The Turkish equivalent of the famous Burning Man festival in Nevada is due to run again this summer in the Cappadocia region of central Turkey. The fledging festival, entitled Cappadox (19-22 May), includes music concerts and food-related events, along with a large-scale, sprawling exhibition dedicated to site-specific works. The ticketed event, now in its second year, is organised by the Turkish concert promoter Pozitif Live.
This year, Fulya Erdemci, the curator of the 2013 Istanbul Biennial, will oversee the art section, which runs until 12 June without an admission charge. Participating artists include the Berlin-based Ayse Erkmen, the German artist Christoph Schaefer and the Brazilian video artist Marilá Dardot. The artists will focus on the effects of tourism on the area located around Uçhisar and Göreme.
The artists will focus on farming and "fast" tourism, Erdemci says. "With site-specific and context responsive interventions, they will bring to the forefront the area’s living culture, inhabitants, voices, textures and even blossoming flowers."
She adds: "As part of the exhibition programme, there will be flora walks and workshops, with local women [discussing] traditional regional prescriptions based on plants that have healing qualities. Some artists paddle against the current; Asunción Molinos Gordo will focus on the agricultural policies that have a decisive impact on the changing production models."
The Turkish photographer Murat Germen took part in the festival last year; for this edition, he will develop a series of interactive projects in partnership with local professionals. “I propose a public transportation system enabling tourists to experience something different from the present tour packages, which offer a very limited view of the area,” Germen says.
