Zeren Goktan – Black Swan Event

“In the entrance of the book ‘Black Swan Event’, Nassim Nicolas Taleb the writer talks about the fact that the discovery of black swans coincides with the discovery of Australia. Before that, it was believed that all swans were white. Through this, he underlines how fragile information can be that we take for granted and believe.”

Black Swan Event is a photograph series about random events that could not have been predicted. Impact of these singular events transcends our ability to perceive them on the basis of our experience and compels us to look beyond knowledge. Moments captured in these photographs therefore suggest an alternate viewpoint from which the viewer is encouraged to sense her way through such phenomena. The series takes advantage of that moment of uncertainty triggered by a desperate urge to grasp the unlikely. In the first of these photographs where states of displacement, abandonment and demise are often portrayed we are invited to witness the blackness of the swans painted in white. This presents a metaphor for the impossible desire to rationalize the improbable and shows us the way to a clearing whereby we embrace a new attitude towards the inexplicable events of life.

More images and other very interesting projects on Zeren Goktan’s website. Born in Ankara, Turkey, Zeren lives and works in Istanbul. I’m truly grateful to Ahmel Sel for the recommandation.