The Living Istanbul Museum

Cities are on the rise. More than half of world’s population now lives in cites. Take Istanbul – a city that grew from two million inhabitants in 1970 to an estimated 17 million inhabitants today with approximately ten million tourists visiting yearly. And, at the same time – the expectations of urban audiences are on mounting as well. Each city is unique, just like each individual: a complex mix of natural facts, present and past, image and secrets, ever changing and evolving. We fall in love with cities just like we fall in love with people. Or they leave us cold. Or we hate them. How do we get to know a person? How do we get to know a city? How do we get to know Istanbul? How do we describe a shared vision of a city? And when it comes to the representation of such a complex structure, who has the first word? Presently, visitors and inhabitants of Istanbul are faced with a multitude of choices, some obvious, some less. In any case, in such a huge city, they are most likely faced with a partial or haphazard insight, at best. A number of new and pre-existing institutions offer different perspectives on this city. For example if visitors wants to learn about different aspects of Istanbul’s history, can choose to visit the Archeological Museum, Topkapı Palace or the İstanbul Pera Research Institute’s exhibitions. Wishing to experience a personal view of this great city, visitors and Istanbulites can immerse themselves in the Museum of Innocence, established by Orhan Pamuk, the Sakıp Sabancı House Museum or the unofficial house museum of Selahattin Gençer a.k.a Godzilla. If intercede in today’s issues, both can find SALT and STUDIO-X İSTANBUL.