Space remains one of the fundamental concepts of art history and continues to be a central topic in contemporary art discussions. The problem of space is expressed in painting through concepts such as interior and landscape, distinguishing between outdoor and indoor spaces, while in sculpture, it is considered as a more holistic element. Particularly with the Post-Modern era, definitions have become more blurred and we observe examples where the artwork expands into space and integrates with it. Becoming ‘one’ with space in a way. So, what are the effects and meaning of space in digital art?
Seher Uysal, one of the artists of Bilsart Shop, merges video with space in her works, creating multi-channel video installations. Her two-channel video installation “Inspired by True Events” (2018) traces the question of what space is and how it is produced. She asks, “Are architectural designs, history, and names the only factors that define a space? Or do urban legends, gossip, and misunderstandings also play a role in constructing space?” By pursuing these questions, Uysal establishes the conceptual framework of her work, making it an example of digital art expanding into space. This piece takes as its starting point the legendary winter of 1954, when it was claimed that the Bosphorus froze over and people walked across the ice to the other side. It explores how certain hearsay-based information about the city remains in our collective memory and shapes our perception of space. “The work is composed of documentary archive footage, some dubious testimonies, and photographs, examining how semi-real information behind an urban legend persists in our collective memory today and how such events contribute to our understanding of space.”
Similarly, Uysal’s work “Echo Chamber”, which explores aging and memory, features six screens arranged within a space, forming a six-channel video installation. Each screen presents a different perspective on the subject, contributing to the narrative in unique ways and establishing the work’s relationship with the space around it.
From a different perspective, Ferhat Özgür investigates the relationship between individuals and spaces in his photography series “Jump I, II, III, IV”. The artist describes this relationship as follows: “Each of these serial photographic performances depicts my attempt to touch the tops of historical buildings with a single jump, referencing a struggle against their overwhelming dominance.” In his photographs, which are part of the Bilsart Shop selection, Özgür examines the political and historical context of spaces while also questioning their interaction with individuals. His works are also among those that focus on the impact of space.
Nermin Er, on the other hand, blends her background in both sculpture and animation to create immersive, three-dimensional cinematic scenes. In her series “Somewhere Else at the Same Time”, Er presents a series of landscapes that take viewers on a journey through memory. Through images, she aims to connect the viewers with lost memories and encourages them to compare past and present. These landscapes serve as representations of memory, carrying traces of the past into the present. By integrating real-life materials with 3D video effects, she digitalizes these memory traces. Exploring the relationship between space and memory, Er places elements that carry memory’s imprints within her constructed spaces. Therefore evoking a sense of nostalgia. Using objects, landscapes, and spatial imagery, she constructs a narrative that draws from what’s familiar and emphasizes on a shared memory. The lighting, shadows, and display techniques she employs offer an alternative perspective, di Her. Her background in animation allows her to interpret these scenes and spaces with a cinematic eye, offering experiences that can be described as romantic.
Digital art continues to attract attention as a field that redefines and questions the concept of space, dimensions and tangibility. Seher Uysal’s video installations construct a new spatiality by conceptually interrogating space through themes of collective fallacies, urban legends, and personal perceptions; while Ferhat Özgür’s photographic series explores the interaction between individual and the socio-political/historical context of spaces and places. Nermin Er, on the other hand, blends existing spaces in our memory with her own interpretation and transforms the space. These three distinct approaches demonstrate how digital art transcends the physical boundaries of space, offering a multidimensional framework for exploration. The dynamic relationship between art and space, combined with the creative power of digital art, invites viewers to a new awareness of space.
