Istanbul, March 27, 2023
1825 DAYS OF STUDIO-X ISTANBUL
NOW IN A BOOK!
The Studio-X Istanbul Book presents a section of the institution’s
5-year adventure in the Istanbul
A bit of space and acute intention... This short introduction, written in small caps at the beginning of the book, captures the essence of Studio-X Istanbul. As we remember Studio-X, four years after its closure in the pages of the Studio-X Book, words such as intention, inspiration, perseverance, and collective memory, come to surface.
The Studio-X Istanbul Book, to be launched on April 4th, is a retrospective of the work of Studio-X Istanbul between 2013-2019. The book opens with a chronological list of more than 600 events hosted by the institution and offers the reader a cross-section of its five-year adventure by focusing in detail on a selection of 60 topics from this list, bringing together interviews and articles on these topics for the first time.
As an academic platform that embraces research, Studio-X aimed to bring together visions and explorations on the future of the city through exhibitions, workshops and conversations. An initiative of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP), Studio-X opened its Istanbul space in November 2013 becoming a new node in an active network of spaces in globally. Studio-X Istanbul became the beating heart of the urban agenda in the center of the city with the support of its venue sponsor Borusan Holding and contributions from the ENKA Foundation and ATU Duty-Free and stimulated many research initiatives, pioneered in the creation of numerous networks and acted as a catalyst to start new and urgent discussions… The Studio-X Istanbul Book presents unique insights on ‘how’ this was possible, what it takes to cultivate an environment to foster the growth of new visions on the future of cities and empower new thought leaders.
Prepared for publication by Gülcan Evrenos, Selva Gürdoğan, and Ege Sevinçli with contributions from many faculty members from GSAPP, the book was designed by Memed Erdener. The 440-page book chronicles the five-year process from November 2013, when Studio-X opened, to June 2019, in a chronological flow. One of the surprises in the book is the ‘looking back’ sections written by the curators, artists and architects who discuss the work they have created at Studio-X in retrospective. An afterword by Pelin Derviş helps position Studio-X Istanbul in the cultural landscape of Istanbul.
The book launch hosted by Columbia Global Centers | Istanbul and Superpool will be held at the Gümrük Restaurant on Tuesday, April 4. The Studio-X Istanbul Book (printed in Turkish) and can be obtained free of charge from Superpool and Columbia Global Centers | Istanbul.