Talk
Chamber Talks
From Archives to Present:
Underground Photocopy Publishing in Istanbul
Hüseyin Serbes, Tolga Özbey and COMMENTARIVM
15 January 2025 / 19:00
Underground publishing, which began with photocopying and continued digitally, not only serves as a communication network for subcultures but also provides many insights into the gathering practices of youth movements and counter-cultures. For this reason, it has become one of the most important tools of young and counter-cultures like punk music. The talk, focusing on underground artist fanzines and photocopied productions in Istanbul, will address both the historical process of fanzine culture and its relationship with punk music culture. The discussion will examine the spatiality of punk and fanzine cultures through distribution networks, while also touching on various themes such as communication and interaction forms, daily life and reproducibility, political economy, commodification, and the position of fanzines in the age of digital production.
The talk, centered on Hüseyin Serbes's doctoral research, will be enriched by Tolga Özbey's early period experiences as the founder of Rashit and one of Turkey's first photocopy fanzine producers, along with Merve Kocadayı and Emincan Alemdaroğlu's (COMMENTARIVM) current archival and publishing practices.
The talk will be broadcast live on the YouTube channel of the Istanbul Research Institute.
About Chamber Talks
Chamber Talks initiated by the Istanbul Research Institute (İAE) in 2008 to add a different dimension to Istanbul studies, aims to feature the latest research and discussions about Istanbul with its scope ranging from history to architecture, and from music to cinema.
About Hüseyin Serbes
Hüseyin Serbes dedicated his doctoral thesis to fanzine and punk culture in Istanbul, with the subtitle "Underground Publishing from Photocopy to Digital." He maintains a strict adherence to punk ethics in his work. His research focuses on radical and autonomous media experiences in youth [sub]cultures. He draws inspiration from punk, Dada, and Situationist ideas, auto-ethnographic theories, and research in areas Stuart Hall called "living archives." Besides being an independent academic in Istanbul, he also teaches at schools affiliated with the Ministry of National Education.
About Tolga Özbey
As one of Turkey's first photocopy fanzine producers, Tolga Özbey, who engages in visual and musical production, founded Rashit, one of Istanbul's early punk bands. In his "Exotic Underground" program, broadcast every Tuesday at midnight on Açık Radio, Özbey discusses the city's underground music and publications. He produces content about cultures in different geographies where Beat, Rock 'n' Roll, Surf, and Garage music genres found their place, particularly in the Far East and Middle East or Iron Curtain countries during the Cold War period of the 50s, 60s, and 70s.
About Merve Kocadayı and Emincan Alemdaroğlu
The duo, who founded COMMENTARIVM, an atypical art book space that publishes artist books and editions and presents otherwise inaccessible works and ideas, has made available books, magazines, fanzines, prints, projects, and sound recordings of local and international publishers and artists in contemporary art, cultural/theoretical criticism, design, music, architecture, fashion, and cinema. The public interest shown in this initiative drives the duo to desire greater integration into cultural discussion and production.
