an eye on an eye
a bag : a volcano : a curse : my art
“Who left their bag?” shouts the bus driver as he runs outside the bus to get everyone’s attention. Suddenly, like a chain reaction, everyone turns around and asks loudly in unison, “Who left their bag?” I join in by lifting my hand to get the attention of those in front of me and start shouting, “Who left their bag?”
Unfortunately, the owner of the IKEA bag cannot be found. I continue walking to Berlin Hauptbahnhof (Berlin Central Station) while empathizing with the person who left their bag behind. I remember with deep sadness all the times when I left my bag somewhere, never to be found again.
Today's train journey takes me to Laacher See, a caldera lake in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The caldera of Laacher See was formed after the Laacher volcano erupted many years ago. It’s hard to believe, but it’s still considered an active volcano. The lake is beautiful, but the main reason for my visit is a Buddhist Meditation Centre located right by the lake. I’ll be attending a 6-day meditation retreat. This retreat is one of many I’ve done over the years, and they are essential for my mental health. I’m looking forward to disconnecting completely - no phone, no talking, no reading, and deepening my meditation practice.
To practice what I preach in my artist notes to self, I thought I share some photos of my first ceramic piece I made last summer when I started ceramics. Putting ourselves and our art out there takes immense courage, but I want to keep showing up for myself, even if it means allowing the world to view, judge, and critique it.
The colour was inspired by the evil eye 🧿 The evil eye is believed to ward off a curse transmitted through a malicious glare inspired by envy. As a form of protection, many people in Turkey, Greece, and the Middle East place these small charms near doors, on the ground, hang them in windows, or wear them as jewellery. Blue is a shield against evil and can absorb negativity. In the Middle East and the Mediterranean, blue eyes are relatively rare, so ancient people believed that individuals with light eyes, particularly blue eyes, could curse someone with just a glance. This belief is so ancient that even the Assyrians had turquoise and blue-eye amulets.
As a child, my mom always made me wear one, usually a bracelet - it was mandatory!
I’m Tuğba, a Turkish-Greek Artist living in Berlin - as slow as possible is a newsletter exploring the in-between spaces of our lives that we see but often do not notice. Interested in reading more of my work? Consider subscribing:
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Leaving your baggage behind can be very healing as well. I like to think the person who owns that IKEA bag didn’t need it anymore.
I had one of these evil eye charms as a child, but never realised what it meant. I'm from Belgium and I think my mom got it for me from a charity shop - I'll have to look for it next time I go home now! 🌀