The "Interior Architecture Talks" event, which was started before the pandemic and organized at regular intervals at Istanbul Gelişim University (IGU) Faculty of Fine Arts (FAF) Interior Architecture Department and Interior Architecture and Environmental Design Departments, continues on digital platforms. This week's theme of Interior Architecture Talks, which was held online on Saturday, December 26, 2020, between 14.00-16.00, was determined as "Renaissance Man".
Participation in the Conversation was Intense
In addition to the department heads, Lect. Yusuf Taner Gültekin, Lect. Hale Durmuş Ataş, Lect. Yagiz Yakin, Lect. Cancel Yavuz, Res. Asst. Kübra İslamoğlu, Lect. İbrahim Erol, Res. Asst. Gökçe Uzgören, Res. Asst. Merve Karadaban, Res. Asst. Tuğçe Öztürk and Res. Asst. Eliz Mutlu and the Department of Interior Architecture and Interior Architecture and Environmental Design students attended. The interview, attended by a total of 70 students, started with Mimar Sinan Polvan's summary of his academic career. Talking about his educational experiences at Graz Technical University Faculty of Architecture and Vienna Fine Arts Academy Faculty of Architecture in Austria, Sinan Polvan continued his presentation by explaining the development dynamics of the Renaissance Period in the historical process.
“Before describing the Renaissance Man, it is useful to examine what the Renaissance is and what it reveals”
Stating that the theme of the conversation was determined as the Renaissance Man, but the way to understand the Renaissance Man was to know what the Renaissance was and what it revealed, Sinan Polvan focused on the concept of "rebirth", the word meaning of the Renaissance. He mentioned that in the period known as the Middle Ages or the Dark Ages, church pressure and scholastic pressure were at the forefront, and in the Renaissance Period, this pressure was released and the process of rebirth was entered. Polvan stated that this "rebirth" means the "rediscovery of old values" as well as innovations.
“There is a re-emergence of man in the Renaissance Period. In this period, people discovered its importance again, the birth of humanism took place, the pressure of the church decreased, and in the environments where this pressure decreased, new ideas and movements in various fields such as art, science, and philosophy began to emerge. These currents are still showing their effects today.”
Why Renaissance Man?
Polvan presented his presentation with the question “Is there a Renaissance man today or does he have to be?” Stating that the Renaissance Man is a versatile person, Polvan showed examples of important artists and works of the Renaissance Period such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, Albert Durer, and Hieronymus Bosch. Talking about the importance of Y and Z generations to developing themselves outside of school, reading a lot, traveling a lot, collecting a lot of data, and turning it into meaningful information, Polvan advised our students about business life:
“Versatility is becoming increasingly important. In today's world, we need to be versatile to be able to live and be competitive. I think that we need to turn to a self-education where we can constantly improve ourselves without limiting ourselves.”
Head of Interior Architecture Department, Dr. Instructor Prof. Yaprak Özel, and Head of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design Department asst. Prof. Dr. Zerrin Funda Ürük also touched upon similar points regarding the conversation:
“Mr. Sinan Polvan made a guiding presentation by presenting exemplary names from history for our students to develop themselves in a versatile way under the title of Renaissance Man. We would like to thank him for accepting my invitation and participating in our conversation and for his presentation.”
We would like to thank Mr. Sinan Polvan for his contributions and advice to our students regarding today's education and professional life and wish him success in his professional life.
