Decadence is a creative documentary about cities, gentrification, laundering people, diversity and tolerance. In today’s world, tolerance towards different lifestyles and individual expression are under pressure as neo-conservatism prevails due to rising concerns about security. Cosmopolitan cities once defined the cultural and intellectual tone of their eras have slowly turned into colourless metropolises where all citizens are expected to adapt, assimilate and attain a certain standardized lifestyle. 

 

Decadence investigates this social phenomenon in an enacted documentary format by binding together cities where underground living erected the pillars of our prominent collective conscious today, namely Berlin in 20s, San Francisco in 60s and London in 80s. 

 

The guiding character is Neyzen Tevfik, the reed-flute player from İstanbul, a poet, a satirist, a rebel, a sufi and a vagabond. Neyzen stands out as just one person summing up almost all experiences and characteristics of people living underground.  He attracts other characters to the story, namely Anita Berber, the ‘priestess of depravity’ in Weimar Germany, a literally decaying character from 20s’ Berlin, Janis Joplin, voice of her generation, a non-complying figure from 60s’ San Francisco, and Quentin Crisp, the Englishman in New York, the last eccentric from 80s’ London.

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