Material: Fibre

Contemporary Art and Ecological Experiments (Production Workshop for Artists)

“Material: Fibre”

Workshop Facilitator: Zeynep Gürler

Dates: 3-4-5 November 2026

Time: 19:00–21:00

Drawing on the potential of fibre to join, intertwine and form new structures through layering, this workshop explores the possibilities it offers artists for thinking and making. Relationships with fibre through methods such as unravelling, tying, sewing and weaving are considered through material knowledge transmitted between art and craft, and the ways these techniques appear in contemporary art.

Tracing the sources and transformations of plant, animal and synthetic fibres opens up ways to consider concepts such as labour, memory, identity and belonging alongside the knowledge and ecological relationships carried by materials. Throughout the three-day programme, artists’ experiences, artworks and readings will accompany participants’ research, while their intended relationships with fibre and ideas for production and display will become part of a shared discussion.

Zeynep Gürler (1988, Ankara) is an artist and academic living and working in Düzce. Her practice investigates the relationship between ecology and memory through encounters and interactions in her surroundings. She combines photography, video, installation, drawing and weaving with long-term field research.

Her regular walks and the observations she makes during them form the basis of her practice. By bringing together the images, sounds and traces accumulated in this process, she establishes connections between different times and experiences. In her recent research in the Efteni Lake basin, she examines the transformation of the landscape and how memory is shaped alongside ecological processes.

Gürler completed her undergraduate studies in Painting at Gazi University’s Faculty of Fine Arts in 2010, followed by a master’s degree (2013) and a proficiency in art degree (2021) at the same university. She joined the Painting Department of Düzce University’s Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture as a research assistant in 2017 and has served as an assistant professor there since 2023.

The exhibition of her project Orada, supported by CultureCIVIC: Arts and Culture Support Programme, took place at Bilsart in 2024. Her other solo exhibitions include Kabuk (Goethe-Institut Ankara, 2024) and İçinde Bir Şey (Müfide Kadri Art Gallery, Düzce, 2025).

In 2025 and 2026, she led the seminar series “What Do Artworks Tell Us About Nature?” as part of Arter’s Learning Programme. In 2026, she was among the artists in the 11th term of SAHA Studio, where she worked on her project Tortu.

* During pre-registration, please enter a text of at least 40 words describing your artistic practice and motivation for joining the workshop in the message field. Applications will be reviewed, and selected participants will receive event invitations by email.

* This workshop is intended for participants working in contemporary art or seeking to investigate fibre, weaving and textile techniques alongside ecology, labour, memory, identity and belonging in their artistic practice. Regular attendance is expected throughout the programme. Participation is free of charge and limited to 15 people.

* To apply for the programme, complete the pre-registration form via the “Register” button on this page. Registration opens one week before the first session (27.10.2026 at 19:00), and the “Register” button will become accessible from that date.

Workshop Program

- 03.11.2026 Tuesday / 19:00–21:00 / On Production and Materials (Online)

In the first session, Zeynep Gürler will share the possibilities of working with fibre through her own practice and examples from contemporary art. The group will consider the sources and transformations of plant, animal and synthetic fibres, and material knowledge shared between art and craft. For the next session, participants will be asked to choose a fibre, textile fragment or fibre-related artwork they wish to investigate and prepare brief notes or images relating to their choice.

- 04.11.2026 Wednesday / 19:00–21:00 / Possibilities of Materials (Online)

In the second session, participants will share their chosen materials and research. The possibilities offered by methods such as unravelling, tying, sewing and weaving will be discussed alongside labour, memory, identity and belonging. Accompanied by artists’ experiences, artworks and readings, participants will be invited to develop a material experiment or an idea for a work reflecting the relationships they wish to establish with fibre.

- 05.11.2026 Thursday / 19:00–21:00 / Sharing and Thinking Together (Online)

In the final session, participants will share their material experiments and ideas for production and display. The group will consider how fibre’s capacity to join, intertwine and form layers is reflected in these proposals, with feedback on material choices, ecological relationships and presentation. The workshop will conclude with a shared discussion of how the research might continue.