Barbora Türkmen & Orkun Türkmen
May 24, 2025


Barbora Türkmen & Orkun Türkmen

Currently lives and works in: Brno, Czech Republic

Practice: Physical Theatre, Clowning, Puppetry

We are an artistic duo working mainly in physical theatre, movement, clowning, acting and puppetry. Our curiosity in creation develops around human experience in all its ordinariness and complexity. We are drawn to absurdity, to the poetry of everyday gestures, and to moments that reveal what it means simply to be.

Our creative process is based on devising — often starting from a question, an encounter, or a place — and unfolds through physical exploration, improvisation, and shared reflection. We are passionate about working with diverse communities and people without artistic backgrounds. We believe that everyone carries a story, a rhythm, a presence worth listening to.

Through our work, we strive to create spaces where dialogue, expression, and individual complexity are welcome. We aim to challenge pre-written narratives and invite audiences to question, feel, laugh, doubt — and perhaps see the world a little differently.

In daily life, we recharge with good food, coffee, long walks, conversations, micro perspectives, and inspiration from nature or architecture. We’re committed to continuous learning and openness — meeting new cultures, dynamics, and bodies gives us energy and perspective.

The core of our collaborations contains listening, safe space, and sincerity.

Areas of interest: Devised Theatre, Community-based process, Site-specific and participatory performances

Why are you a part of “Magic Carpets”: We would like to invest our energy and experience into community-based practices. “Magic Carpets” creates a safe and sincere space for planting new ideas. As a duo focused on community-rooted projects, “Magic Carpets” resonates with our values and artistic interests.

“Magic Carpets” project in progress for 2025

 

Past projects

The Season We Share

Type: Movement & Community-Based Performance

In collaboration with Psychoneurological Hospital (Aknīste/Latvia) residents, the project developed its poetic on tree-wood-forest (interpersonal connections) and autumn (the celebration of losing- sharing), supported by movement and colors.

Facilitation and Direction: Marianna Karava, Barbora Türkmen, Orkun Türkmen

 

Weaving Connections

Type: Site specific & Interactive Clown Performance

The performance was created directly for a tiny street (it’s called Pink Street). Clown-guides were offering diverse ways to open your heart to the path/ street. The core idea was “how to get there from here to there?”.

Diverse small interactions performed according to the audience during the five hours.

The interactions developed together with local community during the workshops.

 

MEss

Type: Physical Theatre

“MEss” was inspired by an image: A person in the middle of a huge mess.  “How does the human being, thrown into the world and left alone in a mess, communicate with the environment?”

It’s everyone’s tragic-comic story, that begins without a start. While a person strives for something, to belong, to exist… They forget themselves even more.

A mess in soul, in room, house, country… It reveals the inner processes of one person, accidentally thrown into an oversaturated world.

 

Luna

Type: Physical Theatre

Visual & movement-based monodrama was created based on the motifs of Oscar Wilde’s poetic drama – “Salome”, which is characterized by its formal beauty and musicality. It is a path to obsession and narcissism existing in one’s own reality, where the desire to possess transcends space. Where the necessity of being popular achieves a sense of divinity.

What inspires you as an artist? Details/ simplicity/ micro perspectives/ everybody and everyday encounters.

We are inspired by the details—the smaller perspectives that often go unnoticed. Such as everyday encounters, ordinary stories, subtle gestures, simple questions or situations hold a depth that continually feeds our artistic curiosity. We find meaning in the overlooked, and through art, we try to give space to these quiet yet powerful encounters.

What do you think is the purpose of art? Art plays with the depth of our lives. It might invite us to question, and to imagine. It offers us ways to reflect, connect, and imagine the beyond.

In performing arts especially, we believe its purpose is to create a space for meeting—a live moment where people come together, share presence, and engage with something larger than themselves.

Contacts

Emails: orkuntrkmn[et]gmail.com; barbora.soganova[et]gmail.com