I Felt Like a Plant: An Art-Based Creative Expression Workshop

Facilitator: Işıl Eğrikavuk

This workshop invites participants to explore the relationship between the body, nature, and material. Through simple drawing and painting exercises, participants reflect on what it means to feel like a plant, to root, and to transform, while developing their own visual language. The process is emphasized over the outcome, focusing on the experience and exploration.

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Improvisational Theatre & Drama Workshop

Facilitators: Hale Tüblek – Hasan Tanay

Drama, at its core, means action — to act and to move. It is also one of the foundational elements of theatre. In this workshop, we approach drama as a collective rehearsal for reimagining life together with all elements of nature, through play, movement, and shared experience. Through drama-based games, participants connect with one another while engaging more deeply with the ecological environment around them. Together, we will explore playful ways of rediscovering our senses — breathing, seeing, touching, listening, and even silence — in relation to both living and non-living beings that shape our surroundings. As we move beyond feelings of separation and unfamiliarity, we will experience the joy of togetherness. Through improvisational theatre, participants will explore what it means to exist meaningfully alongside others, embracing spontaneity and collective creativity. In this workshop, nature and the associations and inspirations it offers will become our stage.

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Ecology and Cinema Workshop

Facilitator: Ece Yirmibeş

Positioned at the intersection of ecology and the arts, this workshop explores contemporary issues such as environmental crises, sustainability, and climate change through the aesthetic, ethical, and political possibilities of cinema. Throughout the workshop, selected films will serve as a basis for critical discussions on the relationship between humans and nature, the representation of ecological destruction in cinema, and alternative ways of living. Participants are encouraged to approach cinema not only as a narrative medium, but also as a space for critical thinking, intellectual production, and collective awareness. The program includes presentations and discussions on eco-cinema, documentary forms, film language, and fundamental film theory. With the participation of invited filmmakers and directors, the workshop offers a dynamic environment where participants can move fluidly between the roles of viewer and creator. By fostering collective thinking, dialogue, and creative production, the workshop provides a platform for rethinking, discussing, and expressing ecological issues through cinema.

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Land Art Workshop

Facilitator: Murat Yeşilgöz

Art does not always begin on a canvas — sometimes it starts in the earth itself. Land Art, which emerged in the late 1960s in the United States, is an artistic practice that moves beyond gallery and museum spaces, creating artworks directly within nature using materials such as soil, stone, water, and wood. At times, it takes the form of large-scale interventions; at others, it leaves behind traces that disappear with the wind or dissolve into the rain. By distancing itself from the commodification of art, Land Art places experience at its core rather than the final object. In this workshop, we will not “use” nature — we will think with it and create alongside it. We will draw lines with branches, search for balance with stones, and perhaps follow nothing more than a shadow. Each participant will connect their inner voice with the rhythm of nature. Because sometimes the deepest expression lies within the quietest moment. No prior experience is required — only a willingness to slow down, observe, and feel. Touch the earth. Merge with time. Move closer to yourself.

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From Tree to Sound: An Endless Cycle — Music and Its Anteact Through the Bağlama Tradition

Speaker: Prof. Dr. Cenk Güray

This talk is conceived as a tribute to the bağlama — a fundamental and ancient instrument of Anatolian culture. More than a musical instrument, the bağlama stands as a witness to and a transmitter of musical knowledge, spiritual traditions rooted in Khorasan, and the belief systems unique to Anatolia. It is a companion to human experience, carrying a shared sound that has traveled from Central Asia to Africa, from the Middle East to the Balkans, and has become a truly global instrument. Through this perspective, the session explores not only music itself but also what precedes it — the cultural, spiritual, and historical layers that give sound its meaning.

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An Introduction to the History of Gypsy Jazz

Speaker: Yiğit Şener

This presentation explores the emergence and development of Gypsy Jazz, which took shape in 1930s Paris under the pioneering influence of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli. Born from the fusion of the swing tradition and Romani musical traditions, this distinctive style will be examined through its rhythmic structure, harmonic language, and guitar-centered performance practice, supported by selected recordings. Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the genre’s historical context, its characteristic “la pompe” rhythm, and its evolution toward contemporary interpretations.

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Active Music Listening Workshop

Facilitator: Yiğit Şener

This workshop aims to transform music from a passive background element into a conscious and analytical experience. Through guided listening exercises, participants will explore fundamental elements such as rhythm, harmony, form, dynamics, and expression, while also developing the ability to articulate what they hear conceptually. Working with selected examples from various musical genres, the workshop focuses on cultivating a deeper, more attentive, and more mindful way of listening to music.

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Painting the Color of Sound Workshop

Facilitator: Hüseyin Erdağ

This workshop invites participants to interact with live music or the musicians within the group, transforming sound into a visual and sensory experience. Through intuitive, hands-on engagement with color, participants will explore how to express their inner emotions by directly touching and working with paint. The process emphasizes instinctive creation, allowing participants to translate sound into color and individual expression.

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Stories Collected from Nature – Painting Workshop

Facilitator: Hüseyin Erdağ

This workshop brings the natural environment of the Pastoral Vadi Eco-Farm directly into the artistic process, drawing inspiration from the storytelling practices of theatre and performance. Participants will engage with the surrounding landscape as both a material and a narrative source, translating nature into visual expression.

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Rhythm of the Earth: Bendir & Erbane Workshop

Facilitator: Doğukan Karakuş

This participant-centered workshop explores rhythm through our relationship with nature. Using traditional percussion instruments such as the bendir and erbane, we will experience natural cycles, repetitions, and balances through rhythm. The workshop focuses on fundamental rhythmic patterns, ensemble playing practices, and developing listening skills within a group. Participants will explore how to maintain their individual expression while becoming part of a collective rhythmic structure. Beyond musical practice, the process also strengthens attention, focus, and the ability to move and create together. The workshop aims to embody core ecological principles — balance, continuity, and mutual interaction — through music. Here, rhythm is not only a technical skill, but a means of aligning with nature and engaging in collective creation. Participation is open to all levels. Attendees are expected to bring a percussion instrument such as a bendir or erbane.

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Music Without Words: Improvisation Orchestra Workshop

Facilitator: Doğukan Karakuş

In this workshop, we come together to create a shared musical space without speaking — using only hand signals and body language. Moving between rhythm, melody, sound, and silence, we will explore the process of making music collectively in the present moment. The goal is not to perform perfectly, but to listen together, to hear one another, and to become part of a collective sound. Participants will experiment with making instant decisions, adapting to changing musical flows, and positioning their own expression within the group. You can join with an instrument or simply use your voice.