Architectural Image as a Political Tool

Architectural Image as a Political Tool project aims to create different match-ups by using the existing structures in Taksim Square, located in Beyoğlu, Istanbul, to recreate and perhaps understand Taksim better, which has become untouchable over time.

 

Distorting and recreating the physical settlement of the space and playing with the positions and dimensions of the buildings can help us to form ideas about how space can be perceived in different ways, and how it can accommodate different configurations, even imaginary ones. Architectural Image as a Political Tool project aims to play with the images of the symbolic buildings in Taksim Square.

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By adding and removing points of view with the use of mirrors, to create an image different from what we see at one point, the project aims to point out the contrast formed through gathering different layers in the space. To see the hotel with the Republic Monument, the newly built mosque with the Atatürk Cultural Center under construction, or the square with the barricades positioned at a corner; or creating a fragmented image of the mosque, which normally shadows the monument’s majesty, can help us to find the infinite possibilities and meanings of the space.

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The project pictures were taken in Taksim Square in January 2021. To create different images, the mirrors were sometimes placed on the ground and sometimes held to create temporary experiences.

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Research and pictures: Liana Kuyumcuyan

Project mentors: Büşra Al & Sinan Logie from AURA Istanbul

• Project published at https://aura-istanbul.com/

• Project presented as a part of Critical Design Practices in Turkey and the Context of Critical Design, organized by Akbank Sanat https://www.akbanksanat.com