The Darağaç Collective Association’s project, located in the Umurbey neighbourhood, focuses on producing experimental and transformative projects related to art, design, and society. It addresses issues such as the lack of workshops and experience spaces for young artists and designers, the difficulty of connecting ideas and projects that could contribute to urban life with an audience, and the communication problems faced by local governments and civil society organisations both internally and with each other. Symbolising transformation and change, the Fermentation Project aims to transform the neighborhood and its residents through art, much like how substances transform into new forms in natural processes. Through activities carried out within the project, artists, designers, neighborhood residents, and all participants will come together to share the experience of co-creation and living. By encouraging active participation from neighborhood residents, the project will demonstrate that art can be not only a spectator activity but also a producer activity. It will facilitate a rich production process arising from the convergence of various disciplines such as art, design, gastronomy, and architecture. While raising awareness about issues like food security and waste management for a sustainable future, the project will revitalize underutilized or idle spaces in the neighborhood by hosting art and cultural events.
Darağaç Collective will prepare its traditional annual exhibition in its 9th year under the theme of Fermentation. The exhibition aims to transform the neighborhood’s revitalized areas into an art and culture center by using chemical reactions that occur in energy production and oxygen deprivation as a representation. In this context, Karargah, AudioDar, and Darağaç Kitchen events will be the focal points.
Darağaç Kitchen will be realised by converting an abandoned building in the Umurbey Neighborhood into a public kitchen space. This aspect of the project aims to create a new social space, learning, and experiential opportunities for the neighborhood residents. Darağaç Kitchen seeks to address issues on residents’ agendas, such as food security, food preservation, and equal access to food, while also hosting experimental gastronomy workshops and various events.
This project, conducted in collaboration with Darağaç and Konak Municipality, aims to redefine the Konak Modern Art Center (Ko.Mo), which was opened last year, and the surrounding streets with the contributions of 12 recent graduates from four universities in İzmir. Young artists will produce works in the fields of Ko. Mo and will exhibit them in public spaces. The Darağaç X Ko. Mo project will provide young artists the opportunity to have their first public space production experience while contributing to the art and design practice in İzmir, revitalizing the streets with art, and enhancing the dialogue between Ko.Mo and Darağaç Collective.
A retrospective book prepared for the 10th anniversary of the Darağaç Collective aims to provide visual and written documentation of Darağaç’s 10-year history, sharing the collective’s story with art enthusiasts. Within the scope of the book project, workshops and interviews will be organised with designers, editors, photographers, and writers.
Through these projects to be carried out in İzmir Umurbey Neighbourhood, Darağaç Collective aims to improve dialogue among local communities, enhance the quality of life in the neighborhood, and contribute to İzmir’s art and culture scene. By presenting a collective production process together with residents, artists, designers, and volunteers, it aims to strengthen the impact of localisation and solidarity; standing out as a model where art meets society, is produced together, and lived together.
Darağaç is a non-profit art collective and open space for experiencing new communication strategies. Umurbey Venue, formerly known as Darağaç, used an industrial era in the past and now hosts a population that includes artist ateliers and industrial zones at present. Darağaç also known as the entirety of the exhibitions matured with the dialogues and debate settings between the local artists. Darağaç’s main goal is to be transformed into a space or a shared platform where young artists can showcase their works due to the lack of mature galleries, newly opened artist studios, and exhibition spaces in İzmir.
During the project, Konak Municipality is going to have an active role in the organisational process such as using Konak Modern Art Museum’s open and closed spaces for exhibitions, panels, talks, performances, and screening activities; creating the content of the events; planning the installation process and communication activities. It will play an active role in overcoming the communication problems between local government and civil society organisations and in proposing concrete solutions.
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