faces many political and religious fanatics and his only companion is a detective novel set in 1543-4 when Ottoman navy wintered at Toulon, which he finds surprisingly relatable. Could naivety overcome fanaticism?
Ekin Can Göksoy was in residence at Camargo from February 25 to April 21, 2020, as part of the Be Mobile-Create Together! program.
Be Mobile-Create Together! is led by the French Institute in Turkey, the Embassy of the Netherlands in Ankara, the Goethe-Institut and the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), and is co-funded by the European Union and the Republic of Turkey.
Les Carnets de Camargo
To cope with lockdown due to the covid-19 situation in France, we have encouraged our current residents to share their experiences, and so the collaborative project, Les Carnets de Camargo, was born. Visual, written, and spoken testimonies invite us into the residents' lockdown, on the banks of the Mediterranean, hovering between dreams and reality, between illusions and disillusion. As Les Carnets de Camargo also aims at being a bond for our community, through reflection and exchange, these creations will eventually be the testimony of this unprecedented moment.
"The history of socialization is old as history of humanity - but so is the history of quarantine. We, as humans, find ways to cope with the life we are given. For me, I tend to use the most powerful tool that humans have: humor. Although the Fellows are living separately within Camargo, it's still nice to communicate, and relate to each other, and with others, living or past, through the power of words." (Ekin Can Göksoy)
Ekin Can Göksoy participated in this project by writing two texts: The Brief History of the Ants of Apartment K and Her Şey Çok Güzel Olacak which are available here.