Undefinable Monster
Monster, located where the unknown and avoided are, is a thinking practice that can be reflected and embodied into the body, object, space, etc. The ever-changing monsters, which can be regarded as the “practice of otherness” stated by Petrescu (2007, pp.3–5), can thwart and displace the dominant power. Hence, they can take a stand against authority and weaken it. In doing so, their most important strength against the authority is perhaps their most important feature, undefinability. Their presence in the place where the unknown, ambiguity, and fear began makes them unidentifiable by the authority. The fact that they constantly rewrite themselves thanks to their interactions with things is also effective in their undefinability. So they cannot fall into any classification or specification of authority. In fact, even thinking, discussing, and investigating the monster are monstrous acts because even while doing these, you are on the edge of obscurity, ambiguity, and fear.
Studying the monster creation process is can be effective in understanding the monster. Different methods can be used to examine this process better. As an example, there are four tactics that Özçelik referred to in her work “Canavar Bedenler, Canavar Mekanlar”(2018, ss.20–51). These can be listed as quoting, embodying, differentiation, and blurring the boundaries. To explain them briefly:
*Quoting Tactic: Usually by quoting the images from our memories full of wonder, fear and, obscurity; we create the monsters. These quotes may expose different and endless potentials.
*Embodiment Tactic: The embodiment, which proceeds in parallel with the characterization process, is established with cultural codes and images and is constantly rewritten.
*Differentiation Tactic: The monster, interacting with things (learning), is constantly and endlessly rewriting itself. Differentiation does not end as long as there is interaction.
*Blur The Boundaries Tactic: Blurring what is what and what is not, the monster melts the boundaries between subject and object and fuses everything.
The centaur, whose character is constantly changing, thanks to what is quoted from different discourses and different geographies and the things it interacts with, melting the boundaries between horse-man-warrior-cruel-pacifist.
Gezi Park/Gezi Monster is a good example of the monster as space in the city.
In 2013 in Turkey, the authority came up with the idea of demolishing the Gezi Park and building a mall in that area. Of course, reactions to this nonsense grew enormously. Among all these discussions, the quotations necessary for the creation of the monster were cited from both history and current events by both sides. With all these quotations, discourses, and Park’s current vast past the monster started to embodied. This character of the Park (monster) changed day by day and as it interacts with things. And then the monster started blurring and melting the boundaries between body-event-space. Today people in Turkey can not think of a Gezi Resistance without the image of both activists(body) or the park(space). And also, if you google “Gezi Park”, you will find photos all about Gezi Resistance. Because the idea of the park(space) lives together with the idea of the resistance(event).
References:
- Özçelik,Buse,Canavar Bedenler, Canavar Mekanlar,Istanbul,2018.
- Tschumi, Bernard, Architecture and Disjunction, The MIT Press,2018.
- De Certeau, Michel, The Practise of Everyday Life, University of California Press,1984.
- Petrescu, Doina, Altering Practices: Feminist Politics and Poetics of Space, Routledge,2007.
