How can the memory and cultural heritage of different eras and groups be preserved in a contested city under development pressure? And how can such preserved memory be used for a neighborhood’s future?
The main aim of 70TK which took place between 2015-2018 was to document the spatial and cultural changes throughout the history of one of the most significant multicultural districts, formerly named Tatavla, today known as Kurtuluş. From its commercial and religious life to its recreational traditions, Tatavla was a unique microcosm complemented by its historic architectural fabric. Tatavla’s identity has been redefined through micro and macro policies. Since the 1950s it has host many of its original residents, irreparably erasing its social and architectural memory.
Despite these frequent changes to the urban landscape, there is currently no public policy about the preservation and promotion of places of memory a critical omission in this district, which has a long and rich multicultural history.
An in-depth research informed this project, involving historic maps, photographs, literature reviews, newspaper and archival research, where we found out how the district was altered in relation to the historical and political context. Interviews with longtime residents were intended to reveal the intangible cultural assets of the region, while at the same time comparisons between the old and new architectural fabric demonstrated the changes in built heritage over time. The goal was not only to record individual oral histories, but also to find where the individual histories intersected with the collective history of the neighborhood and thus set reflection about changes to the district in motion. Examining changes to the built fabric of the district over time using historic photographs, maps, and extensive on-site documentation was supplemented with information from the interviews. These strands were then woven together to form a multi-faceted image of the memories of Tatavla on a neighborhood level.
This information was brought together in a temporary exhibition in September-October 2017 in the Kurtuluş Greek School, which had not been used since 2003 due to a lack of students. The exhibition included a large map of remembrance, photography, thematic sound installations of the interviews, a short documentary and other data derived from the research.
Later, the content was enriched with research in personal and institutional archives and additional oral history interviews in Athens, and was presented as a second exhibition (in Greek and English) in Athens in July 2018.
70 TK was part of the Actors of Urban Change program, realized with the support of Robert Bosch Stiftung.
Project Partner: Paros Magazine
Funder: MitOst ve Robert Bosch Stiftung tarafından yürütülmektedir
Project Team: Banu Pekol,Çağla Parlak, Mesut Dinler and Tamar Gurdikyan (Paros).
70TK in the Press:
Agos 29 September 2017
Apoyevmatini 21 Eylül 2017
Atina’dan Yunanistan Temmuz 2018
Avlaremoz 28 Eylül 2017
Iho 21 Eylül 2017
İstanbul Art News 2017
Kültür Limited 25 Eylül 2017
Paros Ekim 2017
Unlimited Eylül 2017
Gallery
