PLAY – An Invitation to Party: Interview with Artist Ayzit Bostan

Ayzit, do you remember your first visit to the Gasteig HP8?
Yes! A friend persuaded me to accompany her to a Nils Frahm concert. It was an impressive live experience, and also my first visit to Hall E. I found it very inviting: modern, clear and yet with a certain lightness.

Your installation is bound to attract many visitors. How did you come up with the idea of showcasing a disco ball?
I think it’s important to start every new project with an open mind and to think freely. I don’t want to bore myself or others. My background is in fashion, but I see no reason to limit myself to that. When I visited the Gasteig HP8, I initially thought of a textile intervention. But Hall E is so functional and technical, with its striking blue balconies, that I quickly realised that something that blended in with the colours would hardly have been possible. The room already has a strong presence. I wanted to create something concise; something associated with the theme of celebration. It is also a reminiscence on going out, partying and pop culture.

And that’s how the idea of a glittering orb was born?
I wanted something large-scale, something that would immediately create a festive atmosphere. At first, I considered oversized jewellery, huge sequins that glitter and glint. Then I had the idea of a monumental mirror ball – large, unexpected, expansive. It stands for partying and is entirely self-explanatory. A disco ball triggers the same range of emotions in many people, regardless of language or background. You see it and get a sense of having fun, a positive feeling. Even if you’ve never been to a disco, you recognise it as a symbol of elegance and good vibes. A mirror ball transforms any room. And every time I see one somewhere now, I think of my installation in the Gasteig – and it fills me with joy.

Why did you name the installation PLAY?
PLAY is a simple, expressive word that everyone understands. And it has many meanings: Music is played in the Gasteig; you can learn through play. By scaling up the sphere – a ball – it also becomes a playing field for adults. The mirrors on the surface of sphere let you reflect yourself in it. These reflections are very photogenic – they invite you to take photos. As the Gasteig celebrates its birthday, PLAY is always a part of it. I particularly like the fact that people encounter it in a public space and take their impressions home with them. I am happy when my work triggers a reaction, when it surprises and sets something in motion.

You design bomber jackets, bags, jewellery, interventions in public spaces and much more. How does the label “Ayzit Bostan” come into all of this?
My work is diverse. The label stands for many things. The “typically Bostan” imprint often only becomes visible in retrospect. I like the fact that PLAY takes its place in these different formats and orders of scale – when an idea is strong enough to trigger interactions and reactions.

Your art can be seen all over Munich. How does that affect your relationship with the city?
I feel seen and well looked after in Munich. The Neue Sammlung, for example, is showing one of my recliners in its permanent exhibition. When I pass by there, I see this object next to the slatted chair by Marcel Breuer, and I always think it’s incredible that something of mine is part of this dialogue. Sometimes I almost look at it from an outside perspective, as if I were a stranger myself. It is a wonderful, almost unreal feeling.

What are your hopes for PLAY?
I hope that people will enjoy the orb and that it will invite them to interact with the installation. I’m happy when my work develops a life of its own, when it lives on in social media and reaches people outside of Munich. For me, PLAY symbolises the essence of having fun. We all need moments that take us out of our everyday routines and make us realise that life is wonderful.

About Ayzit Bostan

• Ayzit Bostan is a qualified dressmaker and fashion technician (Deutsche Meisterschule für Mode München).
• She has been working independently under her own label since 1995.
• Since 2012, she has been teaching textile product design at the Kunsthochschule Kassel.
• In the same year, she attracted attention in a public space for the first time with her Replika installation, which enveloped the arches of the Hofgarten in flowing curtains.
• Her 2023 solo exhibition, Ayzit Bostan Palast, in Munich’s Rathausgalerie addressed topics such as migration and queerness.
• In 2023, she received the Design Award of the City of Munich.
• Her works are exhibited in the Neue Sammlung – The Design Museum and the Pinakothek der Moderne, among others.

Ayzit Bostan’s website