‘Mustang’ gallops into UK theatres
Riding on the wave of its critical success, the Oscar-nominated Mustang will be screened in UK theatres (in cities such as London, Oxford and Edinburgh, among others) starting May 13. If you’re...
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Digging into the ‘Tables of Istanbul’
In the first few minutes of Zeynep Kılıç’s documentary film Tables of Istanbul (Sofra Sofra İstanbul), she recalls how, early in their relationship, her now husband, Wayne, joked that if they were...
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A son of Pera returns home
Contemplating the Istanbul skyline today, your gaze will most likely fall on slender minarets and hulking skyscrapers. Yet imagine an Istanbul where trees – yes, trees – dominated the horizon. It...
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Vinyl Icons
Once in a while a curator with instinct and particular passion hits a mark. In Vinyl Icons: Persian Pop and Turkish Psychedelia, staged in Newcastle, in the heart of Britain’s northeast, Sara...
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Turkey’s humanity made transparent
From the mouth open wide in mid-guffaw to the two fingers softly securing a cigarette, Ozan Sağdıç’s 1961 photograph ‘Diplomats’ demonstrates how the human form can encompass just as wide and varied a...
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A retreat for readers
My visit to the Vitali Hakko Creative Industries Library coincided with the last truly cold day of spring – a frigid wind whipped off the Bosphorus, pushing the rain sideways such that no umbrella...
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Fabric fit for a Sultan
The wavy stem of a tulip, the fanning of a carnation, the lattice pattern created by delicate peony blossoms… the floral motifs of classical Ottoman silks are simply sumptuous. No wonder they were the...
View ArticleWhat could that word be?
Anyone who has tried their hand at learning Ottoman, the hybrid of Turkish, Arabic and Persian that served as the official and literary language of the Ottoman Empire, is like to have encountered...
View ArticleTurkey’s lost ships
The trigger that caused Turkey to be dragged unwillingly into the First World War was when Germany, unbidden, sent two battleships to replace two dreadnoughts that Britain had confiscated. Details of...
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Bold strokes
I hear ‘Harem’, İnci Eviner’s 2009 single-channel video work currently on display at Istanbul Modern, before I see it. A large thunderclap reverberates across the exhibition space, followed in quick...
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Found objects: 19th-century Ottoman imperial tents
On September 11, 1683, Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa Pasha sat in his ostentatious tent outside the walls of Vienna – as the story goes – luxuriously sipping coffee while taking a break from besieging the...
View ArticleOpportunities for artists in the second half of 2016
When making plans for the autumn, artists would do well to consider the following two funding opportunities. The first is the winter 2016 instalment of the Moon and Stars Project grants, a programme...
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Classical music engulfs the Bodrum peninsula
Bodrum may not be the most isolated holiday spot in Turkey, but the peninsula boasts some quiet retreats, like the small fishing village of Gümüşlük. Far away from the hustle and bustle of Bodrum...
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Harmonising on the shores of the Bosphorus
All sorts of sounds – the crack of batá drums, the deep notes of a double bass drawn out with a bow, the deafening reverberations of a horn section going full tilt, to name a few – filled the garden...
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Young meets old
As we’ve experienced in Istanbul this summer, music can provide a welcome distraction and act as a soothing balm. Yet it can also serve a deeper purpose, for both listeners and musicians. The Turkish...
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Weekend gallery guide
The weekend gallery guide is a new feature on the Cornucopia blog. Each Thursday we will share our pick of exhibitions in Istanbul to visit over the weekend. Summer can be quiet in Istanbul, as many...
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Weekend gallery guide
The weekend gallery guide is a new feature on the Cornucopia blog. Each Thursday we will share our pick of exhibitions in Istanbul to visit over the weekend. This weekend we recommend a visit to two...
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A display of magnificence
If I could take home one object from the ‘Jewel’ exhibition at the Sadberk Hanım Museum, well, I don’t think I could choose just one. The writer in me covets the 19th-century writing box made of wood...
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Weekend gallery guide
The weekend gallery guide is a new feature on the Cornucopia blog. Each Thursday we will share our pick of exhibitions in Istanbul to visit over the weekend. Living in Ortaköy, I jump at the chance to...
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The 2016 Talât Sait Halman Translation Award
Great translation, despite being incredibly difficult, often goes underappreciated. Which is why we were delighted to learn that the 2016 Talât Sait Halman Translation Award is now accepting...
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