Coordinator of the Istanbul We Think Project, in which they stated that they aim to raise awareness in the formation of a youth who takes care of their art and culture by properly promoting Istanbul's cultural heritage, Dr. Instructor Member Pelin Aykut made the following statements about the latest status of the project:
“In our opinion, Istanbul Project is the product of a team conscious of the value of knowledge and teamwork, which it continues to produce without interruption during the pandemic period, Sculptures of Istanbul, Architects of Istanbul, Tastes of Istanbul, Notes on Istanbul, Istanbul's He showed Istanbul by continuing to understand, explain, keep it alive and own it with valuable works such as Selections from Architectural Works.”
Continuing its work without slowing down during the pandemic process, the Bizce Istanbul Team has been sharing within the scope of the “Sculptures of Istanbul” research series for a while. those statues that stand out, whose stories are always curious.” It started with statements.
In the research series, they talk about the remarkable history of the sculptures, their stories, the materials used in their production, and the construction techniques. They also give information about the lives of the artists of the sculptures whose artists are known.
The works examined so far in the "Sculptures of Istanbul" research series are listed as follows:
1-The Thinker, Kemal Kunmat, Mehmet Pişdar, 1951
Auguste Rodin, inspired by the Italian poet Dante's Divine Comedy, in his first major commission in his life, begins to make "The Gates of Hell", which he could never actually complete. In the resulting work, he places Adam and Eve on both sides of the door, while the statue on the upper side depicts Dante himself. However, this part of the statue, which was finished in 1906, is known more as the "The Thinker" than the statue itself, and a copy of the statue is erected in gardens, squares, museums, and universities in many countries. The construction of the statue in Istanbul was started by Kemal Künmat in 1951.
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2- Statue of Peace, Lerzan Bengisu, 1974
The Peace Statue is a 1974 marble sculpture made by the sculptor Lerzan Bengisu and is on display at Taksim Gezi Park in Istanbul. The statue, which consists of three separate forms, is thought to represent the mother and her two children. It has been on permanent display in Taksim Gezi Park since 1976.
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3-The Monument of the Republic, Pietro Canonica, 1928
Located in Istanbul Taksim Square, the monument was built by Italian sculptor Pietro Canonica. Two young Turks; With the help of Hadi (Bara) Bey and Sabiha (Bengütaş) Hanım, the monument was completed in 1928. The pedestal and landscaping of the monument, which was opened on 8 August 1928, was designed by architect Giulio Mongeri.
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4-The Listening Deer, Pierre Louis Roulard, 1865
One of the sculptures commissioned by P. Rouillard by Sultan Abdulaziz is the Listening Deer sculpture. To Rouillard for Beylerbeyi Palace; He had a total of 24 statues and 8 vases made, including 12 bronze, 10 marble statues, 8 bronze vases, and 2 marble friezes. The sculpture in the Beylerbeyi Palace Harem garden bears the signature of “P.Rouillard Dirt-Heizler Sculpt”.
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5-Quadriga, Lysippos, 4 BC
Quadriga; A chariot or chariot raced in the Olympic Games and other games, pulled by four horses running side by side. Today, all modern quadrigas are modeled after the Victory Quadriga, the only example that has survived from antiquity. The Victory Quadriga, which has survived until today, was located on a triumphal arch in the Hippodrome in Sultanahmet.
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6- Fatih Sultan Mehmet Monument, Hüseyin Gezer, 1987
After the decision to build the monument was taken, Turkish sculptor Hüseyin Gezer started modeling and designing works for the construction of the monument in 1985. The model, which was approved at the end of three years of study and examination, was made by the sculptor in 1987.
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Ahmet Taha Demirci, a 3rd-year student at the Department of Interior Architecture, who conducts the research process of the Istanbul Sculptures Series, which continues on the We Think Istanbul Project Instagram Account, explains the formation process of the series, the selection process of the works, and the points that he paid attention to in these processes:
“First of all, the Sculptures of Istanbul post is one of the series I made by having fun and learning. There were two aspects that I paid attention to while choosing the sculptures, one of them being the fact that the sculptures we introduced were not in very unknown extreme places or they were accessible, and the other was the source. The sources from which we obtain the information and the information we collect are accurate and reliable. I eliminated the statues that were not sufficient as a source. My choices were generally in this direction, and I considered the selected works as works that I had seen or heard in daily life but knew nothing about. The series is one of the series that I made for the group, which is out of my field; so I learned it myself and introduced it to our followers. That's why I think it's a good series."
Pelin Aykut finally congratulated the project team as follows:
“I sincerely congratulate my students who make up the Istanbul team. I see their ability to make this project a long-term project despite the pandemic as a guarantee of their signature to much better work in the future.”
You can follow the project's social media accounts to reach the "Sculptures of Istanbul" series and other series by Bizce Istanbul Team.
