Alibi means elsewhere.

Going forward, finding connections, meanings, rhythms.

Music is about relationship, images too.

Images from Istanbul and Turkey.
Music: Extract from Julide Ozcelik (Yalan Dunya). Album Jazz Istanbul.

Traveling for me is about discovering other cultures and how real people live. When possible, I try to melt into the country, into the habits of their inhabitants, feel the space with my own physical and mental parameters, and find my own marks and references. Most of the time, I avoid reading guides and visiting touristy sites. Sites are often too busy which greatly diminishes their beauty, and whilst their historical and artistic importance is huge, I feel they are always one step away from the true reality of the people living in the country. And this is this reality that interests me most, being hard, or beautiful, it does not matter, as long as this is real. I approach people in the same way, knowing who they are as they really are, is what matters to me.

Some countries are easier to access to than others. I am lucky in as much as I often travel with my work and meet many people along. I love, when even after one day of being in a new place, I move through it with an aim. I walk in the streets knowing exactly where I am going to, with a clear objective in mind, an objective that is to me important. I pass people who are wandering, I know the short cuts, I drive the way the inhabitants do, using my horn as they do. As if I had the right to do so, like equal to equal. But I don't fool myself, I never fully melt, I am always traveling. I am traveling now, even if ever so slowly.

In Turkey, things were not as easy as in other countries like in Egypt for example. I did not work there which made a huge difference, and although I met with some colleagues and the people I am I very familiar with, people with autism and their family, the integration was overall short. Also, Turkey has multi-cultural influences, Islam, Christianity, Eastern Europe, Asia, Arabic, Middle East, and Europe and I did not understand fully the depth of these influences, which made me always in the position of an observer. Because Istanbul at least, and particularly in the Taksim area, is very much European, it was almost as if it was known to me, yet it was not. It was like some sort of constant internal conflict, one part in me saying, I recognise this well, and other, Oh No, you are so wrong.

None the less I have fond memories, and these are reflected with these images. To be on Christmas day on an Island which has no car, sharing a cigarette and the warmth from a fire with other people, sharing sensations and comfort without needing a common spoken language was touching, and very special.

There is no punch line, just observations as they come along.

Tags: Skymaker69 Julide Ozcelik Istanbul Turkey travelling alibi elsewhere Lorene Amet