Talk: Köken Ergun

B’Tselem - The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories was founded in 1989 for monitoring, documenting and advocating to improve human rights in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Since 2007, as part of the The Camera Distribution Project, B’Tselem has distributed over 150 video cameras to Palestinian families living in high-conflict areas. Families are trained by specialists to document cases of human rights violations committed by violent settlers or soldiers. Resulting video footage is collected and edited by B’Tselem field workers and used primarily as evidence for cases submitted to legal authorities. Certain footage is also distributed to the international news media.

Köken Ergun had the opportunity to review content in the B’Tselem’s video archive and he selected footage that does not directly document acts of violence or conflict, but is of a more personal and unexpected nature. Between 2009 and 2011 Ergun’s selection was shown in the form of presentations and discussions to which he invited other artists and academics. Not edited in any way, the clips present precisely what was captured by the camera holder from the moment the camera was set to record until it was closed.

The talk, which takes place during the exhibition Crowds and Power, December 5, 2013 to February 16, 2014 at SALT Ulus, will be held in Turkish.