Neogene
Alper Derinboğaz is an architect and artist known for his focus on seeking communal relationships between the environment and spatial elements through scientific strategies. His projects range from cultural institutions, including the upcoming Istanbul City Museum, to architectural installations and masterplans. As a Fulbright Scholar and winner of various awards, including the European 40 under 40 by The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies, Alper showcased his research at notable events like the Venice Architecture Biennale. He has received numerous global mentions and awards, such as the Green Good Design, The Plan, Architizer A+A, World Architecture Awards, and the German Design Award. His projects have gained attention from media outlets like Time, CNN, Dezeen, and Frame. Alper was listed as one of the Top 40 European Architects by Platform. Through his work, he aims to raise awareness about the complexities of problematic time perception and the significant threats it poses to our existence within the realms of architectural and environmental concerns. His focus lies on creating aesthetics of things and their scientific implication through prior fundamental interdisciplinary research. As an artist, he participated in numerous exhibitions worldwide including Venice Architecture Biennial in 2014 with the Modalities of Spontaneous and the Collateral Event (Scuola Grande della Misericordia, Venice, 2023), Algorithmic Cremation, Ancient Futures Exhibition (Istanbul Archeology Museum, 2023), Space Graph Exhibition (Istanbul, 2018), Versus Art Project; Condense, Soul of City (Verona, 2017), Marmomac (Verona, 2017), Augmented Structures v2.0 (Istanbul design biennial, 2012), and Augmented Structures v1.0 in collaboration with Refik Anadol (Yapi Kredi Culture Center, Istanbul, 2011).
In The Neogene Collection Alper Derinboğaz continues his research exploring 3D generation techniques by compiling geographical data through generative AI and transforming it using algorithmic modelling tools. This collection reminds us that humankind exists on the Earth just for a singular moment of its history. However, a limited perception of temporality by humans poses a significant threat to their existence, within the realms of architectural and geographical issues. The Neogene Collection consists of 3D artefacts, generated based on simulations of geological formations from a very distant past using Data Morphosis methodology. The collection aims to transfer the geological time markers of our planet into a digital archive, as the continuity of our existence is more and more debatable with the emergence of AI technologies and environmental threats. Each artefact in the collection has a unique pairing of generated 3D forms and earth-based material qualities. The first release of the collection features the White Mass series, re-morphed from bismuth — a mineral that has been present since the formation of the Earth and changes with time. While observing the object’s alluring transformation, we witness the entire human life on earth only in a single frame of the animation. This material has a unique visual spectacle exhibiting a spiral, stair-stepped structure, deceiving the observer’s time perception. By the end of each loop, the time passed corresponds to 19 quintillion years. Bismuth crystals exhibit a stair-stepped structure, combined with an iridescent oxide tarnish that can showcase an array of colours, transforming it into a canvas of natural artistry. The works are named White Mass, which is believed to be the etymological starting point of the word "bismuth", dating back to 16th-century German words “Wismuth” or “Weiße Masse”. Bismuth has the longest known alpha decay half-life, implying that only a minuscule fraction, approximately less than one-billionth of the original bismuth, has transformed through radioactive decay since the formation of the Earth, putting the time scale of human existence into perspective.
