Back to the Essence: Turkey’s Unconscious Mindscapes

ZMET Institute Turkey and FutureBright uncover Turkey’s subconscious mind through art

Take a look at this painting by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. What do you see? What does it mean? Who or what does it represent?

This painting, called Guernica, is one of Picasso’s most famous. It depicts the horrors of war in Picasso’s trademark style. From 1936–39, Spain was locked in a civil war that had devastating consequences for the nation in terms of destruction and loss of life. What do the images of this painting communicate about this national experience? What might it say about Spain’s past, present, and future? Guernica has become a representation of the pain that remains a lingering trauma in Spain’s national memory. When observed, art like Guernica can convey countless themes about the experience of an individual or even, in this case, a society.

At the beginning of this year, Olson Zaltman’s partners at the ZMET Institute Turkey and FutureBright Research harnessed the power of art and ZMET to dive into the subconscious mind of a different nation, Turkey. In January and February, they hosted a one-of-a-kind exhibition in Istanbul. The project, called “Back to the Essence: Turkey’s Subconscious Mindscapes,” consisted of a collection of ZMET digital collages showcased at the Nişantaşı Maji Art Gallery.

The digital collage titled “Yok Oluş” (“Extinction”) reveals how young Turkish people perceive the pandemic has wasted their youth — and their process of re-learning how to hope.

At the exhibition’s opening, FutureBright teamed up with Harvard Business Review Turkey to record a series of panel discussions (including one featuring Olson Zaltman CEO Lindsay Zaltman and the artist Umut Sungur, and another featuring Akan Abdula of FutureBright along with author and brand consultant Dr. Uğur Bati) related to the exhibition and its significance. A joint publication about the significance of the research was handed out to visitors.

FutureBright selected the digital collages from a database of thousands of collages created during ZMET interviews on various consumer experiences, brands, and product categories. This project demonstrates a novel application of the ZMET technique’s capabilities, reaching beyond the marketing industry to intersect with the world of art. ZMET Institute Turkey General Manager Ebru Özdemir acknowledged that “Regardless of the category that is [discussed] in ZMET studies, the insights are shaped within the social, cultural, and collective subconscious patterns. This gives us a great panorama of society.” This is the first time that ZMET’s powers have been harnessed to understand and represent a social context from multiple perspectives and then reflect it with a public art exhibition.

“Keskin Ferahlık” (“Sharp Refreshment”) illustrates how Turkish men are adapting to the cultural codes of being “good and acceptable” males while feeling a lack of control over their masculine identity.

The curator of the exhibition, Beyza Can Uçak, touched on how art can intersect with ZMET and its role in this project. She described “Back to the Essence” as a “multi-participant art project,” relying on collaborative processes and the interactions of art, artist, and audience to understand “the meaning of the repetitive symbols and metaphors that emerge in these collages for our society.” The entire exhibition was an exploration of how metaphorical language and imagery communicate deep and meaningful insights about the realities of society. Imagine how Guernica might have been different if every Spanish citizen had been able to contribute to the visual.

The collages express the perspectives of different members of Turkish society: young people, men, women, urban populations, the wealthy, and Turkish citizens. The final images (which can be viewed here) reveal the struggles, hopes, concerns, and lived experiences of the people who helped to create them. The research is fueled by current events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and contemporary Turkish socioeconomic and political conditions.

Themes of new beginnings, tragic endings, and uncertain limbos spring up throughout the entire collection, whether it be Turkish citizens renegotiating identities, redefining spaces, or reimagining futures. Lindsay Zaltman, who attended the opening of the exhibition, observed, “The event was a showcase for the perseverance of the Turkish people. The ZMET artwork on display did such a compelling job of highlighting the raw emotions of humanity from a country that has seen political, economic and now pandemic troubles in its recent history.”

“Karmaşa” (“Complexity”) reflects on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Turkish citizens’ concept of “health.” As death has become normalized, being “healthy” is being redefined as simply “being alive.”

In addition to attending the opening, Lindsay Zaltman participated in one of the panel discussions organized by Harvard Business Review Turkey: “I so enjoyed being able to represent Olson Zaltman at the art gallery opening, as well as take part in a fascinating panel discussion. Perhaps my favorite part of the experience was getting to meet so many of the wonderful clients and colleagues of FutureBright and ZMET Institute Turkey.” During the discussion, Lindsay added his expert perspective on ZMET and the role of metaphors in unlocking the human subconscious.

The goal of the exhibition, according to Özdemir, was to “share with both our business partners and the society the insightful and artistic value of what we explore.” Despite the collective views that the collages embody, the project highlighted the uniqueness of each individual contributor. Lindsay Zaltman saw the event as a space where all “could celebrate the resolve of the Turkish people.”

“Back to the Essence” attracted a lot of well-deserved interest from the corporate world, Turkish media, and NGOs. Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality will host the exhibition in April of 2022, FutureBright intends to install the exhibition at another one of its branches in Azerbaijan, and the project’s final destination will be Uskub, Macedonia, at FutureBright’s newly established art foundation.

“(Elektrik ile) Korkularımdan Arınıyorum” (“[With Electricity] I’m Free From My Fears”) engages with the concerns of conservative Turkish citizens and their belief that the concept of freedom is what lies at the heart of civilization.

Since they became an Olson Zaltman partner six years ago, FutureBright Research and ZMET Institute Turkey have propelled the ZMET methodology to a prominent spot in the Turkish research community. Reflecting on that partnership, Lindsay Zaltman said, “From the moment we began our partnership with FutureBright and ZMET Institute Turkey in 2016, we knew ZMET was going to be successful in Turkey. Each and every year, ZMET Institute Turkey continues to show new companies and brands the power of ZMET, and we couldn’t be prouder. To pull off a wonderful event such as this is even more evidence we have the right partner in place in Turkey.”

Özdemir commented on the impact of ZMET on their research and the marketing industry in Turkey: “It has transformed not only our approach to research, but also the perspective of the entire industry including researchers, marketing professionals, strategists and advertising agencies in Turkey. Our ZMET clients have learned the language of images. When we founded FutureBright 11 years ago, we set our mission to force the industry to change. ZMET helped us a lot in this regard. It created a perspective leap in the entire industry.”

Olson Zaltman is grateful to have such an exceptional partner representing ZMET in the Turkish and Middle Eastern markets. We are looking forward to seeing more incredible projects, novel uses of ZMET, and fascinating insights from these two brilliant groups in the future.

Kacie Burton is an Insight Associate at Olson Zaltman