Nancy Atakan

Those Who Say ‘Tea’ and Those who say ‘Çay’

48 colored photocopies 30 x 35 cm.
48 colored photographs 30 x 35 cm.
1998

Can the world be divided into two with those who say something sounding like tea and those who say something sounding like cay? While the sounds are similar the visual images of the words depends on the linguistic system from which they are taken.  This simple material consumed around the world, takes on cultural meaning in varying geographies. 

 In 1998 colored photocopy machines had recently arrived in Istanbul. When the camera shop reproduced the photographs of the tea glasses, he made a mistake and the prints came out in tones of green. This mistake rendered the reproduction of the green images impossible.  It made the photographs unique.  Only by using colored photocopy and later with digital printing could they be reproduced.