A Petition of the Left Hand
Installation with found text on copy paper, found objects, two-channel video (46' 53"), 17 drawings with graphite on archival paper, cast bronze sculpture on walnut-topped plinth, 6 inkjet prints, artist book
2014
A Petition of the Left Hand is an investigation into left-handedness as a socio-historical phenomenon, incorporating works that span a range of media including video, sculpture, drawing, prints and found objects. As the culmination of a year-long research on past discriminatory practices against left-handed individuals, this assemblage of works suggests a metaphorical framework within which various forms of discrimination can be considered and subverted today.
Accompanying two- and three-dimensional works that celebrate left-handedness, central to the project is a video lecture that presents information from a diverse array of fields including philosophy, social history, statistics, zoology, evolutionary biology, neurology, psychiatry, religion, linguistics and industrial design. Oscillating between academic research and personal reflection in his delivery of this lecture, Taşdelen tries to make sense of why different cultures have viewed the left hand so unfavourably, while simultaneously delving into the intricacies of his relationship with his left-handed father.
Relevant links:
Flash Art - review by Başak Şenova
The Capilano Review - review by Babak Golkar
Near East - video interview with Kate Sutton
All the Decisive Blows - link to purchase artist book
A Petition of the Left Hand was produced with support from the British Columbia Arts Council. The artist book All the Decisive Blows was published with the generous support of Ayşe Umur.
Installation views: Galeri Non, Istanbul, 2014. Photos by Cemrenaz Uyguner.
