THIS IS NOT ANOTHER TOURIST GUIDE

“Adventures!” Favorite pastime. Taking my beloved by the hand, we embark on short walks or trips to new destinations at the first chance we get. Time is limited due to a demanding daily routine. Whenever one of us finds ourselves alone in a place we enjoy, we communicate as many stimuli to each other as we can and promise to revisit the place and explore it together. Nisyros is one of these promise trips.

Based on this experience, I create a diary of imaginary walks with my beloved. A state between fantasy and reality. While familiarizing myself with the island, I convey stories, images, smells, and sensations to the one who is far away from me. How does a stone fit into a diary?

Making use of a mixture of printmaking techniques, collected objects and photographs are developed on silkscreens and cyanotypes under the Nisyros sun. Wood engravings and prints, drawings and texts make up a mosaic of experiences of the island through my eyes that I imagine my beloved would savor. Simultaneously, a walking map is created of murals as pins scattered around the island, a mark for future travelers, signifying my once being there and my present absence. Looking at the diary, the viewer may follow the map, continuing to explore the places I once chose.

Limited time in everyday life, which results in the forced absence of our loved ones, is a condition that concerns almost all of us. How much are we ourselves, our character development and the state of our mental health, determined by our shared experiences with the ones closest to us, and the lack thereof?