“I am listening to Istanbul” by Orhan Veli

I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed;
At first there blows a gentle breeze
And the leaves on the trees
Softly flutter or sway;
Out there, far away,
The bells of water carriers incessantly ring;
I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.

I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed;
Then suddenly birds fly by,
Flocks of birds, high up, in a hue and cry
While nets are drawn in the fishing grounds
And a woman’s feet begin to dabble in the water.
I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.
(more…)

Have you seen the cows invade our lovely town? Beautifully decorated Cows are gracing the streets of Istanbul during the “Cow Parade” city expo. I remember seeing this expo a couple of years ago in Brussels so I think that it got here a bit late but better later than never. Its great to see everyone art being so available to everyone, it’s always a great success when people enjoy events like these so much.
Don’t hesitate to post your own cow pictures if you have some! We can even have a cow contest ;)

The Cevahir Evil Eye Cow

(more…)

When you walk the streets of Taksim now a days, especially Istiklal, you might notice the various pieces of art positioned in remote locations that are on display and created by university students and artists. This piece here is the bread gate that is located on Istiklal, not far from Galatasaray.

Hürriyet posted about 11 places in the boundaries of Istanbul. One day i will see those sites but not this weekend! There is our conference. Come to the conference and travel later:)

the Istanbul mayor declared that in order to decrease Istanbul’s Monday traffic, cabs will work with 50% discount 3 days a week. the Mayor had stated that the head of Taxi Drivers’ Chamber promised to do that. Check out Yalçın Bayer’s column [in Turkish] on his suspicions about this idea and other traffic-related projects…

Living in Istanbul?
Dedicated and passionate about the city?
Have time on your hands to blog about it?
Want to be a new member of the Istanbul Metblogs team?
Want to show the world that Istanbul is the place to be?
Erkan and I are currently working on bringing a team together of Istanbul lovers who are willing to write about the city. If you are interested in joining the us please email me at idil [ at ] angelvox [dot] org with the subject line “Istanbul Metblogs Author Application” with a short description about yourself (no, not physical :)) and why you would like to join us.

Thanks in advance for helping us rebuild the team.

Idil
Istanbul Metblogs Team Captain

Shifting Landscapes of Film and Media: Questioning Legacies, Navigating Critique

Erkan opened up a new Facebook group regarding the upcoming “Film and Media Conference” held at Bilgi University.
The conference is this Saturday and the keynote speakers are going to be;

Toby Miller
Ravi Vasudevan
Geneviève Sellier

Judging by the names, knowing Turkish isn’t a necessity. You can find more information on their Facebook event page or via the conferences official website.