ABOUT PROJECT
“For I fear who see freedom solely as a political concept will never grasp its meaning”
(The Time Regulation Institue, Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar, pg 18)
(The Time Regulation Institue, Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar, pg 18)
Stinpolis dives into the rich history of Constantinople/Istanbul and discuss the impact of westernization on the urban fabric. The research was based on the reading from local novelist, as well as my personal experience in the built environment. The complexity of architectural space, which often demonstrates contradicting properties or characteristics against how the space was being portrayed. Taksim Gezi Park, Beyoğlu speculates a notion of “politically-designed” public space that exhibit a hostile settings which indirectly contributes to the supression of voice. Protests, demonstrations and demolishment taken place in the public square are causing to the unstable state with an ever changing political regime.
SEARCHING VOICE:
Since the 15th century, Constantinople/ Istanbul has undergone several huge transformations under different dictatorships as the city grows richer and more complex in social, religious, cultural, and administration. While the “westernization” of Istanbul had a significant influence on the urban fabric, it does not necessarily reflect the quality of life. Urban development had taken a toll on the identity and character of the ancient city, or perhaps belittling the rights of its people. The ignorance of natives’ voices was overwhelmingly-less documented. The discovery was followed by unraveling the untold freedom of expression in the past and present, as opposed to the physical transformation of the urban environment.
PUBLIC VS DEMOCRATIC SPACE
After visiting the city, we acknowledged the complexity of architectural space, which often demonstrates contradicting properties or characteristics against how the space was being portrayed. By comparing Grand Bazaar and Taksim Square, we were able to identify the architectural element or temporary artifacts that differentiate public and democratic space. The notion of romanticizing a great European country’s planning has not been completely fulfilled as democratic space proved to be a missing part of the westernization movement and is rarely mentioned. The speculation of “politically-designed” public space had prompted whether the architectural space demonstrates a hostile atmosphere that indirectly contributes to the suppression of voice.
ROOTS OF MEMORIES
“Well, if we know which part of Bosphorus it fells into, it’s not really lost!” (The Black Book, Orhan Pamuk, pg 21)
As we look into physical monuments that were being built recently or left with demolished pieces, we understand that scale might not be relevant to the corresponding cultural content it embedded. We started to study the importance of memoirs and strategies that evoke forgotten history and empower the people to vocalize their rights. Artifacts and Custom of Practice are the essences of past memory that induce reminiscence and encourage conversation in search of the definition of freedom. “For I fear who see freedom solely as a political concept will never grasp its meaning," one could only truly understand the meaning of life when knowing what is precious enough for oneself to be fighting for, to be free of or free to a certain subject that speaks to the heart. Hence, we tried to imagine the reconstruction of public space by creating a permanent or momentary democratic environment.
LAYERS OF ERASEMENT
Since the late Ottoman period and the foundation of the Republic, Taksim has always been central to the historical, socio-political, and cultural narrative of Istanbul. This created a space of diversity and variety through trade and cultural activities. On the other hand, it brought a huge amount of tension and pressure, which eventually turned the square into a battlefield of ideologies, political statements, protests, and demonstrations. It is a place that is and will continue to be in instability. We thought it was important to analyze the progression as we break down Taksim Square and Gezi Park by layers, through time, structure, and program, in both fictional and non-fictional ways. Through the working of the drawing, we hope to visualize the strategies used by both resistance parties ( protestor & anti-riot government police ) that were highly influenced by the settings of Taksim at a specific period and what that meant to the political regime.
LAND OF GENEROSITY
“ What elements can be utilized to create a “land of generosity,” one that is non-totalizing while accomodating multiple entities of different times to coexist? By acknowledging all existence, we set a drawing prompt that allows us to create layers of different elements we thought important and add them together on a piece of paper. During the process, the most challenging part was not putting all layers into one but how to create a composition that does not favor one or another. Ultimately, we found creating that image as difficult and impossible as how they were reflected throughout the history of Taksim Square and Gezi Park. We felt as much self-contradicting as the site we are going to create while trying to be as neutral as possible in picking the “right” strategy, ideology, lineweight, color, opacity.....
“ Do you recognize people who are subjected to designs have a right to be taken into account in the act of designing? “
It almost felt like a crime when we decided to take a standpoint on this project. However, we have to accept the inevitability of conflict if reason alone cannot yield a uniform consensus, and power imbalance can never truly be removed from the public realm. We convinced ourselves the best approach moving forward was being in a state of “agonistic pluralism.” Rather than becoming a battleground of violence, we must recognize the ground as a discourse of respect. The conversion of “enemies” into “adversaries” is fundamental to well-functioning democracies and only way to limit domination.
