The School of Earthquake Diplomacy, 2018

Looking at the 1999 earthquakes in Greece and Turkey, The School of Earthquake Diplomacy takes its name from the exchange of mutual aid and public empathy when both countries were hit by earthquakes within weeks of each other. It was a very particular moment at both political and geological levels; it brought about mutual coordination of resources and ongoing shared research to prepare for future earthquakes. Many people have memories of that time, and the project aims to engage these memories in the creation of a new work. It also considers the future possibility of earthquakes with less anxiety.

Through a set of workshops in Athens and Istanbul The School of Earthquake Diplomacy produced a series of circular paintings on paper using these earthquake vectors and symbols to make repeating patterns over their surface. The circular paintings decrease in size, creating concentric rings like those of an earthquake’s epicentre, spreading outwards, while the various parts of a dialogue speak to each other.

In Athens, The School of Earthquake Diplomacy was hosted by Kassandras and Matthieu Prat. In Istanbul the workshops and final exhibition were hosted at Arter as one site amongst many housing the 4th Istanbul Design Biennial.