May I Be Here? | 2021- ongoing | 3 video performances, an object and collages

May I Be Here? explores questions of public space ownership, drawing on shared narratives of urban transformation in Istanbul and Berlin. The work consists of a sculptural object, video performances, and collages.

Inspired by the way the construction industry mimics the survival strategies of wild weeds—plants that push through cracks in concrete and cobblestones to claim space—Akkel originally conceived the project as a public intervention at the Zoologischer Garten U-Bahn station. However, due to bureaucratic restrictions, the installation was not approved and instead evolved into a series of performances.

The sculptural object represents the overlap between the unrealized installation and the gestures performed, embodying both the limits of urban space and the resilience found within it.