A Conference: ‘Cultural Heritage and Neighbourhood’
Part of A GOOD NEIGHBOUR realized as a part of the
15th Istanbul Biennial’s Neighbouring Events Programme
Press Release
Moderator: Associate Professor Nevra Ertürk
Speakers: Prof. Dr. A. Zeynep (Nayır) Ahunbay, Prof. Dr. Ali Akay,
Prof. Dr. Asuman Türkün, Murat Germen
Organised by: Open Dialogue Istanbul
Curated by: Billur Tansel & Prof. Dr. Ufuk Kocabaş
Date: Friday, 16 September 2017
Location: Hosted by Akbank Sanat, Istiklal Cad. No:8, Beyoğlu, Istanbul
Time: 11:00-13:00

“A good neighbour’ will deal with multiple notions of home and neighborhoods, exploring how, on one hand home can be defined as a space where daily experiments, behavioral routines and values are formed, and on the other, a space where the notion of belonging and being rooted find source. In this framework, living modes in our private spheres will be looked at.” Michael Elmgreen ve Ingar Dragset.

As the 15th Istanbul Biennial curated by Elmgreen & Dragset, examines the theory of ‘A Good Neighbour’ and its multifaceted meanings; this conference organized by Open Dialogue Istanbul will host Assoc. Prof. Nevra Ertürk, UNESCO Turkish National Committee Member as a moderator and academicians from dierent disciplines (an architect and conservation expert, a sociologist, a city and regional planning expert, an artist) as speakers. Also Prof. Dr. Ufuk Kocabaş who has accepted our invitation to join the project as a co-curator, is a marine archeologist, and conservation-restoration expert of Artefacts who has done many valuable works in this field and who is also a member of the Turkish National Commission for UNESCO’s Tangible Cultural Heritage Committee.

As the biennial investigates the concept of home from dierent aspects, and takes it as an indicator of diverse identities and a vehicle for self-expression throughout history, and neighbourhood as a micro-universe exemplifying some of the challenges we face in terms of co-existence today,” Open Dialogue Istanbul invites 6 speakers from dierent disciplines to study the theme of ‘a good neighbour’: An architect and restauration specialist Prof. Dr. Zeynep A. (Nayır) Ahunbay, a sociologist Prof. Dr. Ali Akay, an academician and artist who has worked on this theme Murat Germen, and a city and regional planning expert Prof, Dr. Asuman Türkün.

The concept of heritage is a part of collective memory. Cultural heritage could be viewed as a means of creating as a sense of social belonging for people. In this panel, our neighborhood relations will be discussed such as collective heritage, culture, memory, collective memory, peace, tolerance. The theme of belonging will be assessed on the basis of cultural heritage, neighborhood relations on both national and international scale. In Kosova and Bosnia, neigh-
borhood relations of multiethnic communities and post-war status will also be discussed. The conference will focus on migration, dialogue and augmentation through the role of cultural heritage. The geography where we live, surrounded by historical monuments with traces from the past beshow upon us important responsibilities. Assessing this situation will allow us to analyze dierent aspects of the situation.

This project is being realized as part of 15th Istanbul Biennial’s Neighbouring Events Programme, in collaboration with Akbank Sanat and with the support of The Turkish National Commission For UNESCO.