Melek Zeynep Bulut installs suspended "portal" in London's Painted Hall

Promotion: Turkish-born, London-based designer Melek Zeynep Bulut has designed a large scale suspended installation at the 18th-century Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London.

Named Duo, the installation is on display from 28 October to 3 November, comprising hanging elements that combine into a rectangular form with an archway running through it.

"Essentially, Duo is a portal. All my works are portals, offering spaces for dimensional transition and equilibrium," said Bulut.

Bulut set out to create an illuminated interactive installation for visitors to engage with, contrasting with the grandeur of the Baroque features on the walls and ceiling of Painted Hall.

Microphones and reflectors feature on the installation to create the effect of amplifying the presence of people passing through it.

"Imagine it like our body—fundamentally not a solid mass, but a sensor," said Bulut.

"It perceives and responds to stimuli by producing sounds and has sensory receptors that allow us to feel textures, heat, and cold," she continued. "Similarly, Duo conceptually treats space as a mechanical body.”

The installation is set within the Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College, which dates back to the 18th century and has a richly painted interior designed by English artist James Thornhill.

Informed by the Baroque paintings adorning the room, Bulut hoped to respond to the setting's history and create an abstract interpretation of its impact.

"Energetically, I believe it serves as a space for dimensional transition, with a very high aura," she said.

Similar to her previous works, Bulut drew upon her experience with having synesthesia – a perceptual phenomenon in which one sense is experienced through another – when designing Duo.

Although a rare condition, synesthesia affects people in different ways, creating a sense of "crossed wires" such as experiencing colours when listening to music or perceiving tastes when reading.

Bulut cited this phenomenon as an important factor and touchstone when creating multi-sensory design experiences.

Born in Beyoğlu, Turkey, Bulut is a multidisciplinary artist and designer working across mediums, including sculpture, installation, photography, performance, painting, and video art.

‘Duo’ by Melek Zeynep Bulut in the Painted Hall will be displayed at the Old Royal Naval College from 28 October to 3 November 2024.

The photography is by Mark Cocksedge.

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