Throughout history, then, Istanbul has been home to countless societies and cultures. Yet this "beautiful harmony", which is embedded in the city's foundations and entwined in the branches of its family tree, is not just a pleasant memento from a bygone era. Istanbul retains still its rich cosmopolitan character, sometimes concealing and sometimes revealing the evidence of its unrivalled physical and cultural legacy. The city is a living example of the much sought-after meeting of civilisations – something so desperately missing in the modern world that the search for it seems almost utopian. For more than two thousand years, as if inspired by Aristotle's theory of the four elements, the city has captivated humankind's attention.
I. ISTANBUL: CITY OF THE FOUR ELEMENTS
Once it was gold that people saw as the perfect blend of the four elements. Istanbul, which once ruled lands on three continents, throughout the ages has served as a magnet for migrants for whom its streets are paved with that proverbial gold. After all the traumas it has experienced since its foundation, symbolically guided by the four elements, Istanbul is now promising to revitalise the formula imprinted in its genes. In cultural and in artistic terms it will be worth its weight in gold to the world as a European Capital of Culture.
II. TEN REASONS FOR AN UNFORGETTABLE EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE 1. The political dimension The way in which Europe is expanding towards the East has profound political significance. In line with the first European project as conceived by leaders such as Adenauer, de Gaspari, Monnet and Schuman, enlargement provides everyone with the opportunity to create a truly embracing political entity. Indeed, this movement will probably result in a reshaping of the very term "Europe". If enlargement to the East means embracing the "other Europe", enlarging to include Turkey means Europe embracing its "other": a great challenge. The success of the European universal political project is dependent on the creation of, to use Renee Char's words, a "common presence". Naming Istanbul as the European Capital of Culture would make a significant contribution to this process. Ever since it was founded, Istanbul has been a city that has nurtured different cultures, religions and languages and moulded them into an enduring synthesis. In forming this synthesis, no one identity has been regarded as superior to another and the authorities have always remained equidistant from each. It is possible to see this as a pre-secular form of secularism, the formation of a rich multiculturalism that forms the institutional backbone of the city. The capital of classic, multinational empires, Istanbul is now engaged in the cultural assimilation of this legacy.
2. Arts and Architecture As the capital of three empires - the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman - Istanbul was always a part of the European tradition and in turn exerted an unparalleled lasting influence on Europe, both spiritual and worldly. From the massive fifth-century Theodosian walls that encircle the old city to the innovative elegance of D'Aronco's Art Nouveau creations, Istanbul's buildings represent a unique historical treasure. The intimate and the grandiose, the secular and the spiritual, prisons and palaces, kiosks and konaks all find a home here. And what other city can boast such a wealth of wondrous places of worship? The glittering glories of its Byzantine churches were succeeded by the luminous domes of Sinan's mosques. There is a huge wealth to explore beyond the picture-postcard/iconic world of the Blue Mosque and Haghia Sophia. Many European architects and decorators came to Istanbul as part of their official duties. Further, European influences appeared in the city's architecture and fine arts from three sources: visiting artists such as Liotard, Wilkie and JF Lewis; those who painted the city without ever going there, such as the Guardi brothers, Turner and Delacroix; and the works of those who spent years in the city, such as Vanmour, Melling, Preziossi and Zonaro. During the 19th century relations with Europe received a further boost through archaeology. Europe found its past among the Hellenistic ruins on Ottoman soil. Today the museums in European capitals such as Paris, London and Berlin are filled with tons of historic artifacts from Turkey, including two of the Seven Wonders of the World. During the same period Istanbul's Pera neighbourhood began to take on a European appearance. The city was enriched by new hotels, banks, theatres, museums, commercial premises and a European population, while architects such as Jachmund, Ritter and Cuno added to its skyline and young Turkish architects such as Vedat Tek and Kemaleddin developed a national style. The first exhibition of paintings to be held in Istanbul opened in 1873 and brought together local and European painters.
Sultan Abdulaziz, who was himself a painter, became the first Ottoman sultan to visit Paris, where he attended the Paris International Exhibition in the company of two important Turkish artists, Osman Hamdi and Şeker Ahmed Pasha. Previously, music had been closed to Western influences, but now composers such as Guiseppe Donizetti and Franz Liszt were invited to the palace of the Sultan. Palace orchestras were formed and marches were composed which fused the different styles. The artistic trends that emerged in Europe during the 20th century resulted in young artists creating a European-Turkish synthesis. Turkish expressionists and modernists received training from masters such as Leopold Levy and Rudolph Belling. Today, the Museum of Fine Arts, which was opened by Kemal Atatürk in 1937, and the Istanbul Modern and the Pera Museum galleries, which have been opened recently, contain works from the second half of the 20th century which employ a diverse, global vocabulary of styles, themes and techniques. Turks were particularly successful in the visual arts, and the centre of their activities was Paris. There had been Turkish artists and designers in Paris for nearly a century. Artists such as Abidin Dino and Fikret Mualla had led the way before World War II. Now there are names such as the cartoonist Selçuk Demirel, the world famous ceramics designer Alev Ebuzziya, and writers and painters of powerful visions such as Nedim Gürsel, Yüksel Aslan, and Komet. Their work attracts an increasingly large audience of admirers in both Turkey and France and their exhibitions were major events. Their idiom is modern urban consciousness and they produced fine works of abstract art. Making Istanbul the European Capital of Culture would create new opportunities for yet more progress. This would facilitate greater public participation and accelerate artistic developments to allow the synthesis born of the city's history and its rich cultural legacy to be extended into new creative areas.
3. Location: "Great dwelling place" The drama of the city's geography - united by the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn, the waterways that have played such a crucial role in shaping its historyis the instant reward for being here. The phrase that best captures the spirit of Istanbul is "the city that brings together East and West". Nobody can deny the truth of this description. In the past it was here that the words "East" and "Rome" were first joined together. Today, in a geographical sense, it is here that Asia and Europe are each day joined together. But, however splendid it may be, it would be a mistake to restrict Istanbul's identity to a mere bridge. For when one moves beyond this, an even greater depth appears that leaves even Istanbul's glorious architectural heritage in the shade. Istanbul was already Istanbul before the modern concepts of East and West existed. Led by their chieftains, the Vikings travelled down from the Black Sea to Istanbul to serve as guards in the Byzantine Empire. For these northerners, who knew nothing of the concepts of East and West, the city was so remarkable that they created a special word for it in their own language. The Vikings called Istanbul "Myklagar", which means the "great dwelling place". Later, the Greeks preferred to refer to it as simply "the city". Still later, the French philosopher Jaures imagined Istanbul as the capital of his utopian world state. These examples drawn from history clearly demonstrate the depth and difference that is Istanbul. Indeed, this difference lives on today. It has no need of history to demonstrate its existence. The title of European Capital of Culture has a further special significance for Istanbul. Ties with the countries of Eastern Europe and the Balkans, which historically fell within the city's field of influence, are growing stronger by the day. The fact that Istanbul is the closest metropolis to the new members of the EU will further strengthen its ability to serve as a platform for cultural interaction with Eastern Europe. It is inevitable that the process will result in the addition of a cultural and artistic dimension to the increasingly close economic and commercial ties that are being
developed in the region. Clearly, this will benefit all concerned.
4. Life and the social landscape The people of Istanbul are its lifeblood, providing its energy and sense of innovation. They are its alchemical gold. A baby born in Istanbul in 1965 became a native of a city of two million people. By the time this little Istanbulite had reached the age of ten, the population of the city had doubled. By the time s/he reached 20 the metropolis had swelled to six million. Today, at the age of 40, s/he shares one of the largest cities in the world with 12 million other inhabitants, 60 percent of whom were born outside the city. During the second half of the 20th century Istanbul underwent a dramatic transformation. Even though the city contracted in the 1930s, a new urban plan was produced by Henri Prost. German and Austrian scientists fleeing the Nazis brought a new vigour to its academic life in many different disciplines, ensuring that the city protected its cosmopolitan character and continued to reflect European culture and lifestyles. One of the dominant features of the city today (and the source of many of its problems)
is the social mix that came from the massive internal migration that began after World War II - to which, since the fall of the Iron Curtain, has been added a wave of migration from outside the country The economic and industrial policies that have been introduced to support national development have been another factor in the increase in the city's population, which in turn has altered its cosmopolitan character. The foundation of the state of Israel and an increase in tensions with Greece over Cyprus and the Aegean resulted in the loss of many of the city's non-Muslim inhabitants. Meanwhile, the increasing number of migrants arriving from rural areas exacerbated the city's housing and communications problems. The rapid growth of both the European and Asian sides of the city has damaged the city's natural, historical and cultural values. The transformation of Istanbul into the industrial and commercial heart of the country upset the harmony that had been created and tore at the social fabric of the city. But in the 1990s Istanbul began to feel the impact of the process of globalisation. It started to regain the international influence it had lost during the years of the Cold War. As the city developed and extended its communications network, it was extensively restructured. As part of the same process, the city became familiar with concepts such as environmental awareness, civil society and international organisations – even the recycling of waste. At the same time, cultural and artistic events began to play an increasingly prominent role in everyday life. As Istanbul develops into an international centre in every sense of the word, its candidacy for the title of the European Capital of Culture provides the city with the opportunity to move up to another level. One of the most remarkable changes in the Turkish social landscape in the past decade has been the rise of the NGOs. Many, though not all, are based in Istanbul. Their importance is increasingly acknowledged both by the government, which recognizes the need to work in tandem with civil society groups, and by Turkish society as a whole.
5. Modernity Although there are glorious walks to be taken through the old quarters, Istanbul is much more than a city locked in the past. Flanking the historic peninsula with its forest of 16th century minarets still piercing the skyline, an alternative modern metropolis is developing to the north of the Golden Horn. Istanbul's unique structure means that the transformation process will be more far-reaching than has been the case in any other European Capital of Culture. The shared public spaces of all the other European cities are limited in scope; the projects that will be realised in Istanbul will result in a widespread and radical redefinition of the city. New concepts of design, a broadening of the narrow perspectives of local administrations, together with the communication and display of cultural diversity, will enrich and reinvigorate social life. For the first time in the modern history of the city, the long-sought-after, but never utilised, creative freedom will finally have unlimited space in which to express itself and will be energised by the new dynamics of widespread participation. The physical transformation and the parallel mental reinvigoration will ensure that here, in this European Capital of Culture, new goals and perspectives for the knowledge, the security and the peace that are needed to underpin globalisation will arise, on scientific and intellectual foundations. Istanbul's vision for the future is undoubtedly ambitious. It includes: urban transformation, the conservation of historical and cultural assets, protection against earthquakes, transportation, tourism planning, the planning of residential areas, industrial transformation, an evaluation of labour force potential, cultural industries and improvements in the quality of urban life. The European Capital of Culture programme is Istanbul's greatest undertaking to date, creating a platform that will generate discussions of new administrative models and, in the process, galvanise different urban participants.
6. Talent and creativity Anyone who visits Istanbul for the first time today, who spends a few days in the city and ventures outside the tourist district, can see that as a cultural centre it is world-class. Particularly in spring and the summer, the city is host to a stunning succession of international artistic events, demonstrating its openness to all global trends and movements. The Istanbul Foundation for Culture and the Arts, established in the 1970s, has given a major boost to the city's cultural life, and both the Foundation and other organisations and institutions have now made Istanbul into a festival city. The contents of regularly-held events are proof of the rich diversity of the city's cultural life. The 9th Istanbul Biennial, which was held in 2005, did not just unite modern arts and public spaces but, through alternative "fringe" artistic events, brought the latest trends to all of the people of Istanbul. The establishment during this process of initiatives such as Proje 4L (Project 4L, Garanti Platform, Yaya Sergileri (Sidewalk Exhibitions) and the Borusan Gallery reached out to those inhabitants of the city who are usually untouched by commercial artistic events. Over the past decade, the lives of the people of Istanbul have been enriched by the international success of Orhan Pamuk in literature, Kutluğ Ataman in the video arts, Hüseyin Çağlayan in design, Kamran Ince in symphonic music, Mercan Dede in electronic music, and Fatih Akın, Ferzan Özpetek and Nuri Bilge Ceylan in cinema. During these years Turkish pop music has itself become a significant part of the European popular musical tradition. Singers such as Tarkan, Sertap Erener and Sezen Aksu have become known to young people across the continent and attracted an increasing number of admirers. Tarkan's songs have climbed the charts in several countries, including France. This success was also a two-way street. Many of the singers had their own connections with western Europe. Other musicians are resident in Germany and western Europe. For them,
Turkey and western Europe are common motherlands and they have no difficulty in moving back and forth between them. Indeed, the globalisation of the music industry has made this necessary, since some of the production takes place in Istanbul and some in Europe.
7. Real world: Grit and grind The centuries-old city is surrounded by an impressive industrial belt with textile factories at one end and car manufacturers at the other. Leisure activities are possible only when a society has a robust economy. Turkey has a population of over 70 million people and it has always been clear that the country would have to develop a strong industrial base to make its way in the world.
8. Commerce While skilled craftsmen still beat silver and copper in the alleyways of the Grand Bazaar, Istanbul's financial and business centre is growing into a Manhattan-onthe-Hill. The city owes its existence to its location as a trading centre with a perfect natural harbour, a hub connecting East and West, North and South. As Europe's gateway to the East it has cultural and commercial ties with all the other great port cities of Europe, from Glasgow to Lisbon and Marseilles. Turkish industrial goods also command respect. Borusan of Istanbul has established itself as one of Europe's best manufacturers of pipes and piping materials. Eczacıbaşı has managed to hold its own in competition with the giants of the international pharmaceuticals industry. And, of course, Turkey is a country with a large yet strong agricultural and food industries sector, serving much of the Middle East. Efes Pilsen, has established itself as a producer of top-quality beer for which there is growing demand abroad. Although there are many other strong contenders in the food industry, perhaps we should note that not all Turkish firms are based in Turkey. Firms such as Ege Sucuk sell Turkish foodstuffs in Europe. There are, too, the specialist traditional exports in which Turkey has always
excelled. One of them is the export of Turkish hazelnuts from the Black Sea. These hazelnuts are an ancient commodity and specialists in the market consider that they are of higher quality than those of Italy and Spain. The total production is approximately 475,000 tons per year. Turkish olive oil is also highly prized by those who know its quality. And there are other less well-known specialties. For example, some of the best cymbals in the world are made in Turkey by two specialist companies, Bosphorus and Istanbul. They continue a tradition which began in the Ottoman Empire with the famous Zildjian family. Alongside such traditional names, the Istanbul business world now includes all the famous international corporate names - including retail outlets such as Marks & Spencer of the UK. International firms, including banks and financial services companies, are generally very appreciative of the market which they discover in Turkey and also of the warm welcome they receive from their Turkish colleagues. Just as Turkish businessmen are grouped into the Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (TÜSIAD), so international companies in Turkey have set up the Foreign Investors' Association (YASED). These associations provide a forum for making their views known and assisting the general debate about economic and business policies in Turkey.
9. Spirituality Istanbul is a unique city where you can find a mosque, a synagogue and several churches of different denominations, all within a radius of 100 metres. Turks use the word "Iaik", which is usually translated in English as "secular", to describe the idea of keeping religion out of the public sphere. Two points that need to be clearly understood are that since the reform programme of the Republic's founder, Atat端rk, Turks have seen themselves as being liberated in many areas of their personal life and that although the formal expression of "secularism" came only in the 20th century it has deep roots in the Turkish psyche. These roots reach back perhaps to the very beginnings of history in Anatolia. There are many features of Ottoman government that deviate from the Middle Eastern norm and are closer to those of Europe. Protecting their secularist heritage, the freedom of individuals to choose their way of life, their beliefs, and their religion, are things that Turks cherish. They are alarmed at the way in which some of their traditionalist neighbours have tried to export their Islamic political systems to Turkey, devoting considerable resources to this end. In modern Istanbul the impact of the humanist Sufi philosophy of Rumi is not just confined to the dervishes' whirling dances known as the "sema". Isa (Jesus) and Musa (Moses) are common Turkish names while Turkish Muslims participate in the holy days and rituals of Saint George's church and they attend Christmas services in the main churches in the city. Although the streets of the central neighbourhood of Beyoglu are dominated by commerce and the bustle of modern life, it is also here that the sounds of church bells and the call to prayer merge as nowhere else, in a spiritual atmosphere that is both continuous and permanent.
10. Melting pot Istanbul is a melting point where many languages are spoken, a multitude of traditions followed and various ethnicities expressed: from Anatolia, the Balkans, the Crimea, the Black Sea and Aegean ... The rich legacy that Istanbul
has inherited is inclusive, not exclusive. Like the philosophy underlying today's expansion of Europe, it is an indication of a great wealth. This wealth is universal, courageous and generous; precisely what Europe needs. Since the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1990, Turkey has also developed close links with another family of countries - those whose people speak Turkic languages. These languages are closely related to the Turkish of modern Turkey and have grown out of a shared linguistic and cultural heritage. Turkish can be understood from the Balkans to western China. The liberation of the Turkic nations of the former Soviet Union brought great joy to Turkey. Since that time, one aim of Turkish foreign policy has been to ensure that the new republics retain their independence and prosper. Even if, in the strict geographical sense, only a small proportion of Turkey's territory is in Europe, this part nevertheless contains Istanbul, the country's metropolitan heart. Throughout history Istanbul has always looked towards Europe, economically and culturally - and it was in the Asian part of Turkey that the cultural heritage of Europe was built. Ever since its desire to be ECOC 2010 became public, Istanbul has been able to share with therest of Europe the fruits of being nurtured by these Anatolian civilisations, the Balkans, the eastern Mediterranean and Asia.
How ECOC Istanbul will generate transforming energy and build capacity while restoring its cultural and industrial heritage? Istanbul is a fast-changing megacity with all the problems and challenges associated with such large urban f orms in developing countries. It is the unofficial capital city in terms of the creative energy and transformative dynamism that it generates through being the centre of finance, media, culture, communications and the service industries of Turkey. At the same time, however it is an urban phenomenon of huge contrasts and tensions. These derive from the devastating experience of the past three decades of internal and external migrations, econom ic transformation, exposure to global financial and speculative traffic and growing disparit ies in wealth and access to resources.
III. MAKING THE MOST OF BEING A EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE
Istanbul in this sense is a unique city in Europe. However, the very same processes that are transf orming Istanbul are being f elt in varying degrees - and being tackled - in many other metropolitan areas of Europe today. Even though these may not be the size of Istanbul, they are beginning to feel the tremors of change that stem from the impact of the global movements and structural changes associated wit h liber alisation of markets and transnationalisation of social relations. Cities are the places where social change is experienced concretely, vast mirrors which reflect the scale and nature of the ongoing changes. By studying cities we learn about the problems and the challenges of social change. However, what we do not know adequately is how to intervene in this seemingly unstoppable process. Cultural initiatives have emerged as a possible way of thinking about other policy interventions and instruments. Istanbul will use the ECOC application process as an opportunity to initiate projects that address the social dimensions of
cultural policy and action. What kinds of cultural policy interventions and cultural actions are best suited to address the kinds of social changes that are f acing European cities today? How can cities such as Istanbul become more proactive in using their cultural capital to generate transforming energy and capability for development? Istanbul will use the ECOC as a capacity-building process to develop our thinking in this area and will share our experience with other cities of Europe. The planned opening of museums such as the former church of Haghia Eirene, Gençlik Müzesi (Youth Museum), Santral Istanbul (Central Museum) and Istanbul Şehir Müzesi (Istanbul City Museum) in the run-up to 2010 will make a significant contribution to these efforts.
How ECOC Istanbul will address the urban and cultural dimensions of citizenship? Migrations and the movement of people and cultures throughout Europe have made the continent a far more complex social and cultural space. There has been a growing acknowledgement of the cultural dimensions of citizenship, particularly its diversity. The importance of recognising the cultural dimension of citizenship has been in shif ting the agenda from one in which cultural homogeneity is regarded as the norm to one in which cultural diversit y and heterogeneity are more openly accepted. Today, people are becoming increasingly engaged in transnational social spaces and the resultant transcultural encounters have focused attention on the city as the most appropriate site for new citizenship practices. In the case of migrants, for instance, city spaces emerge as the most likely places to claim their allegiance and their polit ical participation. It is now therefore possible to envisage the relocation of the demos to the city once again.
These are formidable challenges that have had to be addressed in Europe - and this process of reflection is continuing. Istanbul will use the ECOC as a means to address these already vexed issues, drawing on the experience and debates that have been progressing across Europe. Istanbul will use this opportunity to evaluate and to draw lessons from its own im perial past, looking at how the amazingly rich ethnic mix of Istanbul managed to live together and to f unction as a society of many 'nations'. On the other hand, Istanbul will use the ECOC as an opportunit y to look at the new f orms of civic activism and urban participation that have been developing ever since the experience of the Istanbul Habitat Conference in 1996. Thus, Istanbul will strive to bring its historical and contemporary experience of managing diversit y and of civic participation in order to broaden the debate and the policy thinking that is taking place in Europe.
How ECOC Istanbul will function as a bridge, connecting Europe to its East? The amendment of the European project, the meeting of civilizations and a greater tolerance for cultural differences will create a multidimensional framework for action and interaction. Istanbul will serve as a cultural bridge between Europe and the East, and new opportunities for international contacts will arise. This bridging function, which derives from the city's geographical location, will create opportunities for international socialisation in cultural life. In tune with the spirit of the ECOC programme, the other 2010 capitals of culture will be treated as the other parts of a whole; joint projects will be designed with the German and Hungarian cities. In the run-up to 2010, Istanbul will organise joint projects with each year's European Capital of Culture,
strengthening and revitalizing its relations with the other cities and ensuring that, starting with Patras in 2006, they become active participants in the Istanbul programme. This will enable Istanbul to become in 2010 a most effective stanchion in a multilateral bridge. The projects that have been designed will help to realize this ultimate goal. The urban rivalry of the 20th century has been replaced by collaboration between cities, forming networks of cooperation and seeking to enhance their welfare through policies based on the sharing of cultural resources. By granting space to creative projects, we can strengthen the cultural links between cities and facilitate the movement of intellectual capital. ECOC Istanbul seeks to provide examples of culture as means of communication and as participatory action.
IV. CELEBRATING 2010
"Earth" means the history, tradition and cultural heritage of the land. Under this heading come the values of the past which have been preserved down to the present day and will be passed on to future generations - ancient values that take root and send forth fresh leaves like the seeds of new plants. The" Earth" phase will last from New Year until the first days of spring as Istanbul officially marks its year as European Capital of Culture with a Grand Opening The six exhibitions that will define the main lines of the "Earth" concept will take account of the wintry conditions and be held in different indoor venues. They will include stunning treasures of modern design. Mothers, Goddesses, Sultanas will be an expanded version of the exhibition by Nazan Ölçer and Filiz Çağman which attracted such interest when it was held in the Bozar in Brussels in 2003. Imperial Passions will display the Ottoman sultans' talents in the fine arts:Fatih Sultan Mehmed's sketches, Abdülhamit's carpentry, Abdülaziz's designs, Selim's music and Süleyman's poetry. They will all be exhibited at Aynalıkavak Mansion. Istanbul Inspirations – 3 Operas is a compilation of works on Ottoman sultans by European composers. Vivaldi's "Bajazed" will be performed in Hagia Eirene Museum, Rossini's "Maometto II" in the Fortress, and Krauss's "Soliman" at the Topkapı Palace Museum. In this way, the source of the composers' inspirations will be experienced both by the artists and the audiences. The Ottoman palatial musical style known as "makam" was based on some original scales in a discipline similar to Western medieval "mode" music. The series of concerts titled Turkish Makam Music, Between the Past and the Future will feature classical and contemporary examples of this style.
Another major exhibition in the "Earth" phase will be Istanbul Costumes. This exhibition will include examples of clothing, redesigned and re-sewn, from various periods of the different civilisations that lived in Istanbul, from the Byzantines through to the end of the Ottoman Empire. The costumes will be designed with meticulous attention to accurate historical detail and use the materials and technology of the period. In addition, the exhibition will include visual data from the period and visitors will be informed about the special characteristics of the costumes, accessories and culture of each era. Under IBM's Topkapı Palace Cyber Museum project, admirers of the treasures of Topkapı Palace will have the opportunity to visit the museum in a similar way to visiting the Hermitage Museum's web site. The winter months will serve as harbingers of the rich and varied musical programme to which the city will play host. The regular festivals that it organizes has ensured that the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and the Arts plays a major role in the cultural life of the city and with Only in Istanbul it will bring modern Eastern music to Istanbul. The International Puppet Theatre Festival, which will bring together music and theatre on the puppet stage, will serve to reflect the diverse modern cultural interpretations of this traditional art. ECOC 2010 will also enrich cultural tourism in Istanbul through the creation of a series of walking tours on different themes. The first of these will be 7000 years at 7000 metres, a tour of recently renovated historical sites covering seven millennia.
Harmony in Diversity is a polyphonic musical adventure based on Istanbul. The purpose is for the audience to travel along this river that flows through all of us, to create an "event" not only for our ears but for our eyes as well: a fine example of "lyrical history". The "Earth" phase will come to an end in March with an extraordinary event that will bring a carnival atmosphere to the streets of the city. ‘Şenlikname’ will be a re-enactment and re-interpretation of the 17th century circumcision parade of the sons of Sultan Ahmet III, creating a 300-year-old time tunnel in the historic city centre, stretching from the Million Stone to Sultanahmet Square.
With the coming of spring, ECOC 2010 will gather pace. The theme of the season is “Air”. The minarets and church bell towers, which are the symbols o the city’s spiritual wealth, will this time form a ‘Living Together’ choir. Anatolia’s extraordinary rich cultural legacy reserves a special place for the history of religions and the value of belief systems. The soil of Anatolia has nurtured the values and holy places of the three great Abrahamic religions, and has borne witness to important historical events in them. With its synagogues and churches, some of which are still being used today, with wonderful works of art and the mosques which characterize the extraordinarily beautiful silhouette of the modern city, Istanbul has been blessed with an unrivalled cultural legacy. At the same time, Living Together is also the name of one of the exhibitions which, like Icons and Sacred Relics in the Atrium of Haghia Eirene, will take the spiritual world as its theme. Haghia Sophia is one of our most cherished cultural possessions. It has a unique position in history, architecture and art history. The Haghia Sophia Throughout The Centuries Symposium will be the first scientific symposium in the history of the monumental building. The largest event that will be organized within this framework is a series of activities which will include an international symposium, exhibition and publications on Islam and Humanitas. ‘Air’ will continue with the Union of Turkish Travel Agents’ Days of Faith. It will seek to establish a platform for dialogue and create the opportunity for the exchange of information and opinions from different perspectives between people from different cultures. Perhaps what makes Istanbul different from other cities which celebrate the spring is the festival of Hıdrellez, which includes rituals from many beliefs including paganism and
shamanism. Spring 2010 will see the joy of living together reach a new peak. As the weather becomes warmer and the Judas trees along the Bosphorus burst into blossom and daily life moves out onto the streets, Istanbul will begin 40 days of street concerts. 40 Days 40 Concerts, which will take its inspiration from the stories of 40 days and 40 nights, will comprise a self-contained international music festival held on the outskirts of town. Similarly, Babylon Turns Istanbul On will include a series of special Istanbul concerts bringing together local and foreign musicians. Special projects related to Istanbul will be commissioned from Turkish and European musicians and will include as guest artists young Turkish and European musicians chosen through a competition. This series of concerts/projects will also involve co-operation with musical venues in partner European cities (Budapest, Prague, Essen, Pecs etc) and ensure that each concert goes on a tour of a minimum of 2-3 European cities. This series of concerts will be recorded and a compilation CD produced. Istanbul is home to many open-air concert venues that can hold a large number of people. Including both shores of the city there are, near to the city centre, five stadia with different capacities, one amphitheatre and many arenas that are currently used for concerts and can host simultaneous events. As a result, the events of ECOC 2010 will make Istanbul a magnet for all Europeans, attracting participants from different countries. The mega-concerts will bring together tens of thousands of people. The Major Encounters project will bring groups who have huge followings, such as U2, REM and Red Hot Chili Peppers, to give concerts at venues in the city. There, through the 2010 Istanbul World Premiers programme, they will perform
specially commissioned songs for the first time. At the same time, five contemporary composers will work together on a project called New Language of Music in Europe, which will bring together European musicians and the music of Anatolia and Istanbul to produce a single musical voice. Another of the musical events in the spring will be Tango: 3 Cities, 3 Cultures and a Passion. Tango is a musical style that spread rapidly from Buenos Aires, the city where it was born, to Paris and then to other European countries, including Istanbul. The Turkish tango movement, which began in the 1930s, has meant that Istanbul is now seen, together with Buenos Aires and Paris, as one of the cities that has most internationalised the tango.
Istanbul: A refuge for all times will comprise a series of events, including exhibitions with music in historical venues, about those who throughout history have sought refuge and a safe future in Istanbul, such as the Spanish Jews who fled the Inquisition, the Hungarians and Poles who took refuge with the Ottomans after failed uprisings, the Germans who fled the Nazis in World War II and the Kurds who fled Saddam in northern Iraq. Towards Heaven, which will be this season’s walking tour, will include the city’s minarets, towers and columns. The Meeting of the Street Theatres will create a carnival through the participation of groups from the Torrego Street Theatre Festival, Els Comediants, Plasticien Volants, Elmnot Theatre and Turkish groups. 2010 District Festivals will start the season in the contemporary art field with performances, events and interdisciplinary exhibitions that seek to integrate the arts and street culture. Whilst these events are taking place on the streets, the stages of the theatres will not be left idle. The International Istanbul Theatre Festival, which has long since proved its quality, will once again offer theatregoers a rich, modern programme. The 3 Women/3 Istanbul – Bodies and the City project will comprise three different viewpoints as three female choreographers choose poems/extracts/music about Istanbul. The project will feature three female choreographers from Belgium, France and Turkey who in 2010 will stage their own work, revealing what it is about Istanbul that has affected them and how they have communicated artistically with the main theme. There are 20 universities in Istanbul and most of them will be involved in ECOC 2010. One of these is Yıldız Technical University, which plans to hold a number of joint projects with the public under the heading of Thinking Together on Public Projects on its city-centre campus and in the surrounding area. The project is based on the concept of the audience and the artist forming a relationship and together producing a joint work of art. This will remove the gulf between the observer and the artist/art object - a new form of artistic democratisation in which the audience becomes an active participant at the heart of the artistic process.
Spring will also see the screening of ECOC 2010 Istanbul’s cinema projects. The International Istanbul Film Festival ensures that April is already an important month for filmgoers and the films that will be screened specially for ECOC 2010 will be shown on the festival fringe. 10 Istanbul is a film project involving ten internationally established directors. The main theme of the full-length film collating 10 documentary and/or fictional narratives about different sites around the city will be its culture of tolerance, as demonstrated by the protection it has offered to the persecuted over the centuries. The language of cinema is a most effective tool for the transmission of discourses, effects and concepts and the film will seek to universalise its message of tolerance by underscoring Istanbul's location at the crossroads of cultures. Istanbul, Symphony Of A City is a documentary film project inspired by the 1930s classic "Berlin, Symphony of a City". Most large metropolitan cities have had their share of appearances in feature films and documentaries. Istanbul, however, is seldom represented in films - and, when it is, it is usually portrayed in an orientalist or touristic fashion. Yet what better subject for a documentary could there be? - a city on two continents, a city of tolerance and diversity, of violence and perversion, of chaos and order, wealth and poverty, contemporary and ancient, a city of stunning architecture and shabby shanty towns, a city of sound. The film project will cover the whole city, delving into its furthest and deepest corners. It will not be a touristic film but a portrait of the living city and its rhythms. There will be no voiceover, no titles and no commentary; just a cinematic vision of a pluralistic city. We’re Uncovering Istanbul will be another documentary film, this time about the city’s archeological layers. The Immigrants – Towards A Common Future will comprise three 35 mm, 25-minute feature films on immigration to Europe.
Crossing the Bridge: A multitude of activities on the Bosphorus. The Bosphorus, Istanbul's major waterway, which connects Europe to Asia and the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, is steeped in history and mythology. This is where Zeus's lover Io, who had been transformed into a white heifer to escape the wrath of Zeus's wife Hera, crossed from one continent to another. Jason and the Argonauts passed through the Bosphorus on their way from the Aegean to the Black Sea in search of the Golden Fleece. Ever since Homer's time, when it was named the Bosphorus (from the Greek meaning "heifer-bearing"), numerous legends have sprung up about it, imbuing this beautiful waterway with a touch of magic. The geographical location of the Bosphorus has given it a particular importance. Connecting the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, it has allowed communication, via the straits and along the Danube and its tributaries between the civilisations of the Mediterranean and those of Europe. Viewed by some as river and by others as a lake, it is a perfect example of the marriage of land and the sea. The boats which have bobbed on these waters for generations have been reshaped according to their function and to local conditions. In order to understand their impact on daily life, it is important to add Istanbul's waterways to the ECOC 2010 programme. So the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn have been chosen as major venues for the summer session of the celebrations under the theme of "Water". The main exhibition, which is called Europe on the Bosphorus, is an open invitation to performance and plastic artists from all over Europe to perform or hold exhibitions on the rafts which will be moored at different points along the Bosphorus. Each European country will be allocated a different raft designed in the form of a floating pavilion. The role of waterways in links
with Europe will also be the theme of Painting the Bosphorus Blue, a collection of Bosphorus paintings by Western artists under the curatorship of Filiz ÇaÄ&#x;man. Another "aquashow" will be the Istanbul History and Sea Festival, during which a parade of tall ships from around the world will sail up to the Black Sea during the day and return at night with all their lights on and with bands performing in various locations along the Bosphorus. Inspired by Venice's famous Antiche Regatta, Istanbul will also host an Antique Regatta in which Ottoman caiques, Venetians gondolas and British barges will race against each other on the Golden Horn. Of course, Istanbul's close relationship with water is not limited to the sea. The 40 Hammams Story will consist of an exhibition and a book which will detail the different features of the local bath tradition, including the "Turkish Hammam". The Danube Bridge project will form a temporal and cultural bridge, linking both the past and the future and different cultures to each other. A river boat which will leave Germany in June will serve as a floating exhibition of German, Hungarian and Turkish visual artists and sculptors. For 60 days it will sail down the Danube, stopping at cities where the artists from the three countries will perform in the evening before moving on to the next city, finally arriving in Istanbul in September. A cultural exchange programme in which artistically talented primary and middle school children from the three countries will visit each other will take be organised under the heading of From Past to the Future: Istanbul and her Sister European Capitals of Culture. Another project that will bring different cultures closer together will be the Istanbul Meeting of European Capitals of Culture. The Europ-Ist 2010 project will help to establish a network for all the participants in similar projects.
By the Flow of Water is a project that will include walks, concerts and performances set around Istanbul's reservoirs, aqueducts, holy springs, fountains, hamams and cisterns to form the walking tour of the "Water" season. Musical performances will start with Youth IntegrART in which different universities from Europe will be partnered with local universities and stage plays and classical, pop and jazz concerts in the park next to Taksim Square in the heart of the city. Every week a new university from a different country will be a guest of the host Turkish university and perform on an open-air stage.
The Three Countries, Three Composers, Three Concerts project will facilitate closer links between the three sister ECOC 2010 cities, connecting Istanbul to Pecs and to the German city that will be chosen. This last project will attempt to bring the three cities and their populations closer together through classical music concerts in the three cities and will include pieces by composers who have musical experience in these countries or the common cultures of the ECOC 2010 countries. Thus the three composers who will be chosen will serve to bring Turkey, Hungary and Germany closer together. The orchestra will be Turkish but the conductor or conductors will be German and/or Hungarian. Two of the most important and relevant European composers are Bela Bartok and Franz Liszt. Liszt was born in Hungary but was of German origin and came to Istanbul in 1847 to give concerts at the palace of Sultan Abdulmecit and was honoured with a medal. He lived for a time in a house in Pera, composing a number of pieces while he was there, giving him a special connection with Istanbul. Bela Bartok was born in Hungary and came to Ankara in 1936 to work at the State Conservatory. In Adana he studied the musical motifs of Anatolia and incorporated what he had learned in his compositions. The third name in this project will be the Turkish composer Ahmet Adnan Saygun, who was the first to incorporate Turkish motifs and tonal colouring into Western classical music. The largest of the musical events will without doubt be the International Istanbul Music Festival, which is already one of the leading music festivals in Europe. Its main theme in 2010 will be Turks in European Music, featuring pieces by European composers inspired by Turkey or Turks. The International Istanbul Jazz Festival will also prominently feature works which take Istanbul ECOC 2010 as their theme. As an addition to the festival's rich programme, Far Away So Close will emphasise intercultural musical interaction.
The Istanbul islands, as the part of the city which have the closest relationship with water, will support the programme through the Heybeliada Sound Project and the International Festival of Islands. Given that Ramadan, which is the most important month in the Muslim calendar, will fall in August in 2010, there are plans for a comprehensive series of Ramadan events. They will include a Mahya Contest, a competition to decide the best example of the writing in lights, known as mahya, which are a traditional feature of this holy month. Another activity will be Children's Festival: Children's World, which will include events such as puppet theatres, circus workshops, plastic arts workshops, archaeology workshops, and moving sculptures. The fact that Turkey will be hosting the World Basketball Championship in 2010 and that Istanbul will be one of the main venues of these breathtaking games will add another dimension to the life of the city in summer.
‘Fire’ is the most powerful transformative instrument, turning water to steam, wood to ash and sand to glass. In the autumn phase of ECOC 2010 it will be the inspiration for forward-thinking projects which seek to create sustainable cultural assets and urban renewal. In this sense, ‘Fire’ symbolises the future of Istanbul. The political essence of the modern understanding of multiculturalism reaches beyond political will to include modernisation and urbanisation and their repercussions. During this process the way in which the inhabitants of a city think of this culture is very important. Istanbul’s candidacy for ECOC has enabled the city to shake off its old social practices, to restructure forms of knowledge, and to question the applicability of existing concepts, principles and norms. From a cultural viewpoint, the acceptance of its candidacy will accelerate the development of a non-exclusive peaceful concept of ‘Europeanness’. th
The fact that the theme of the 11 International Istanbul Biennial in 2010 will be ‘Istanbul – Cultural Capital of Europe’ means that it is important to create a broad-ranging creative and intellectual platform for the city. The Architectural Biennial, which will be held following a European Competition, will represent the culmination of these thoughts in architectural form. Between September and December, Istanbul on the Move will focus on civic architecture. The project will use guided tours to explain social life in the city during 20th and 21st centuries and the way this has been reflected in architectural forms. Design 2010 will focus on designs associated with the city. The opening of the International Student Triennial, which will be organised by the Marmara University Faculty of Fine Arts, will make Istanbul a magnet for the youth of Europe. Another exciting project is Istanbul: A Place with No Doors or Windows, which will tour various European cities before
coming to Istanbul, bringing with it the colours and art of Europe. The Dem(art)cracy Village project is aimed at the shantytown districts of Istanbul, which are one of the city’s most obdurate problems. It will both transform the areas where it is held into attractive artistic centres in their own right and bring modern art to those who live far from the city centre. Forging the Future, Forging Culture is an invitation to the children of the shantytown districts of the city. They will meet in Sabancı University, where they will participate in workshops and use basic art facilities. Photography has a special importance as the permanent witness of the transforming power of ‘Fire’. Photo Bridge will feature photographs introducing the countries of the ECOC cities to each other through the work of photographers from these countries, while two leading NGOs will organise the International Istanbul Photography Festival. Turkey is renowned as a textile-producing country. Istanbul is the centre of the fashion industry and its promotion of local brands. ‘4+1’ - Earth/Air/Water/Fire+Eternity will feature designs reflecting designers’ reflections on the new Istanbul and will strengthen still further the city’s pre-eminence in this field. The musical events of the ‘Fire’ phase will th comprise the 20 Akbank Jazz Festival Celebrating Istanbul@the European Crossroads and the Mediterranean Contemporary Music Festival. The PeraFest is an interdisciplinary international arts festival that started in 2002. It will have a special programme in the year 2010, giving priority to common projects developed by different European artists and Turkish artists, especially projects co-produced by Turkish, Hungarian and German partners. Another project on the common sounds of the humanity is Two Musical Geniuses from East and West: Itri & Bach.
This concert will bring together the works of two totally different musicians from the same century. Istanbul Technical University’s Center for Advanced Studies in Music (MIAM) will introduce four projects to European contemporary musicians and researchers in this field, namely: the ElectroAcoustic & Intermedia Platform, Film Music & Sound Design, Contemporary Music and Ethnomusicology. The dance project ImpressionIST will integrate the works of 10 globally-renowned choreographers in the season’s programme. The Conference of World Artists for Peace will feature cooperation between European countries and culture centres in Istanbul in a variety of disciplines, including films, plays, books, photographs, cartoons, the plastic arts and concerts. In Lieu: Writing On/In/To Istanbul will be another international project which will create new written materials on Istanbul to be published at the book fair in the following October. ‘Fire’ will close with the Gala Finale and handover to the ECOCs of 2011.
V. ON THE WAY TO 2010 PREPARING THE PUBLIC FOR 2010: COMMUNICATIONS PLAN One of the main features of the ECOC Istanbul 2010 project will be a comprehensive and far-reaching communications and marketing operation with two aims; • To involve as many people and organizations as possible, and • To use this opportunity to redefine the relations between the people of Istanbul and the city administration in order to create a new mechanism for decision making. The communications plan will be an integral part of strategic planning and will be supported by the PR activities during the next five years. The phases of the communications plan will be -
2006 > Planning • Establishing a follow-up and a feed-back system between the Executive Committee, Communications Committee, Artistic Committee, project managers, discussion groups, NGOs and local authorities at the district level. • Putting together an in-house creative team under the Communications Committee to design and develop the strategic planning documents and printed materials. • Incorporating two-way communications between the local networks. • Initiating community involvement. • Encouraging stakeholders in different projects to come together for open discussions. • Drawing up an inventory of all available communications devices. • Announcing local participation in strategic planning, public meetings, dates and locations.
• Organizing the action teams and placing the volunteers in the right jobs. • Incorporating on-going implementation activities. • Finalizing the draft plan and opening it to discussion by the relevant committees. • Preparing the communications presentation tools to start the discussions between the marketing and communications professionals, local meetings, and discussion groups. • Foreseeing and preparing for arguments and questions raised by diverse groups and movements. • Briefing the contracted PR agencies consortium.
2007 > Fire up!
2008> Mobilizing
• Contacts with partners and professionals to devise a detailed communications strategy. • Creation of the PR plan.
In order to promote the event among the public and partners at all levels, the main elements of the reliable programme will be used as a communications tool through a series of activities such as: • Organizing a non-media channels system of - Civic organizations - Chambers of commerce and trade - Concerning associations - University campus and community leaders. • Compiling a list of media contacts and figures which includes radio, television, web, and local publications. • Promoting partnerships with industry. • Designing and developing printed materials such as brochures and posters. • Creating a series of news releases and distributing the releases to media channels. • Visiting local radio channels and TV stations to create opportunities for the promotion of the ECOC concept. • Preparing the press releases and on-air announcements. • Organizing periodic news conferences. • Carrying out the publication of a weekly electronic ECOC 2010 Istanbul newsletter. • Developing and periodically updating the ECOC 2010 Istanbul multilingual web site. • Briefing the contracted advertising and media agencies consortium on targets such as: - Raising the international profile of Istanbul. - Changing the image of the city. - Increasing foreign and domestic tourism. - Broadening audiences for culture. - Promoting the profile of the city. - Promoting the brand/image of the ECOC. - Promoting the cultural programme of ECOC 2010 Istanbul.
1st step: Setting up the goals and objectives. 2nd step: Determining what is to be accomplished by the public relations campaign and meeting those goals and objectives, such as: • Increasing public participation/attendance • Enhancing reputation of the institutions/communities. • Meeting the goals and objectives initially determined. • Integrating the PR campaign with the overall communications and marketing plan. • Combining established advertising in order to maximize the collective impact. 3rd step: Consideration of the target audiences: • The global community. • Europeans. • Global and local universities and institutes. • Global and local NGOs. • Focused study fields: urban sciences, arts and culture, architecture. • Funding agencies. • Policy makers and opinion leaders at local and national levels. • The media. • Industry. • The public. 4th step: Development of the common ECOC 2010 Istanbul logo and the establishment of the visual standards, including graphic implementation.
- Developing and promoting the multicultural policies - Identifying and celebrating aspects of European cultural heritage. - Promoting the partnerships with other ECOC cities.
2009 > Completion • Integration of the advertising campaign and the communications plan. • Integrating the messages and key aspects of the strategy within the advertising implementation. • Initiating creative and alternative media channels and tools such as: - SMS, cell phone, GPRS technology. - ATM machines. - Public areas (WCs, mosques, stadiums, supermarkets). - Licensed merchandising. - Limited and specially designed POPs. - Special events.
2010 > Action The overall marketing and communications strategy for the ECOC 2010 Istanbul programme will achieve wide scale exposure throughout Europe as well as in Istanbul itself. • Launching the 2010 programme in the global and local media. • Designing a monthly cultural newsletter and distributing it as a supplement with two major newspapers during 2010. • Producing a daily cultural TV news programme to communicate the on-going Istanbul ECOC 2010 cultural events in the city. Broadcasting the programme on the media sponsor TV channels.
BRINGING THE WORLD TO ISTANBUL In the years leading to 2010 the organizing committee of Istanbul 2010 will concentrate on one part of the world every year and will attempt to link the cultures of that region with those of Turkey. For his purpose, projects will be implemented to trace the steps of some prominent people who have left their mark in those parts or who helped to open those parts to other people. This interdisciplinary project, which will be held in various countries and in Istanbul between 2006 and 2010, is based on the concept of mobility and exchange in contemporary arts and culture. With Istanbul serving as a geographical, historical and cultural nucleus, four routes have been drawn on the map: the Mediterranean, Asia, Black Sea and Danube, each of which refers to a historical and modern circulation of people and goods. The project focuses on Istanbul’s role as a centre receiving and bestowing theoretical, artistic and practical inspirations, interpretations experiences and events; thus highlighting its centripetal and centrifugal power. The project embraces the global art community in its entirety through its existing widespread networks and galvanizes their energy. The project will also target the societies and art audiences in the countries by launching parts of the main exhibitions and events (concerts, film and video screenings, performances) in different localities along the routes. The preparatory phase of the Project will take place in 2006 and the first voyage will be ‘In the Footsteps of Piri Reis (Mediterranean Saga)’, which will take place in 2007. The second voyage will be Silk Road. This time we will follow the footsteps of Marco Polo from the Far East to Istanbul. The third voyage will take place in 2008 will follow the footsteps of Jules Verne, those he described in his novel ‘L’Agha Tetu’ which tell of a obstinate Turk who refuses to pay the boatman some additional money to cross the Bosphorus from Europe to Asia and to make his point he tours around the whole Black Sea, during which time he has some marvelous adventures. The last voyage, which will coinciding with Istanbul’s year as ECOC, will follow the footsteps of Franz Liszt, the Hungaro-German composer and virtuoso whose concert tours took him from Germany to Hungary and even down to Istanbul where he performed before the Sultan.
2007 THE MEDITERRANEAN SAGA IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF PIRI REIS Piri Reis was an Ottoman admiral and nautical cartographer celebrated for his manual of navigation and world maps. He was born around 1470, became commander of the Ottoman Indian Ocean fleet in 1547 and died in 1554. His life and works vividly illustrate the cultural interchange between Ottoman Turkey and western Europe at this period. Pirî Reis's maps are a landmark in the history of cartography. Both his two world maps and the 223 charts illustrating his manual of navigation, Kitab-ı Bahriye (‘The Naval Book’), display an accuracy and cartographic skill that were unsurpassed in his time. The surviving half of his first world map was discovered at Topkapi Palace in 1929. Based on the lost maps of Columbus, it is the most accurate of the early maps of America in existence and a unique source of information about the early voyages of discovery to the New World. The map is dated 1513 and is remarkable in many respects, one being that it shows the River Plate. In his notes on his world map Piri Reis explains that he heard the account of Columbus' voyages from a slave named Rodrigo who had sailed with Columbus on the first three voyages, and later been captured by Kemal Reis. Kitab-ı Bahriye was the most comprehensive manual of navigation in the Mediterranean and Aegean ever written. In 2007, the project will focus on the Mediterranean. A boat will trace the route described by Piri Reis in Kitab-i Bahriye. Since Piri Reis anchored at each and every bay in the Mediterranean during his long trip, it is impossible to replicate the full trip but a boat will travel from Barcelona to Istanbul, visiting important the port cities of southern Europe, stopping at Marseilles, Toulon, Bastia, Naples, Palermo, La Valetta, Athens (Piraeus) and Thessalonica. A music group composed of different nationalities from around the Mediterranean will be on board of the ship and other groups will join during the course of the voyage. These groups will give joint concerts in every port visited. Artists will be selected from among the groups which bridge different cultures (e.g. from Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Turkey). An exhibition on ‘Piri Reis’ will be on display on the ship. A collection of videos from the port-cities of the Mediterranean will be screened on the ship and at its last port of call, which will be Istanbul. A film crew will document the trip and a journalist on board will transmit the whole voyage live on internet. In Istanbul, this first phase of the project will end with a ‘Festival Of Mediterranean Traditional Music and Dance’, which will include contributions from all of the groups. There will also be classical music concerts with soloists from Mediterranean countries. In Istanbul, a conference on the theme ‘Tradition, Modernity and Globalization in the Mediterranean’ and a retrospective of films on the theme of ‘Neo-Realism and its effects on Mediterranean Cinema’ will be held. The event will be organized under the patronage of prominent artists from around the Mediterranean, such as George Moustaki, Maurice Bejart, Kudsi Erguner, Giovanna Marini, Mikis Theodorakis, Maria Mar del Bonet and Zulfu Livaneli.
2008
2009
THE SILK ROAD IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MARCO POLO
CIRCUMVENTING BLACK SEA IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF JULES VERNE
Marco Polo is probably the most famous Westerner to have travelled on the Silk Road. His journey through Asia lasted 24 years. His father and uncle reached further than any of his predecessors, beyond Mongolia to China. He became a confidante of Kubilai Khan. He travelled the length of China and returned to tell the tale, which became the greatest travelogue in history. Marco Polo is believed to have been born in Venice in 1254. At the time Venice was the centre of commerce in the Mediterranean. Marco Polo was only six years old when his father and uncle set out eastward on their first trip to Cathay (China). By the time his father and his uncle returned to Venice he was 15 years old and his mother had already passed away. He remained in Venice with his father and uncle for two more years and then the three of them set off for Cathay for the second time. The Polos set out at the end of 1271, this time with letters and valuable gifts for the Great Khan from the new Pope Tedaldo (Gregory X) They passed through Armenia, Persia and Afghanistan, over the Pamirs, and all along the Silk Road to China. When the Polos arrived in the Taklamakan desert, they skirted around the desert along the southern route, passing through Yarkand, Khotan, Cherchen, and Lop-Nor. Marco provided a detailed account of the rise of the Mongols and the Great Khan's life and empire. Marco's account of the Mongol life is particularly interesting when compared to the tales of the many wonders of Chinese civilization which he was soon to see for himself. Although he ruled with all the splendour of an Emperor of China, Kubilai Khan never forgot his roots. During his long stay in Cathay, Marco had many conversations with Kubilai. By then it had been three and a half years since the Polos had left Venice and they had travelled a total of 9,000 kilometres. Marco served at the Khan's court and was sent on a number of special missions to China, Burma and India. Many places which Marco saw were not seen again by Europeans until the 19th century. On his way home, Marco passed through Trabzon on the Black Sea coast and sailed by sea, via Istanbul, to Venice. In 2008 the project will follow the route of Marco Polo. Starting from China, a caravan will travel along the Silk Road, stopping in major cities and giving performances together with local musicians. A music group, photographers and writers will accompany the caravan. An exhibition of works of art made on paper and of paper will be exhibited at the performance venues. At the end of the journey a ‘festival of traditional music and dance’, including performances by different groups from near and central Asian countries will be organised in Istanbul and a cinematic retrospective will be held of ‘China and the Central Asian Republics’. The theme of the conference of this second phase of the Project will be ‘Art and Culture in Asia before and after the Globalisation’.
The 2009 programme is inspired by the famous French novelist Jules Verne’s tale ‘Keraban the Inflexible’. In this story, Jan Van Mitten and his valet Bruno from Rotterdam are in Istanbul. The pair are going to meet with Van Mitten’s tobacco business associate, a headstrong man named Kéraban. At the meeting Kéraban decides to take them to dinner at his home in Üsküdar on the other side of the Bosphorus. Just before they cross, a tax is imposed on all vessels that can be used to cross the strait. Enraged by this new tax, Kéraban decides to take his associates to Üsküdar by travelling 700 leagues around the perimeter of the Black Sea so that he won’t have to pay the paltry 10 cents tax. Kéraban and his reluctant travelling companions begin the journey; the only deadline for Kéraban is that he must be back in six weeks time so that he can arrange for his nephew’s wedding to a young woman who must be married before she turns seventeen. If she doesn’t meet this deadline, she won’t inherit 100,000 Turkish liras. Unfortunately for Kéraban and friends, the villains Yarhud, Scarpante and the man they work for, Seigneur Saffar, have plans to ensure that the young woman gets married to Saffar after the deadline. The third phase will focus on the Black Sea region and southern Caucasus. Traditional and folk music groups from Turkey will travel from Istanbul and continue along the coast of Black Sea, visiting the cities cited in ‘Keraban the Inflexible’, giving concerts together with different music groups from each country. The voyage will end in Istanbul with a ‘Black Sea Music and Dance Festival’ at which these groups will perform in different venues around the city. An exhibition will be held with one curator, one artist and one writer from each country. This exhibition will be the basis for extensive networking between the Black Sea countries. Film screenings, including a retrospective of ‘Avant-garde Soviet Cinema’ and a conference on ‘Post-Soviet Art and Theory’ will accompany the exhibition.
2010 THE DANUBE BRIDGE IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF FRANZ LISZT The pianist and composer, originator of the solo piano recital and perhaps the greatest pianist of all time as well as one of the important composers of the 19th century, Franz Liszt was born in Hungary in 1811. He studied the piano first with his father and then with the Austrian pianist Carl Czerny in Vienna, where he also studied theory with the Italian composer Antonio Salieri. In 1823 he moved with his parents to Paris, where he soon established himself as a pianist. Living in Paris for 12 years, Liszt knew many of the city's luminaries, including composers such as the French Hector Berlioz, the PolishFrench Frédéric Chopin and many literary acquaintances. His connections with Lamartine and Lamennais in particular had a profound impact on his career, as did the appearances in Paris, beginning in 1831, of the Italian violin virtuoso Nicolò Paganini. In 1833 Liszt met the French countess Marie d'Agoult, who is better known as a writer under the pseudonym Daniel Stern. They formed a liaison that endured until 1844 and had three children, one of whom, Cosima, became the wife of the German pianist and conductor Hans von Bülow and later of the German composer Richard Wagner. From 1839 to 1847 Liszt toured the Old World from Lisbon to Moscow and from Dublin to Istanbul. Liszt came to Istanbul in 1847. He had wanted to make this journey for nearly 10 years. The Istanbul concerts were the last and the most important concerts of his life. One year later he stopped playing and started concentrating on his compositions as a means of earning a living. During his stay at a rented house in Beyoğlu Liszt wrote one masterpiece. This was a fantasy for Verdi’s opera Ernani. He gave four concerts, two of which were at the Sultan’s palace, one at the Russian Consulate and one at the Francini House. Sultan Abdülmecid I was very excited by the prospect of listening to Liszt play. Upon disembarking from his ship, Liszt was taken straight to the Sultan’s palace. The Sultan was very interested in Italian music and opera. Most of the pieces that Liszt played were rearrangements of Italian operas. One of the Sultan’s musical consultants was Guiseppe Donizetti, the brother of the famous Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Donizetti wrote a letter to his son studying in Paris, saying: “Istanbul, 9 June 1847. My dear son, yesterday Franz Liszt arrived in our city. I immediately relayed this news to the Sultan and a few hours later Franz Liszt was received by the Sultan along with the chief translator of the Austrian Embassy. The Sultan requested that he be present at the Çırağan Palace on the evening of the same day. After this order the Erard piano I had in my house was hastily taken to the palace where, in the presence of Sultan Abdülmecid, it played host to the magical vibrating hands of Liszt that were quicker than lightning. The great effect left on the sensitive spirits of the Sultan by Liszt can only be explained by the power of imagination rather than any kind of understanding and intellect. This artist with divine inspirational abilities looked as if he was in a trance, and with the melodies he was creating he seemed to have had forgotten that he was in the presence of
the Sultan. Liszt was here a little while ago. He had come to visit me. As he was leaving he brought me some music scores and two Sultan Marches with some amendments that I had written to play tonight because this evening Liszt is invited to the Sultan’s Palace... If I get invited, I will write to you about the affects of my compositions; for the time being I can tell you that Liszt carried out his first experiment on my piano and I... listened to Liszt’s music.” The Danube Bridge Project will follow the footsteps of Franz Liszt and will target the societies and artistic audiences of the countries of the Danube. A cruise by riverboat will start from Germany at a point nearest to the German city to be designated as the ECOC for 2010 and sail along the Danube, calling at different ports, including Vienna and Budapest. Since the three Capitals of Culture of 2010 will be from Germany, Hungary and Turkey, artists from these three countries will collaborate closely in this project. The common themes of the countries along the banks of the Danube will form the main axis of the project. As the riverboat sails along the Danube, it will take on board music groups and performing artists from each country. Concerts will be given in every city visited. At the end of the voyage, artists who participated in the voyage will take part in the activities in Istanbul. Some of the activities which will be realized in Istanbul are: • An exhibition on the theme of ‘Water’ with artists from countries along the Danube; • A conference on ‘Central Europe and Balkan Art and Culture within the ‘New Europe’ Identity’; • A retrospective of ‘Danube cinemas’ in an open air cinema on the shore of the Golden Horn; • Open air classical music concerts reflecting the interaction between European music and Turkish music (from Ottoman period till today); • A festival of ‘Folk Music and Dance from Southeast Europe’; • A theatrical play to be staged in cooperation with Hungarian, German and Turkish actors; • The opening of a new museum with collections from the four exhibitions of the ‘Golden Routes’. All the art work which has been exhibited in the earlier phases of the project, as well as the last exhibition on ‘Water’, will be donated to this museum; • This important collection will be opened to the public for the first time during the Istanbul Biennial in September 2010.