Santralistanbul

Hey everyone,

Our second day was quite eventful, there is just so much to see in this beautiful city. We started our day by meeting up with a student from Istanbul Bigli University. He took us to an exhibition/museum entitles Santralistanbul. The museum is The Museum of Energy, and consisted of an old power plant that was renovated into a museum, with a new gallery attached to it. The museum was quite interesting, and the spaces that were created were very visually appealing, but the most interesting thing was just being able to see and interact with the old machinery and control equipment that was left. The pieces within the museum were all aimed at around the theme of energy and physics.

After moving through the Museum of Energy, we made our way to the exhibition, entitled Istanbul 1910-2000: City, Built Environment, Architectural Culture. The exhibition was extremely informative, featuring three floors devoted to the development of the city, past, present, and future. The beginning of the exhibition spoke of the modernization of Istanbul, particularly the problems faced Post-WWI, including depression, fire, migration, abandonment, and hygiene. The Galata Bridge, when built, became the symbol for Istanbul's modernization, expressing aesthetics of smooth concrete, with infrastructural tram lines. Fundamentally though, electricity was the major symbol for the transition, becoming more and more prevalent.

One of the major concerns of modern Istanbul is the renovation of houses. As there are still many run down houses, abandoned or derelict, the risk of fire is still very great, and because of this, as well as the will to modernize, the government is forcing many residents to renovate their houses. The problem arises when the residents cannot afford to renovate, causing the government to step in and take over renovation. While this means that the renovation happens regardless of the resident's level of income, the government then takes 52% of the property, essentially taking ownership of the property.

I could write much more on the exhibition, and probably will later, but once again, we are on the move. This time we are traveling to Istanbul Technical University for a workshop with the students there. I will also post about the great mosques we visited after the exhibition.

Hope all is well in Boston,

P.S. - If anyone in Boston thinks of any souvenirs they might want, just let us know, I am sure we would be willing to pick something up for you.

Bryan