Istanbul Modern by Renzo Piano - a Review 

All about the metaphysical vision of Piano!

With the play of aluminum panels aligning with the sunlight, a naturally simple skinned facade, the silver blending with Bosphorus waters and artistic history could be seen without disturbing either. Much to do with a confident stance and ownership on entering, rather than awe-inspiring grandeur or even hesitation, the Istanbul Modern reflected a sense of solidity as a distinctive experience with its pure concrete-steel construction. By breaking simple linearity through the use of circular hard columns, it felt like one could have all the freedom to navigate inside spaces via its open outlook. With its spaciousness, the structure felt grounded as well, allowing one to feel in the right place without many rules. The careful balance of vertical main core with connecting horizontal spaces kept functionality alive. The design felt less about spectacle and more about allowing art to take center stage, with the structure itself serving as a subtle white backdrop.

Half gold, half black, the striking feature of main sculpture upheld a tangible-intangible duality - a key element of Piano's notion. For me, it seemed like a transformative attribute, from a physical to eternal shift, something that was losing its vibe while being timeless or abstract, that once was in the limelight. With each zone asserting its own artistic concept with the works embedded there, the transitional lines seemed blurry to me. For some, it might work, but for me, I had to keep up with the upcoming concepts while looking closely for the meanings behind them. One disturbing thing in most museums is the disconnection of visitors from the intricacies of the art itself. I mean, does everyone actually read the paper on the wall? There must be some solution to emphasize the thought-process behind every artwork, which I believe should speak louder directly to the viewer, engaging them and allowing them to memorize its depths. For instance, a few pop arts or visual experiences were doing their jobs well by keeping the audience curious about what's next, while some pieces seemed to stand alone for only their targeted group. All in all, introducing workshops, a library, and an open shop felt very knowledgeable to keep the modern museum alive for some time.

 

Sancaklar Camii, İstanbul / Sancaklar Mosque, Istanbul

Visited: 02.06.2024

Reviewed: 03.06.2024

Isha Suhail

It does not interfere with the Creator and His people. – Architect Emre Arolat  

The juxtaposition of the literal earth and above is what I found intriguing. As one walks through the plain green ground, a single rectangular stone minaret with the constant sight of Arabic inscription ‘Allahu Akbar’, signaling that you’ve finally reached the destination; an underground mosque after a 25-minute walk from a certain point. Located in the suburbs of Istanbul, the movement towards the curvilinear concrete stairs embedded into the natural ground provides a beautiful view of Büyükçekmece Lake to the northwest. The minaret, with a small canopy for seating, invites you to look for what’s next.

As you pass down the pathway, the right curved wall expands to reveal an interesting play of stone walls, standing independently like a game of hide and seek. The sound of water surging from the wall as you move through the ground reflects the sky and creates interplay of inside-out under the pavilion next to a small library. I loved the concept of the library as a resting place too with a kitchenette, again independent of the mosque underneath. After moving through the walls and experiencing the voids and solids with materiality of stone, wood, and concrete, one cannot wait any longer but to enter the underground main mosque hall.

The first thing that registered in my brain was the smell, which worked through all of my senses. But not to forget, minimal underground cemented scent was in complete balance, not overpowering the other elements of the space. Putting the shoes on racks aligning with the curvilinear wall, the long oval hall with a rather small partition for women on one side through perforated screens told its own story. With one entire end of semi-opened skylight allowing light to enter the interior, the Mihrab is equally embedded within concrete periphery of mosque. The feeling of tranquility is synonymous with underground temperature zone, light, shadows, and natural acoustics undergoing earthy colors with an overall minimal modern design. The outside levels continuing inside over ceiling and prayer area highlights the idea of digging into the hill.

All in all, with an in-depth concept behind the structure by architect, the peaceful feelingwith truthful nature of space, and the spiritual essence were enough for my friend to say, ‘I can live here forever.’ I just wish it was nearer to my home, though the long walk to and fro on the hottest day was worth it!

Scientific Research and Ethics

15.11.2022

Isha Suhail

The collection of data from any discipline be it science, arts or any other is one thing, while spreading the certain aspects of it to the world is another. A huge responsibility. The question arises if our museums of today are providing totally true message, or is it incomplete leaving it to our imagination or even the state of complete anonymity based on mere traces of past. By taking over the structures under which educational practices are being done, (by any social institution whatsoever) to turning into museums. Then using the knowledge from the same educational practitioners and finally putting together in a form that not only has question of truthfulness but also belongingness to that museum. There, the code of ‘ethics’ draws a line, under which these contradictory facets must be revised.

Resim müzesi İstanbul / Picture Museum, Istanbul

#bilimselaraştırmaveetik

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#scientificresearchandethics

Place Ethics

20.12.2022

Isha Suhail

The same popular debatable concept ‘spirit of the place’ is misread or misunderstood by many. Yes, we point out and accuse capitalism for our copy-paste practices in offices, which is not wrong, but at the same time, are architects themselves recognising their role in accepting their responsibilities for their structural identities while designing w.r.t. the context? I remember our first years are always about recognising our histories, identity, spirit, revolving around the ‘context’. The great gap between theory and practice is not touching that foundation again. The time of realisation is that our (not-so-old) structures are even part of vernacular architecture, holding memory of maybe some poets, painters, writers, or labourers etc. sitting around, or even just stopping by those places for a few minutes. Today ‘reconstructing’ practices that are being seen, deny all of that entirely. Reproducing something from what, then? So the argument shapes if it’s important for us to retain past from which we’re going to be identified, with which wherever we go we stay connected, or while ‘deleting’ this whole point, let’s merge within the land of identical objects.

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Color in Architecture 

Isha Suhail

27.11.2022
03.12.2022

So the fact that we humans tend to separate our own spaces, more like privatise them. But while doing this it seems like we’re discriminating towards ‘outsides’. Chromophobia - a desired deletion of colors, as interestingly put by David Batchelor, is what being seen practiced around. Again, in the name of minimalism, an endless emptiness, uninterrupted or rather ‘uninterruptable’, the white interiors are rendering us insignificant. In some way we draw into seeing color and white as opposites. Coming from the western cultures or I don’t know, the dominance of white is creating disquieting anxieties which are not being able to bridge between standardisation and personalisation (Adolf’s theory), w.r.t. embrasing colors that are already within us in the form of nature. So the argument arises if common grounds must be considered that spaces are controlled in a way, not to go too subjective (which may go wrong to the personal preferences) or too regular (which can imply an ideology).

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Color in Architecture

18.11.2022

Isha Suhail

The way of using grey (the modern white) in the name of minimalism is what are we finding ‘comfort’ today, or is it just a scary thought to go for polychromy? A forgotten outlier - Gottfried Semper, who wrote against the white-dressing classicism in architecture, shows us an interesting way of interpreting colors. The one who believes in celebrating decoration, acting, festivals, clothes and masks as the basis of structures. His attempt to go down the origin that how even living things follow function (w.r.t. to the groundbreaking theory of Cuvier), suggests the architectural forms thereby follow the materials functionality. The four elements with characters of gathering, enclosing, covering and raising (furnace, wall, roof and earth) do not remain in their initial state rather they morph continuously. So the argument arises if we see the ‘mask’ (metaphor), as a layered surface or as the part of element that evolves over time.


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#colorinarchitecture

Rustic

It all seemed new to me somehow, again



The never ending road, rough textures of an autumn leaf I held close, shades of the orange sky with the tint of pink
What a vivid image it was, I saw her nervously sitting there
On a concrete walkway, beside those red-yellow leaves
I sat with the little girl, staring down at her bare feet
Silence was all I heard, yet the breeze was whispering
I stared at a beautiful black fence covered with the green vines, opposite to me, ten feet 6 inches high



The feeling to be untold, was it all broken was it strong, a question in my head
Offering my leaf to the little girl, I broke her trance, intriguing all it was as she delicately cradles
As if the leaf had all her strength left, asking her silently, I observed her actions carefully
Clenching the corner of it with her other hand, she saw me with her big brown eyes
Giving the cracked leaf back, she passed a smile, yet how sad it was
What a precept, all that connected, made sense
If tore into pieces, the same it was
the colours, the textures, the volumes and what not
Lost one part, but still had too many to go on, some tears, but still too many moments to smile on



Again, it all seemed new to me.

www.yellowwinder.blogspot.com