The Conference of Letters

2023,
Installation (Graduation)

In 1929 the Alphabet reform happened in Türkiye, which resulted in the Ottoman Turkish script being replaced by the Latin-based new Turkish alphabet. The Conference of Letters is a project that seeks to reimagine the traditional art of Abjad numerals in the Latin script, which emerged after the Alphabet reform. Hilal used the Persian poem 'the Conference of the Birds', by Farid ud-Din Attar as her guide in this process. This project is a way to reconnect and reimagine the Ottoman tradition of Abjad numerals that had been used for thousands of years and slowly faded away. Abjad numerals or isopsephism is an ancient practice and system where each letter is assigned a numerical value, which creates a calculation system.

In this site-specific graphic installation, seven flowers are arranged to indicate the year 2023 when you sum up the numerical values, which serves as a significant timeframe for the creation and eventual annihilation of this artwork. The work is made from Latin and Arabic letters and reflects the reform, cultural change, transliteration, and tensions between East and West in Türkiye. Hilal seeks to connect and weave the two scripts together, finding a visual language to display this unique heritage in a contemporary context.

Guided by:
Klasien van de Zandschulp,
Chantal Hendriksen,
Thomas Buxó,
Sue Dunlop &
Sarah Carter.

Sakla Samanı Gelir Zamanı

2021,
Publication

Experimental publication made with my grandpa's stamp collection. While researching and analyzing the stamps, gathered different kinds of other stamps together. Interacted with a walktrhough of a market in my hometown in Turkey, Denizli.

Guided by: Matthias Kreutzer

Denizli

2021,
Publication

An cityguide of the city mine parents were born in Turkey. Denizli is an industrial city in the southwestern part of Turkey and the eastern end of the alluvial valley formed by the river Büyük Menderes, where the plain reaches an elevation of about three hundred and fifty metres (1,148 ft). Denizli is located in the country's Aegean Region.

Guided by: Laura Pappa

KABK Film House

2021—2022
Identity + Poster series

Together with 3 other friends at KABK we decided to screen films every week on wednesday. We screen the films in the cinema room in school to gather people together, but also to make posters each week.

A Feast of Memories

2020
Publication + Installation

I want you to invite to the feast of memories. These are all objects that are from the second hand shop and that reminded me from the memories you see in the paintings that I painted from certain memories and thoughts I have. So every dish has is own memory.

Guided by: Michel Hoogervorst

Kanat Press

2022,
Typedesign

The Typeface Kanat is designed by Lebanese typedesigner Lara Captan, based in Amsterdam. During my internship I only added textures to the letters, to get familiar with arabic typedesign and Arabic letters. It was a great experience to be working with Lara Captan. I got to learn a lot about the history and typography of the Arabic script.

Guided by:
Lara Captan

Thuluth script practice

2020
Video + Publication

My fascination with Arabic calligraphy has let me practice the thuluth script. I wanted to learn the skills and discipline. I’m was not aiming for being a master in it, because I need years to do that. I also took into consideration that learning an Arabic script is a practice with a student a teacher relation (this will be my goal in the future). I just wanted to have a feeling in my hand and strengthen it.

Therefore as a start, I chose the thuluth script. It’s one of the canonical “six styles”. You can distinguish it from it’s wide and elaborate letters. Its decorative character of thuluth comes, particularly from its rounded shapes. with drawn-out strokes, it lends itself primarily to the writing of titles and colophons. Traditionally calligraphers copied the letter or group of letters over and over again on a sheet. The result was a heavily blackened surface, referred to as mashq or siyah masq (“exercise” or “black exercise”). It was approximately one week process and I succeeded. It's not perfect, but I'm really happy I can write it. I documented the process while learning and here is the end result.

Guided by: Susana Carvalho

Divan Edebiyatı Haftası

2021
Identity + Typography

Identity design made for a made up event. The event contains lecture series, community building and sharing and learning about Divan poetry. It’s poetry that’s evolved during the Ottoman era. It is, however, a rich and ancient poetic tradition that lasted for nearly 700 years, and one whose influence can still be felt in the modern Turkish poetic tradition. Because of the letter reformation Turkey went through in 1939 from Arabic script to the Latin script, I wanted to have a combination of both scripts in the identity to showcase the ottoman era and the contemporary Turkey now. So, I made a pixel typeface in Latin script and Arabic script. For the Arabic script I made a combination of the Kufic script and with the proportions of the Thuluth script, which I also used the same proportions for the Latin script.

Guided by: Martin Lorenz

2021
Paintings (chalk, ink, pen)

Inspired from the Divan event I made paintings on wooden boards with chalk and the letters with ink. I experimented with letters and color. The poems translated:

1.

Ehlen ve sehlen ey gam-ı kalb-i perişân merhabâ
Hoş geldin ey perişan kalbimin hüznü, hoş geldin
- Nev’î (1533-1599)

Welcome the sadness of my miserable heart, welcome

2

Bölüşürsek tok oluruz,
bölünürsek yok oluruz
- Yunus Emre (1238-1328)

If we divide we will be full, if we divide we will perish

2.1

İnsan insanı Ya tamamlayamadı, Ya tam anlayamadı
- La Edri (Anonymous)

Humans did not complete each other or didn’t understand each other

3.

Kendimi kendim yitirdim kendim arar kendini
Kendine kendin gerekse kendinde bul kendini
- Pîrî (1465-1553)

I lost myself by my own, myself searching for myself
Find yourself if necessary yourself in yourself

Guided by: Michel Hoogervorst

Garden

2022
Installation + Photogrammetry

Installation about showcasing a celebration of my 2 identities, ‘Turkish’ and ‘Dutch’. I used photogrammetry to have 3d objects, which I combined in blender. I ended to have more than 7000 images to 3d scan the objects. I used Blender as a Photography studio to explore possibilities, which is not possible in reality. The composition of the installation is inspired by Persian gardens, Chahar Bagh. It literally means 4 gardens, which shaped the installation. Mostly the gardens are divided in 4 sections and in the middle you have the pavilion ‘the fountain of life’. I showcased my pavilion as layers of my identity. The scarf ‘Kuşak’, is a cultural scarf from my hometown in Turkey. It’s worn as a belt. I topped it with plates, Boerenbont and typical Turkish coffee plate. On the inside of the cup you have Turkish tea, mixed with Dutch tea, which is common to do.

Guided by: Katrin Korfman, Virginie Gauthier & Maarten Cornel

WildCats

2021—2022
Website + Music Video

Why the name Wild Cats? We both were thinking about a lots of names, but weren’t satisfied. We ended up randomly picking each one of us 1 word from our Instagram reels topics, the result: Wild Cats. We Eva and Hilal first started individually by creating content from our Instagram data, from our reel interest. Eva made music and Hilal made videos, by using AI (Eva: Abelton, audacity, Melobyte / Hilal: Runway, Avidemux). We got very excited by seeing our content and decided that it would be perfect to work together as a music producer and video editor. Eva wanted to be a music producer for a month and Hilal a video editor. For the second part Eva took the role of a video editor and Hilal the coder. Together we created from our interest from Instagram reels a music video. For the music video we created a website where the audience or user can interact with the music video by seeing our interest data and hovering and creating a layer of more interests on top of the video. If you click on the interest it will play a part from the video which you might find interesting, depending on the interest you clicked on. During this project we focused more on comparing our interests and looking at the differences. We had lots of conversations, which we documented. With all of these materials we made our video. This project was mainly the result of an experimental research with imagery, sound and data. We ended up with more than 5000 generated images and 29 videos.

Guided by: Hannes Bernard & Quentin Creuzet

Analog Patronen

2018
Identity + Printing

In 2018 I did my internship at Grafische Werkplaats in the Hague. It’s a graphic printing techniques for artists and designers. During my internship there was a festival going on Analog patronen, which is held every two years. In 2018 the festival explores working with patterns within the visual and graphic arts. It consists of exhibitions, presentations, workshops and a participatory process around the theme patterns. The participating artists of the exhibition Analog Patterns in the workshop (May 25- June 16) are: Rachel Bacon, Suzan Drummen, Anne Geene, Christie van der Haak, Ingrid Greijn, Rabi Koria, Bureau RNDR, Masaaki Oyamada, Wouter Willebrands. During the festival I mostly worked on the design from the identity, which Dennis Koot (graphic designer) designed for the festival. As a base he designed a grid and with his guidance I designed variations with several other outcomes for social media, newspaper (De Witte Raaf) and flyers. Furthermore, I have helped with assisting with the workshops and the artists, and helped with setting up the exhibitions.

Guided by: Dennis Koot & Carola van der Heijden