current project

Istanbul-Amsterdam Audio Tours (2010)

Istanbul - Amsterdam Audio Tours was pointing out the fact that while the big cities of the world develop in terms of context and content, as they evolve into metropolises, they tend to resemble each other rather than grow different. Taking this similarity of cities and their tendency to follow a set pattern as a starting point, the 2010 edition of the project was conceived with the idea to execute an audio tour prepared for a certain city, in another one. To what extent would these metropolises be similar? Could it be possible to make an audio tour for Istanbul that would fit another European city (and vice versa)? What would the complementary elements in both cities be? Would these be the immigrants, the sounds, some stories, a feeling or just a coincidentia oppositorum?

 

Ticket to Amsterdam

2010, Justin Bennett & Renate Zentschnig

“Ticket to Amsterdam” is a sonic journey over the waters of the Bosphorus. The journey starts by taking the ferry in Karaköy, Istanbul and ends up in Amsterdam. The project's focus is the waters of the Bosphorus that divides Istanbul into European and Asian (or Anatolian) sides and the river IJ that separates North Amsterdam from the rest of the city.

Starting Point: Lokanta Maya, Kemankeş Cad. (Eski Rıhtım Cad.) 35-A Karaköy
Duration: 50'

* Justin Bennett
1964, born in UK, lives in Den Haag, NL
Justin Bennett is an artist working with sound and visual media. The everyday sound of our urban surroundings at every level of detail is the focus of his work where he develops the reciprocity of music and architecture, and sound and image. Bennett often works with artists from other disciplines. These include the performance group B M B con, theatre maker Renate Zentschnig, and choreographer Eva-Cecilie Richardsen. His recent solo work has focused on urban development and public space, resulting in sound, video, animation and graphic works. His recent projects include the videos "Raw Materials" and "Brunelleschi's Mirror" (2011); "Chipka" a 12" vinyl release (2011); "Production Line" solo exhibition at Barbara Seiler Galerie, Zürich (2010); “The City Amplified” solo exhibition at the Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag, NL (2009); “Zuidas Symphony” an audiowalk for a new business district in Amsterdam, NL (2009); “Drawing Typologies”, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, NL (2008); “The Well” CD and installations for the 10th Istanbul Biennial, TR (2007).

* Renate Zentschnig
1960, born in Germany, lives in Amsterdam, NL
Renate Zentschnig studied Dramaturgy at the University of Amsterdam. She makes theatre performances, soundwalks, installations and films. She works as a teacher, as advisor and as organiser of art projects. Her work is often described as documentary theatre, as she works with the actors that perform and talk from their own experience of life. Zentschnig invites the public to take the position of participant instead of spectator.

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Pearl Necklace

2010, Hakan Kurşun

Pearl Necklace was composed by remembering the incredible buildings hidden behind the mist on the Karaköy - Kabataş axis, the adolescent years spent in Fındıklı as a house guest and the ferry trips taking one away from Istanbul. Every time one takes this route a brand new picture awaits to be seen.

Starting Point: Karaköy Square
Duration: 27'

* Hakan Kurşun
1967, born in Germany, lives in Istanbul, TR
Hakan Kurşun is teaching at the Istanbul Bigi University Music Department since 2002, the Istanbul Teknik University MIAM Center for Advanced Studies in Music since 2005 and is directing the SAE Creative Media Institute Istanbul since 2009. He holds a SAE Audio Engineering Diploma and a BA in Recording Arts of the Middlesex University London. His CD releases are Kaos 1996 and Mass (Kütle) 2003. Currently he is working on his third album and a new stage performance “Megaphone Culture”.

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Flying Vendor

2010, Aslı Pınar Altay & Can Altay

The tours designed both in Amsterdam and Istanbul focuses on the fast food culture, its connections to cultural identity and the visual impact this culture has on the city. Aslı Pınar Altay & Can Altay's audio tour makes the participant mingle amidst the sounds, smells, tastes and the neon lights of the small eateries of Beyoğlu, while at the same time carrying them to Amsterdam and introducing a pure-immigrant dish called ‘kapsalon'.

Starting Point: Taksim Square
Duration: 27 mins.

* Aslı Pınar Altay
1983, born in Ankara, lives in Istanbul, TR
Aslı Pınar Altay is a graphic designer living in London and Istanbul. She is founding partner of Future Anecdotes, a graphic design agency. She has lectured and ran creative workshops at various Universities in London such as London School of Communication and Chelsea College of Art and Design where she also received her MA from. Her practice mainly focuses on printed matter, with some of her bookworks in private and institutional collections. She is co-editor and designer of the magazine 'Making Do' published from London. Being frequent collaborators with Can Altay, they are also the co-founders of Diplomacy in Reflex; a visual-spatial collective, focusing on publications and exhibition-making.

* Can Altay
1975, born in Ankara, lives in Istanbul, TR
Altay's installations of videos, mappings, books and photographs incorporate different forms of research on urban environments. Altay studies improvised architectures in the city, as well as hidden structures of support, unauthorized systems of organization and models of co-habitation. Altay further investigates the production of ideas through “setting a setting” a body of work where he proposes spaces and constructs for gatherings. In relation to his interests, he also works as curator of architecture, and as editor of his own publication titled “Ahali”. He has had solo exhibitions in Kunstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Sala Rekalde, Bilbao and Spike Island, Bristol. His work has been included in the Istanbul Biennial (2003), Havana Biennial (2003), Gwangju Biennial (2008); and in museums and galleries such as the Walker Art Center (USA), VanAbbe Museum (Netherlands), ZKM (Germany), P.S.1 MoMA (USA), and Platform Garanti (Turkey). Can Altay is represented by Arcade, London.

Istanbul – Amsterdam Audio Tour Team

Curator: Ece Pazarbaşı / CUMA
Implementation: Esra A.Aysun / CUMA
Project Coordinator: Akay Taşkıntuna
Sound Engineer: Umut İsan (except Hakan Kurşun, Renate Zentschnig & Justin Bennett recording)
Special Thanks to: Yiğit Adam, Ulaş Akın, Mehmet Atılgan, Pınar Başoğlu, Manon Besse, Aslı Çavuşoğlu, Banu Çetin, Leyla Çimen, Eylem Ertürk, Elvin Evren, Meltem Halaceli, Cecilia Huijsman, Michiel Huijsman, Meltem Karabulut, Marjo Postma, Eren Pultar, Marten Wijbenga, Captain of the Ferry, people we met and talked along the Bosphorus and on the ferry...