The balcony is an element appearing in Istanbul buildings designed by Levantine architects at the beginning of the 19th century. It gives clues about emerging changes in the social life of the period. Today, balconies are generally not included in the plans of buildings renovated in the context of gentrification, a practice justified by earthquake instructions, so it is highly probable that in the long-run these platforms will become rare architectural elements.
Based on balcony functions, as remembered once more during the pandemic and lockdowns, the installation transforms this outer space within the house first into a production space then an artwork. It combines compositions reflecting the outputs of sound/experiences from the balconies in the districts of Acıbadem, Kuzguncuk, Tepebaşı, Yeşilköy, Gümüşsuyu, Şile, and Moda and a sound piece broadcasted from a blind balcony installed in the exhibition space. Patterns that form the composition bear the sounds of a balcony in a gated community; of a French balcony with a concrete-city view; of a balcony looking down a main road, where one cannot sit for a long time; or a balcony looking over a Greek cemetery, where church bells can be heard, whereas the rhythm cages surrounding them depict the floor plans of the very balconies where sounds were recorded.
The artist coined the word “sonopoeic” and based it on the compound name “onomatopoeic.” (a word sounding similar to the noise it refers to, such as “boom”, “pop”, etc.) She removed the first part, which presumably traces back to “onoma,” the Greek word for “name,” and replaced it with the prefix “sono,” originated from “sonus,” the Latin for “sound.”
