TRACING A CITY AFTER AN OLD PHOTOGRAPH THROUGH AN AUTOETHNOGRAPHIC LENS: REMNANTS OF ÇUKURÇARŞI VIA REPHOTOGRAPHY TECHNIQUE

Abstract

This study, which started with a well-known photograph of the famous Çukurçarşı, one of the vital spots in the history of Eskişehir, seeks to narrate the change and transformation of the city within the subject-space relationship based on personal and social memory with a historical background. In this study, a particular method is proposed with regards to the perspective of visual sociology toward urban space, and a research based on this method is designed and carried out. This research is designed in three phases that initiate with selecting an old photograph of the city and tracing its path. The first phase consists of experiencing the field through an autoethnographic lens and taking notes. In the second phase, the researcher finds the location where the photo was taken and takes a new photo of it from the exact angle and spot using the rephotography technique. In the last phase, which is designed as 'art within the scope of the research', a photo collage is designed by wandering through the depths of the archive and bringing together the images, newspaper clippings, photos taken by local photographers, maps, catalogs and booklets that depict and describe Eskişehir Köprübaşı and Çukurçarşı. The art technique in this phase is reflected through the artistic skills and competencies of the researcher/photographer.