Turkey

On September 16th, 2011, BYE-BYE ISTANBUL…

Istanbul mosque out the back window of the taxi on the way to Ataturk Airport

…my kindly taxi driver said as I took a few last pictures of the city from the back seat of his cab on the way to Ataturk Airport and Amsterdam, after another long day up and down the cobblestone streets of Beyoğlu and Karaköy – more biennial, more Ficcin, more running into art-worldy friends on the streets, more SALT Beyoğlu, more hothouse, and goodbye to the garden, where I know it is in good hands.

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By Fritz Haeg on September 16, 2011 | travel
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On September 15th, 2011, ISTANBUL BIENNIAL PARTY VIEW OF THE CITY…

view from the rooftop of the Marmara Pera hotel

…from the rooftop of the Marmara Pera hotel in the Beyoğlu quarter of Istanbul, was the perk of one of the many parties kicking off the Istanbul Biennial today – but one of only two that I had the steam for after hoofing it around the entirety of the Biennial exhibition filling the endless assemblage of Sanaa-designed white boxes across three vast floors of two Antrepo industrial port buildings, and the personal highlights…?…far and away the most engaging work in the show was Broadband Bulletin Board by Budapest’s Tamás Kaszás and Anikó Lóránt, featuring a simple kiosk-like wood structure presenting videos, sketches, photographs, artifacts, etc. all seeming to suggest some people planning for a thoughtful future while also looking back; plus there was Elmgreen & Dragset’s The Black & White Diary, Fig. 5 (2009), the corner corridor of 364 earnest/homey white-framed photos of the leisure/play time of their queer community – from the strip clubs to the studio – displayed like family portraits along shelves which made me feel right at home seeing so many friends, and even some without their pants on.

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By Fritz Haeg on September 15, 2011 | art
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On September 14th, 2011, ISTANBUL CAT ESTATES…

homes for cats on Istanbul sidewalk

…some of them lovingly hand-painted and even featuring the name of the cat over the front door, are what I stumbled upon (almost literally) this afternoon, filling a section of sidewalk on a narrow sloping street just up the hill from my hotel and the Antrepo warehouse sites of the Istanbul Biennial (opening for press previews tomorrow morning) in the Karaköy quarter of the Beyoğlu district.

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By Fritz Haeg on September 14, 2011 | animals, architecture
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On September 13th, 2011, SUPERPOOL…

Selva Gürdoğan and Gregers Tang Thomsen of Superpool present at SALT Beyoğlu

…the Istanbul based architecture studio founded by Turkish Selva Gürdoğan and Danish Gregers Tang Thomsen, presented their design of the exhibition ‘Becoming Istanbul‘ (in collaboration with the graphics of Project Projects) which opened at SALT Beyoğlu this evening – kicking off 90 events in 90 days.

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By Fritz Haeg on September 13, 2011 | Uncategorized
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On September 12th, 2011, MARK DION IN ISTANBUL…

collected materials for Mark Dion's upcoming installation at SALT Galata

…is assembling materials for his upcoming installation at the soon to open SALT Galata - and lately when I’m traveling I’m often just missing this inspiring artist, arriving after he’s just left, or departing when he is soon to arrive – so it is a pleasure to cross paths here in Istanbul.

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By Fritz Haeg on September 12, 2011 | art
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On September 11th, 2011, ISTANBUL KIDDIES IN THE HOTHOUSE…

Istanbul children planting seeds for the hothouse workshop

…(the Edible Estates garden headquarters at SALT Beyoglu) gathered for some gardening workshops with Pelin Demereli throughout the afternoon, and since I couldn’t understand anything they were saying, (though at one point a few little boys seemed to be having a really interesting conversation – so I asked someone to translate, but it turns out they were communicating in their own make-up language which no one else could understand either) I just smiled a lot while they were intently focused of planting seeds in egg trays.

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By Fritz Haeg on September 11, 2011 | Edible Estates, gardens
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On September 10th, 2011, ISTANBUL GARDEN WORKSHOP ACTIVITIES…

Edible Estates garden headquarters at SALT Beyoglu, Istanbul

…today and tomorrow (plus a talk this evening) have brought me back to town to check in on the Edible Estate rooftop hothouse garden headquarters on top of SALT Beyoglu, the ambitious new art institution (just before the Istanbul Biennial opens later this week) – and we have been lucky to find Pelin Demireli to work with on some of these garden activities…

Pelin Demireli leads gardening and cooking workshops for children with organizations including Sulukule Volunteer Association, Şişli Ecological Market, Kuzguncuk Elementary School, Kınalı Summer Camp and Minik Fırın. She is also engaged in a network of local farmers and seed swappers working to make traditional seeds available both within and outside of İstanbul. (SALT website)

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By Fritz Haeg on September 10, 2011 | Edible Estates, gardens
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On April 8th, 2011, SALT BEYOGLU OPENS WITH ISTANBUL ROOFTOP HOTHOUSE…

just before the crowds arrive for the inaugural opening of SALT Beyoğlu

…ready to welcome those who make it to the top floor for a respite of light and space with the aroma of wood shavings and fresh compost, a narrow view between buildings to distant hills, a fresh breeze through open windows, some green life starting to get settled in it’s new home, a casual seating area of raw wood covered in burlap, bright collective wall paintings, relaxed casual vibes… and my favorite responses were alternately, “wow, it’s such an L.A. garden!” and “wow, it’s such a Turkish garden!” (more photos coming soon to the project webpage)

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By Fritz Haeg on April 8, 2011 | gardens
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On April 7th, 2011, ISTANBUL HOTHOUSE PLANTING…

friends of the SALT Beyoğlu staff help out with planting

…was a gradual process today as heavy bags of fresh Turkish forest soil, compost, worm castings, and wood shavings (to loosen and lighten the soil) slowly made their way up to our sixth floor roost in the rooftop hothouse at to fill the large planters constructed with the reclaimed 4×4 lumber previously used for the building construction scaffolding – in the mean time we busied ourselves with a collection of seedlings and starts in their temporary housing of water bottles and gorgeous golden sunflower oil cans (collected by the sweet people at our daily lunch hang out) to be dramatically displayed on scavenged wood crate pedestals for now – and until they go into their permanent homes in the perimeter planting beds and local Istanbul gardening/farming/food folks want to take over the central space for some other experiment or activities.

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By Fritz Haeg on April 7, 2011 | gardens
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On April 6th, 2011, SPECIAL TURKISH FARMER SEEDS…

a farmers saved seeds ready for planting

…including lots of beans, corn, lettuce, squash, some rare precious tomatoes, and a variety of fruiting trees and vegetables starts have arrived from a friendly farmer couple who have pulled together most of the materials for the Istanbul rooftop hothouse we are working to finish in time for the SALT Beyoğlu building opening on Friday.

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By Fritz Haeg on April 6, 2011 | gardens
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On April 5th, 2011, FICCIN AND HELVETIA LOKANTA…

veggie plate at Ficcin is a little different every day!

…are my two favored food places in town – both serving delicious inexpensive basic vegetarian/vegan friendly Turkish plates that I hear approximate what your Turkish mom would have made for you if you grew up here – and since Ficcin has become popular since it started out as a tiny hole in the wall it has slowly taken over other little spaces on the little street off İstiklal Caddesi – so it seems that there are about 7 different dining environments to choose from – plus it is right next to the new SALT Beyoğlu, which is why we are there every day for lunch – and tonight it was Helvetia Lokanta with artists Nina, Robin, and Can – all preparing work for the SALT opening on Friday.

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By Fritz Haeg on April 5, 2011 | food
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On April 4th, 2011, PICKLED ISTANBUL…

storekeeper in front of his shop lined entirely in jars of pickled goods

…in a stupendous store where every surface is covered the bright chromatics of jars brining and fermenting anything you can imagine on a market street off of İstiklal Caddesi.

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By Fritz Haeg on April 4, 2011 | food
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On April 3rd, 2011, ISTANBUL POLICE SAFETY MARCH…

what I saw out the window on İstiklal Caddesi this Sunday morning

…with a seemingly endless Turkish flag flowing down İstiklal Caddesi greeted me out the window this morning and here is what I could glean from Skyturk.com (through the veil of Google translate):

Turkish National Police, the public is at the disposal of the public peace and security continues to express to the Governor canıyla mesaisini happy with the blood, said: “Safety is Our Association, held this time feels himself happy. Be confident of Istanbul, supremely important for the police. 24 hours to accomplish this great perseverance, working under the command of Istanbul. Today, so supremely fortunate to be celebrating the feast of the police in a peaceful city. If you are not good security, peace of mind is not in place, any time day or night, go out of Istanbul dolaşamadığı easily in a city, if we were celebrating the feast of the police, so much talk at peace. So today, stretching göğsümüzü, Istanbul police in a comfortable way kutlayabiliyorsak’s Day, is the result of the security environment provided by the Police Teşkilatımızın.”

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By Fritz Haeg on April 3, 2011 | travel
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On April 2nd, 2011, A GROUP PAINTING ACTIVITY…

12 colors, 12 brushes, 12 people

…on the walls of the Istanbul rooftop hothouse was quick pleasurable way for us to claim the space, make our mark, mess things up – plus a welcome break for the SALT Beyoğlu staff from the hectic preparations for the inaugural vernisage this Friday.

 

 

 

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By Fritz Haeg on April 2, 2011 | art
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On April 1st, 2011, BALKAN LOKASI…

market workers line up at Balkan Lokantasi

…the hazır yemek “ready food” restaurant off of İstiklal Caddesi is where I went to lunch today, which I happened upon during my last visit – basic really inexpensive Turkish food that is very vegan friendly, plus it seemed to be where all of the market workers were eating (which is a good sign, since my typical tastes tend away from elaborate dining experiences – instead appreciating any culinary tradition rooted in peasant austerity – like most Italian food for example), and though I wasn’t sure if my recent allegiance was misplaced due to some foreigner naiveté – this afternoon it was validated by the lunch-time line out the door, and today: chick pea soup, okra, eggplant…

 

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By Fritz Haeg on April 1, 2011 | food
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On March 31st, 2011, ISTANBUL ROOFTOP HOTHOUSE…

the 'before' view of the greenhouse at SALT future home of the Istanbul Rooftop Hothouse

…is the next edition in the series of Edible Estates gardens which I have come here to begin work on (housed in a spacious airy new greenhouse on the top floor of the beautifully renovated six floor home for the new center for contemporary art SALT Beyoğlu opening on Apri 8th on Istanbul’s central pedestrian street of İstiklal Caddesi), which should be a casual laboratory for cultivating a diversity of edibles and modest year-round urban gardening activity; a handmade environment gradually evolving over time created with locally scavenged materials for SALT staff and visitors to inhabit as a green living room and gardening retreat; an occasional headquarters and seed-starting facility for local urban farming groups – including the fantastic Sinek Sekiz, who I just met with this afternoon. (more on Edible Estate #11: Istanbul, Turkey, opening mid-September)

 

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By Fritz Haeg on March 31, 2011 | gardens
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On January 15th, 2011, ISTANBUL VIEW FROM GALATA KULESI…

view to the south of the Istanbul's Golden Horn including the Galata Bridge (center left) the Hagia Sophia, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, the Yeni Mosque, the Beyazıt Tower, and the Süleymaniye Mosque.

…the medieval tower dating from 1348 located in the center of the Galata district provides a dramatic overview of the city on my last night – but looking forward to coming back very soon to start work on a new rooftop hothouse project…

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By Fritz Haeg on January 15, 2011 | travel
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On January 14th, 2011, ISTANBUL CATS AND DOGS…

a city dog, tagged by the municipality (note yellow ear tag) lounges in front of Hagia Sofia, and a cat poses inside

…are an integral part of the urban streetscape dating back to Byzantium when street dogs served the sanitation service of street garbage disposal; with the dog population exploding in 1908, 40,000 were shipped to Island of Oxia to fend for themselves where few survived; later in 1937 it was reported in Time Magazine that 20,000 street dogs were cleared from the streets and euthanized, in 2004 a neuter and release program was instituted by the city, the implementation of which was criticized by the Animal Liberation Front, and in 2009 the Sunday’s Zaman reported that Istanbul started to tag the dogs who had been neutered and immunized – which my Istanbul friends seem to think has been successful and well organized – and now each neighborhood in the center has a few dogs in residence (locals know the names of each) who are collectively fed by the various shops, make themselves at home on the streets, and take walks around the city like any other resident – but it’s hard to know how the dogs feel about this arrangement – and as far as felines are concerned, it was a pleasure to meet a cute cross-eyed cat posing in one of the stained-glassed apses of Hagia Sophia, and even more impressive that most tourists (like me) were just as excited about photographing the cat as they were the interior of one of the biggest and most storied cathedrals in the world which we were visiting.

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By Fritz Haeg on January 14, 2011 | animals
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