Iftar Gate

- a video of a model that I've built using steel, foam, plaster, twine, plastic, cheese, dates, olives and a tulip. This is really a collage of several ideas at different scales, trying to reconcile the ascetism of Ramadan with the world's largest communal Iftar feast, attempted in Istanbul last year. This is set against the background of the Tulip Age, a period in the early 18th century that has been framed as a volatile and productive first flirtation of the Ottoman Empire with Western European modes of consumption. I'll see where this leads . . .

The Temple of Seasons

When Constantine consecrated the new Roman capital, Constantinople, on the 11th May 330 AD, 6
years of hectic construction had occurred, but it was not only new buildings that started appearing.
In fact, many of the new monuments and buildings were moved or copied from other parts of
the Roman Empire, for example: the Milion, the Curia, the Chalke and the new Golden Gate in the
Theodisian Wall.
    One of the city's old monuments that was demolished to make way for the new, was the
Temple of Seasons – Naos ton Epochonhad. It had the appearance of a park, or rather, it contained
a park and was in turn contained by one. Along the edge of the monument was a wall to separate
the inner park from the surrounding one. This edge of the monument was a path, which could be
seen as the monument itself – the object was the edge that defined it.
    Prof. Alan K. Bowman, at the Centre for the Study of Ancient Documents, has studied Herodotus'
‘The Histories’ at length, together with other texts describing the old city of Byzantine. He
claims its location, most likely, is where the Grand Bazaar is situated today.
    Walking along the monument you would encounter four humble temples, describing the
four seasons, and in between these temples the wall and path shifted – turning from line to place.
Winter was situated, according to Herodotus' ‘The Histories’, at the northernmost point. The layout
of the other temples followed the movement of the sun – spring placed to the east, summer
resting in the southern part, leaving to autumn the view of the sunset.

Miklagard

In Hagia Sofia you can still see a thousand year old
inscription reading “Halvdan carved these runes”.
Halvdan was a warrior in the Varangian Guard, a
Scandinavian regiment of bodyguards for the Byzantine
Emperor and served under the regiments captain,
Harold Hardrada.
    Harold Hardrada died, as you all know, in the
battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066, but his journey
towards this end started when he was 15 and witnessed
his half brother being cut down and killed in a battle
for the Norwegian crown. The exiled Harold travelled
eastwards, through Gardarriket, modern day Russia,
and then south to Miklagard, also known as Istanbul,
Constantinople or Byzantine.
    During his service for the Emperor in the
Varangian Guard, he quickly rose to the title of Akolouthos,
leader of the guard, and fought in more than 18
major campaigns, from Sicily to Northern Africa, all in
all capturing over 80 cities for the Emperor. The Guard
was, under his leadership, renowned for their battle
prowess (“the brutal nobles”), excessive drinking
habits (“the wine kegs of the emperor”) and loyalty,
but this loyalty was only towards the living and each
time an emperor was killed the Guard would loot the
palace for all its treasure. This happened three times
and might have been the reason why Empress Zoë
Porfyrogenita arrested Harold, although the legend
also say that the Empress was an overly jealous person,
and Harold had fallen for her sister.
    He managed, however, to escape and on a ship
laden with treasures and navigated by his most loyal
men, he sailed across the Mediterranean Sea, passed
the Gibraltar, and was finally, after 13 years away, on
his way home.
    When he made landfall on the shores of Norway,
he was most likely, with all his Mediterranean
treasure and battle experience, the wealthiest and
most powerful man in the country. He managed to
conquered the Norwegian throne, but after spending a
lifetime re-enacting the memories of battles, settling
down was not part of his plan, and with the last of his
spoils he rounded up 300 ships for the invasion of
England, where his final re-enactment was crowned
with success.