ARTISTS’ SPACES: A GROUND FOR CULTURAL INTERACTION OR GENTRIFICATION? CASE STUDIES FROM ISTANBUL
Çokuğraş, Işıl. (2011) “Artists’ Spaces: A Ground for Cultural Interaction or Gentrification?”, 4th International Conference on Hazards and Modern Heritage, 13-16 June 2011, Sarajevo.
ARTISTS’ SPACES: A GROUND FOR CULTURAL INTERACTION OR GENTRIFICATION? CASE STUDIES FROM ISTANBUL
Cultural... more
ARTISTS’ SPACES: A GROUND FOR CULTURAL INTERACTION OR GENTRIFICATION? CASE STUDIES FROM ISTANBUL
Cultural interaction, tolerance and social diversity are the essential topics of the contemporary urban environment. Most of the designed urban spaces like monumental squares are no longer efficient in fulfilling the need for social interaction. The city today, with its multi-layered structure and specific challenges caused by the coexistence of different cultures, produces new forms of spatialities. As the citizens create their own public spaces, there are some catalyzing agents that help the regular urban space become public.
One of the most important agents is the artists’ spaces that are inserted in a casual urban context and transform the obscure space into a diverse one. Some of the artists’ initiatives, settling in a residential area of a community that is withdrawn either due to economic or social factors, help the residents form an interactive publicity by introducing a new culture to the environment through various activities. With their existence in the area, not as an art gallery that has specific users, but as a common ground for production communicating with the residents, the spaces they use and make the residents use in different ways gain other meanings and values.
As their activities increase cultural transfer and interaction in the area, the existence of these artists’ spaces causes another issue: Gentrification. These areas that either lack urban facilities or are worn out spaces, become center of attention as the artists start to move in. Although the artists aim to become a part of the present texture of these areas, they might trigger the change of this texture. The presence of these artists’ spaces appeals other social facilities as the district becomes a focal point for the bohemian/elite of the city. So, the rents start to rise so much even the artists can not afford to stay at the district any more. As the residents are forced to move away due to this financial condition, a new group of residents start to settle at the area.
In this paper, two artists’ initiatives from Istanbul that could make the space public per se will be discussed as case studies. One of them, the PİST (Interdisciplinary Project Space-Istanbul) is a project that fulfills all of its public aims and could avoid gentrification. On the other hand, the Oda Project which is considered as one of the most successful artists’ initiative in making public, will be examined in the sense how it triggered a gentrification process in Galata.
With the guidance of the theoretical concepts and case studies mentioned above, a recent event in Tophane –Istanbul, where the residents of the area went into conflict with the artists settling into the area, will be discussed. The evaluation of this unfortunate event would help us realize how it is possible to provide an environment of cultural dialogue without causing gentrification. The social impacts of introduction of a different culture to an environment with a closed system and the anxiety of a future gentrification are clearly seen in this incident.
Made in Midland
Exhibition, design mentoring workshops, and catalogue, Made in Midland, ed R. Eggleston, FORM, Perth, 2006, Co-mentored & co-curated by Marina Lommerse, Rebecca Eggleston & Jon Goulder.
Made in Midland showcased the results of one of FORM’s Designing Futures projects, aimed at assisting the... more Made in Midland showcased the results of one of FORM’s Designing Futures projects, aimed at assisting the business and artistic development of a cluster of seven fine-wood designers in the Midland region.
Designing Futures: A model for innovation, growth and sustainability of the craft and design industry
Marina Lommerse, Rebecca Eggleston & Kris Brankovic, ‘Designing Futures: A model for innovation, growth and sustainability of the craft and design industry’, Design Principles and Practices: an international journal, Vol 5 pp.x-x, 2011.
An industry development program, Designing Futures, has engaged design practitioners in evolving their work and the... more
An industry development program, Designing Futures, has engaged design practitioners in evolving their work and the arts community over a decade. This paper describes the context, development and evolution of a cluster-led model, the Designing Futures Cluster Program, aimed at building capacity
in the craft and design field in Western Australia. Through a framework encouraging groups of practitioners to collaborate, it provides design, production, management and marketing mentoring and assistance. The Cluster Program is set in the context of the cultural and socio-economic contribution
that creative industries can make to communities, and the impacts of policy and funding on fostering creative futures. Case study and action research methodologies were combined for the research, which resulted in a model. Using the results a comprehensive ‘manual’ was developed to articulate the model and guide future delivery of the program. The case study illustrates how cluster development enables increased productivity within creative practice, by mentoring and fostering links and professional networks with a range of industry representatives. The model, which has been proven to accelerate learning and professional growth of participants, is being explored for wider application.