City Panels: The Intersection of Architecture with Art and Craftsmanship
Kızılay İşhanı (Gökdelen Cafeteria)
Artist: Jale Yılmabaşar
Source: sehrinpanolari.com
City Panels: The Intersection of Architecture with Art and Craftsmanship
The City Panels Project, where art and architecture meet under a common roof, reflects traces of 1950s Turkey, a time of identity search and political, cultural, and social dynamism, especially in public buildings. The ceramic and mosaic panels that emphasize the union of architecture, art, and craftsmanship have been archived as elements that give the city its identity. Initiated in 2019 by art historians Mustafa Ergül and Nurtaç Buluç, this project took shape during the pandemic. Its objectives include preserving the history and identity of cities and creating a collective memory. The panels emerged as a resistance against urban transformation and the process of anonymization, striving to protect the traces of the past.
Atatürk Forest Farm Marmara Hotel
Artist: Füreya Koral
Source: sehrinpanolari.com
Historical Process of the Panels
The panels documented in the "City Panels" project represent a politically, socially, and culturally dynamic period of the 1950s, where local and universal debates took place. The union of architecture and art is reflected in the search for identity in public buildings, and the examples placed inside apartment buildings should also be considered. Particularly, the large-scale panels designed in the 1960s and 1970s are found on the façades of apartment buildings, hotels, business centers, hospitals, markets, municipal buildings, and bank branches.
During this period, the panels, exhibited as permanent works of art with the signature of the artist, eventually transformed into decorative elements serving to fulfill the need for ornamentation in the rapidly constructed, standardized apartment plans of the 1990s. These panels, displayed to build a historical identity for society through spatial practices, gradually became disconnected from their original context and anonymized over time. This process raises questions about the relationship between art, architecture, and society, reflecting the artistic trends of the period through these panels.
Ceramics in Ankara and Istanbul
Ankara and Istanbul are home to significant ceramic works that contribute to their aesthetic identity. These works not only carry artistic value but also reflect the cultural and social dynamics of society. For instance, the ceramic collection at Hacettepe University in Ankara has significantly contributed to the development of ceramic art in Turkey. The ceramic art education at Hacettepe merges traditional crafts with modern design, inspiring a new generation of artists.
In Istanbul, the ceramic panels on historical buildings are noteworthy as both a part of architectural identity and as an expression of art in public spaces. Particularly in districts like Beyoğlu and Kadıköy, the panels hold importance not only from an aesthetic perspective but also in terms of social memory. These panels, marked by the signatures of local artists, have left a lasting impression on collective memory and contributed to urban culture. The artists created works that reflect the artistic trends of the time through their personal identities.
Kadıköy, Fenerbahçe
Artist: İlgi Adalan
Source: sehrinpanolari.com
Project Goals and Online Archive
One of the main goals of the project is to document and bring visibility to these panels, which are part of the city's memory and are being erased by urban transformation. Although some of the panels documented during the project are no longer in existence, the archive hosts these examples encountered in various publications and archival research. Another aim is to provide a resource for existing and future academic publications and to create a roadmap for those interested in seeing the panels in person.
The online site is designed in three main sections. In the archive section, you can access all the panels documented so far and use filters to narrow down your research. In the map section, you can see the locations and distributions of the panels on a map of Turkey. In the bibliography section, you can access various sources related to the archive. The data continues to grow daily with panels submitted by contributors and those we continue to document.
Hacettepe İhsan Doğramacı Children's Hospital
Artist: Hüseyin Özçelik
Source: sehrinpanolari.com
The "City Panels" project plays a critical role in preserving urban identity and memory. While emphasizing the importance of art in public spaces, the project aims to carry traces of the past into the present. These panels are significant works of art that narrate the history of individuals and communities, building a bridge between the past and the present. Thus, the cultural heritage and social memory of cities will continue to be preserved through this project.
Sources:
https://bigumigu.com/haber/kentlerin-hafizasi-sehrin-panolari-nda/
https://www.sehrinpanolari.com/