top of page

Artistic residency in Istanbul

As part of the National Recovery Plan scholarship project, I implemented an artistic residency under the slogan "discovery through collaborative creation". Its main goal was to explore Turkish culture and  gradually learn about each other - who we are, what our experiences and sensitivities are - and to explore and confront Polish and Turkish cultures. The important element was the exchange of artistic practices and the systematic documentation of the process, treated not only as a record but also as part of the creative practice itself.

The source of inspiration lay in the memory of individual relationships with dance and movement, as well as in encounters with traditional dance, which introduced a cultural context. A valuable field of exchange also emerged through our personal artistic practices and the different ways of understanding the origins and sources of movement. In this way, the residency became not only a space for meeting and dialogue but also a laboratory, where shared practices allowed for an in-depth exploration of identity, tradition, and the possibilities of co-creation.

residents Aslı Bostancı, Melih Kıraç, Omar Karabulut

Thanks for support to prof. dr Tuğçe Ulugün Tuna, Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Akbank Sanat

Istanbul/Türkiye December 2024

Scoria

The performance explores the theme of darkness as a space of acceptance, closeness, and transformation. Human and nonhuman forms intertwine, revealing darkness as a source of courage, strength, and a new perspective on reality. It is a journey in which darkness ceases to be merely the absence of light, becoming a field of new discoveries and understanding. Scoria, a remnant of volcanic eruptions, symbolizes the process of transformation. In this creative, movement-based exploration, it was the volcanic processes that inspired the discovery and exploration of relationships within the realm of darkness.

choreography Omar Karabulut

creation and performance Maja Gajzmer, Kinga Łotysz, Lidia Zygadło

assistant choreographer Marcelina Jasińska

music Maciej Henel-Celis

lighting direction Michał Wawrzyniak

production ARToffNIA Dance and Art Foundation

premiere October 23, 2024, Stefan Jaracz Theatre in Olsztyn

A choreographic residency at the Węgorzewo Cultural Center

The choreographic residency was a journey into the world of coexistence and dialogue with the matter of water and its various states of matter. For a week, we followed our own needs, jointly exploring the dynamics of working with objects, sharing choreographic and movement strategies. At the same time, we discovered new directions and potential for further work. This was not a process of "observing from the outside," but rather an immersion in choreographic symbiosis.

 

A choreographic residency was held at the Węgorzewo Cultural Center

thanks to Przestrzenie Sztuki Taniec in Białystok.

residents Katarzyna Kania, Omar Karabulut

Wegorzewo/ Poland, September 2024

This page presents Omar’s artistic activities since the beginning of 2024, reflecting the current direction of his creative exploration. Earlier, he developed primarily as a dancer, collaborating with Jacek Łumiński on the performances Przejścia, CPH4, and Wrócę tu po swoje serce, as well as with Maciej Kuźmiński on Plateau, event horizon - awarded at the Rotterdam International Duet Choreography Competition - and Every Minute Motherland. At the same time, he co-founded Vagabond Physical Collective, with which he created performances such as Lorem Ipsum, A funeral concert for six dancers, and Co tu tak dudni?. His first solo work, Terminal B, received the First Prize at the 3...2...1...DANCE! choreographic competition during the Kraków Dance Festival, marking the beginning of his independent artistic path. Since then, he has been developing his choreographic practice, creating choreographic works within the Spaces of Art - Dance program in Katowice, as well as through his work at the Dance Department of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, where he created, among others, the graduation performance Low States.

• 

© 2025 by Omar Karabulut

bottom of page