ISTANBUL 2010 AGENCY EXPANDS EVENTS

The Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture events continue with a new exhibition that opens March 3. Within the context of “Portable Art” project by the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture agency, the exhibition “Çok Güzel” (Very Beautiful) will continue at Büyükçekmece Kültürpark Kervansaray through March 31.

In the exhibition 15 artists share their productions focusing on questions like “How and through which methods will the artist reach out for the target mass? Is it possible to produce good and convincing art works? Is it possible to join in society without melting down in it?”

Curated by Fatih Balcı, the exhibition features the late works by Coşkun Sami, Denizhan Özer, Fatih Balcı, Gül Ilgaz, Güler Güngör, Hülya Küpçüoğlu, Kurucu Koçanoğlu, Maria Sezer, Mehmet Kavukçu, Nazan Azeri, Selahattin Yıldırım, Serpil Kapar, Sibel Balcı, Şakir Gökçebağ and Şinasi Güneş.

The art, which has been so far confined to producing “nice” images, is turning into ugly aesthetics, which breaks off with conventional buildings and tools in modern times to astound the minds and disperse the perceptions. The exhibition “Very Beautiful” compiles various productions to pose examples of such transformations.

The exhibition aims to establish a ground on which spectators can get the chance to bond with artists who wish to take them as target for raising awareness and affect their approach to the arts with a purpose to eliminate perceptional differences.

Portable Art 2010 exhibitions will go on with “Amber” at Ümraniye Atakent Cultural Center in March, with “Portable Borders” at Haydarpaşa in April, and with “Gratuitous” video exhibition at the Maiden’s Tower in June.

Animators Talent Camp

Developed by Berat İlk in 2008, the Animators Talent Camp, which was realized by the 2010 agency in collaboration with Istanbul Bilgi University and became a regular annual event since then, also continues to revive the Turkish animation industry and bring people who are interested in animation together with this art during workshops.

The camp, including free workshops on scriptwriting, film grammar, animation techniques and editing that are followed by a panel and a conference, is a year-long project organized every Saturday with the participation of different guests.

During the next workshop on March 6 at the Mimar Sinan University Faculty of Fine Arts, Deniz Mutlu will give education on “clay and pixillation.”

Animators Talent Camp also allows participants to focus on their short animation film projects. There will be a pre-production period for elected projects in May and June. Project creators will have the opportunity to pitch and discuss their projects with panels and conference guests. The project creators will be able to take advice from scriptwriters and character designers. They will also be supported to work with storyboard artists.

Following the pre-production, films will be produced at university studio and then later edited by production companies. Technical equipment and other necessities will be supplied. The films will later be sent to national and international festivals and be featured at special screenings with other films that have been made by supporting universities and production companies.

Istanbul 2010 magazine

As another project of the 2010 agency, the first edition of “Istanbul 2010,“ which is the corporate communication and promotion magazine for the Istanbul 2010 agency, was released this week. The magazine will be released every three months in Turkish and English. Throughout the year, the magazine will highlight the unknown features of the city and also examine the contributions of the agency’s work to the city.

The magazine will be delivered to a selected mass of people in Turkey and Europe, aiming to increase the interest of people in the city and establish a dialogue bridge between the people of Istanbul and Europeans. The latest edition of the magazine will be released in January 2011.

The first edition of the magazine, which is around the theme of “inheritance,” is on Yenikapı, the beginning point of excavations dating back to 8,500 years ago. The Archaeology Museums Deputy Director Zeynep Kızıltan, Urban Applications Director architect Korhan Gümüş and archaeologist Metin Gökçay’s articles are highlights of the magazine. There are also interviews with businesswoman Oya Eczacıbaşı, Paul McMillen and Hakkı Mısırlıoğlu, who are the creators of the city’s promotional campaigns, and AKB Agency Coordination Committee Chairman Hayati Yazıcı as well as culture and art schedule of the city.

The magazine can be obtained for free through museums affiliated with the Istanbul Provincial Culture and Tourism Directorate, Sakıp Sabancı Museum, Istanbul Modern, Santralistanbul, Kültür A.Ş. bookstores, Atatürk and Sabiha Gökçen airports, Çırağan, Hilton and Marriot hotels, the Istanbul 2010 AKB Agency center and www.istanbul2010.org web site.