“The Stage is Yours, Istanbul”

987 years after Byzas, King of Megara brought his people to the paradise (the Historical Peninsula) across from the Land of the Blind (Kadiköy), on Monday, 11 May 330, a great ceremony was held at the Haghia Irene Church, where the Byzantine Emperor Constantine I declared that the city of Constantine, which he named after himself, would henceforth become the capital of the empire. Constantinople, which continued to be the capital of the Byzantine Empire until its conquest on 29 May 1453, then became the capital of the Ottoman Empire until the Turkish Republic was founded. The Arabs referred to it as Constantiniyya, the Persians as Asitane, the Russians Czarigrad and the Ottomans as Istanbul (In Greek, “Is Tin Poli” means “towards the city”). Anyone who saw Istanbul fell in love with it and could not leave; those who had to leave could not stop talking about it. The Russian Czar Peter the Great said that “anybody who dominates the city will dominate the world” and Napoleon, King of France, said, “If the earth was a single state, its capital would be Istanbul,” words that add to the majesty of the city. Istanbul, which is indisputably a world capital, was elected European Capital of Culture for 2010 in 2006, together with the cities of Essen in Germany and Pecs in Hungary.

The European Capital of Culture Journey

First proposed in the 1980s by Melina Mercouri, Minister of Culture for Greece, the concept of “European Capital of Culture” was adopted by the European Union’s Council of Ministers. In 1985, Athens was the first city to be awarded this title, which began to be conferred to cities that contribute to European culture. Between the years 1985-2000 the title was awarded every year to a city form a country member to the EU. As of 2000, it was decided that the title should be conferred to more than one city a year, and that it should also be given to cities in countries candidate to EU membership. That is how Istanbul’s European Capital of Culture journey began. A group of non-governmental volunteers organized a meeting on 7 July 2000 and formed the Initiative Group that would take all the necessary steps for Istanbul to become a candidate for the European Capital of Culture. A jury consisting of seven European experts in the field of arts and culture announced on 11 April 2006 that Pecs in Hungary, Essen in Germany and Istanbul were elected as European Capitals of Culture for 2010. On 13 November 2006, Istanbul was elected European Capital of Culture for 2010 with the approval of the European Parliament and the European Union’s Council of Ministers.

The European Capital of Culture Agency was founded in November 2007, with the aim of preparing Istanbul for the European Capital of Culture process. As of May 2008 project proposals began to be received and the Agency received a total of 1,990 project proposals. Besides arts and culture projects, the objective was also to realize projects that would achieve urban transformation and the protection of the cultural heritage and that would contribute to the promotion of Istanbul and of Turkey. As the total budget for the projects was of TL 2,927,081,713 and this was much above the anticipated budget, and as the assessment process was extraordinarily hectic, on 9 May 2009 it was decided by the Executive Committee not to accept any more projects. The fact that the number of projects has received the highest number ever among cities that have been elected European Capital of Culture is an indication of the depth and cultural wealth of Istanbul.

An opportunity for urban development

Istanbul, occupies a privileged position among world metropolises thanks to its geographical location and cultural heritage of thousands of years. It is a city that is well known all over the world and an object of interest because of the periods when the city was the capital of the two most cosmopolitan empires in world history.

In order to achieve urban development, it is necessary to reach a certain level of urban consciousness and of cultural transformation. An implementation such as the European Capital of Culture, where city dwellers will get to know each other better by sharing their cultures, is therefore of great importance for urban development. Moreover, cities that are elected “European Capital of Culture” open up their historical features and cultures to other cultures, thereby contributing to the enrichment of world culture.

Hundreds of projects are being prepared

Istanbul will exhibit its creativity in many artistic disciplines and cultural projects under the headings of “visual arts,” “music and opera,” “cinema, documentary & animation,” “literature,” “theatre & performing arts,” “traditional arts,” “urban culture,” “cultural heritage & museums,” and “urban projects.” Indeed, although Istanbul has been elected European Capital of Culture for 2010, projects have been in development since 2008, increasing day by day. For example, while free open air concerts are being organized within the “On the Way to 2010” project in order to inform people of Istanbul that it has been elected European Capital of Culture for 2010, to provide information and to encourage them to experience this enthusiasm, “Istanbul’s Literature Map” aims to create an inventory of the men of letters who have lived in Istanbul. The districts where men of letters have been born, grown or completed their lives in Istanbul are being identified and signs providing information on these authors and poets are being set up in these districts.

The “Istanbul’s Craftsmen” project aims to prepare an inventory of the craftsmen who live in Istanbul and produce work in the field of traditional arts and handicrafts, thereby drawing attention to the wealth of Istanbul in this field.

The aim of the “Meeting the City, Meeting the Museum” project, under the heading of Cultural Heritage and Museums, is for women who are not able to participate in urban culture because of economic and social restrictions, and children in the age group 8-12 to visit some museums on the Historical Peninsula, as well as the Sakıp Sabancı Museum; thereby getting to know an aspect of the city that they generally do not experience. The “Photograph Parade: Istanbul 2010” project, which comes under the heading of Visual Arts, aims to document Istanbul through photographs to be handed down to future generations. The main activity of the project, to be realized between September 2009-September 2010, is the exhibition of work by Turkish and foreign photographers at the Fototrek Photography Center’s gallery in the Mısır apartment building on Istiklal Avenue. In short, Istanbul will present mankind with hundreds of projects consisting of what the city has accumulated over the centuries.

SOME OF THE MOST PROMINENT PROJECTS FOR 2010/www.istanbul2010.org

DIVERCITY: LEARNING FROM ISTANBUL Project Owner: Kaja Pawelek /Center for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle, Warsaw/ Poland This project will feature exhibitions of works (contemporary video, music, photography, sculpture) and performances of artists from Istanbul in Warsaw on June 2010 as well as conferences and presentations to be held by a group of art critics and artists from Istanbul. ON THE WAY TO 2010 The On the Way to 2010 project will consist of free open air concerts organized to inform the people of Istanbul that Istanbul has been elected European Capital of Culture for 2010, to provide information and to encourage them to experience this enthusiasm, A CINEMA RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF ISTANBUL This is a documentary project that will narrate Istanbul via scenes from Turkish and foreign films. Some of the actors who performed in these films explain their perspectives on cinema,while standing in the same locations, as if they were travelling in time. ISTANBUL’S LITERATURE MAP This project aims to create an inventory of the men of letters who have lived in Istanbul. The districts in Istanbul where men of letters have lived are being identified and signs providing information on these authors and poets are being set up in these districts.

101 THINGS YOU MUST DO IN ISTANBUL BEFORE YOU DIE The book written by Akdoğan Özkan and entitled “101 Things You Must Do in Istanbul Before You Die,” draws attention to all the little known assets and wonders of Istanbul and compiles the culinary centers, natural activities, nightlife and music of the city. The book enables the people of Istanbul to experience a richer interaction with the city’s cultural process, thereby aiming to contribute to the development and diversification of the arts. 5TH ELEMENT FILIMMOR The “5th Element: Woman / Woman Friendly City” project features 45 women (20 documentary producers, 20 photographers and 5 designers) who will depict Istanbul as they see it during 18 months, from the perspective of their gender and artistic/technical education, with particular emphasis on women’s condition, multi-cultural life in Istanbul and Istanbul as a city. THE HISTORICAL PENINSULA IS TRANSFORMED INTO A MUSEUM PARK The historical peninsula confined within the Topkapı walls and called Sur-i Sultani (Sultan Walls) is now turning into a new public area and park of museums. Within the Project “Strategic Vision for Sur-i Sultani” the Topkapı Palace Museum, the Istanbul Archaeological Museum, the Haghia Irene Museum and the Royal Print will attain world standards in their structure and functioning. .

"Sur-i Sultani Stratejik Vizyonu" projesi kapsamında, Topkapı Sarayı Müzesi, İstanbul Arkeoloji Müzesi, Aya İrini Müzesi, Darphane-i Amire gibi kurumlar ve işleyişleri dünya standartlarına kavuşturulacak. ISTANBUL’S ARMENIAN ARCHITECTS The project planned by the International Hrant Dink Foundation (UHDV) for Istanbul European Capital of Culture for 2010 is an architectural exhibition to be organized with the aim of sharing with the wider masses the history of Armenian architecture in Istanbul. AKM’S ARCHITECTURAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT The Project, one of the most important elements of the European Capital of Culture for 2010 program, covers the renovation and refurbishment work that the Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM), one of the most symbolic cultural structures of the Republican period, will undergo in order to meet contemporary needs. A HISTORICAL JOURNEY FROM EAST TO WEST Organized by the 360 Degrees of Historical Research Association, the project will cover Italy, Monaco, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania and Istanbul. The main purpose of the project, which will take place between June 2009-August 2010, is to set out on a unifying route of the Mediterranean with a mission to conduct intercultural embassy, to arrive in Istanbul following the European water routes and to introduce and draw attention to common cultural values in 11 European countries claimed to have diverged from that culture.