Wish: Aya Yorgi (2008 - Present, Istanbul)

This project explores a collective wish-making ritual at the Church of St. George (Aya Yorgi), Buyukada, where participants climb the hill, leaving colorful threads along the path and trees, creating a network of intertwined “life-lines.” The ritual’s syncretic character borrowing from various traditions and improvising new practices, frees participants from the rules of everyday life, allowing them to connect with each other and the space in personal and shared ways. By observing how the participants come together, move, and leave traces of their presence, the project highlights how the hill becomes both a destination and a metaphor for life, capturing the freedom, diversity, and inclusivity inherent in shared rituals and collective action in ritual spaces.