MUSICAL READING
Âmâk-ı Hayâl - Hayalin Derinlikleri – From Dream to Awareness
Thursday, 19 March 2026, 7 pm
Bilingual musical Reading and Talk (DE/TR)
Introduction: Rebekka Seubert, curator of the exhibition
Moderator: Ayşe Kalmaz
Reading: Ayşe Kalmaz and Mansur Yalçın Dede
Music: Murat Çakmaz (ney flute)
As part of the exhibition Die Andere Seite der Nacht – The Other Side of the Night –Dortmunder Kunstverein is happy to host a collective event in cooperation with Migrantinnenverein Dortmund e.V. a special evening of literature, mysticism and music.
The evening focuses on the philosophical-mystical work ‘Âmâk-ı Hayâl’ (1910) by Şehbenderzâde Filibeli Ahmed Hilmi – a key text of Ottoman-Turkish modernism, which conceives of dreams, consciousness and insight as radical alternatives to a purely rational worldview. Âmâk-ı Hayâl understands dreams not as an escape, but as a space for insight – as an opportunity to rethink reality and experience oneself as a changeable, relational being.
The evening is an invitation to anyone interested in literature, philosophy, mysticism, dreams and transcultural perspectives: Guests include Ayşe Kalmaz, a filmmaker and author from Dortmund; the renowned ney virtuoso Murat Çakmaz, whose playing opens up the transition between text, silence and inner images; and the author and thinker Mansur Yalçın Dede, who has travelled from Istanbul to take part in a discussion about dreams, imagination and insight.
Mansur Yalçın Dede lives and works in Istanbul. He is an Alevi Dede (spiritual teacher in the Alevi tradition) and also works as a contemporary thinker and lecturer. In various discussion and lecture formats, he combines spiritual practice with philosophical reflection and social issues.
Ayşe Kalmaz is a playwright, director and curator. In her artistic work, she combines literature, political theory and performative formats with a focus on migration, memory and transcultural perspectives. She will read from the text and moderate the discussion.
Murat Çakmaz is a renowned ney virtuoso. His musical work is influenced by classical Ottoman music and improvisational forms. In his performances, he opens up sonic spaces between time, breath and silence.
An event as part of Kleiner Freitag in cooperation with Dortmunder U
Kindly supported by
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