“It took 23 years for the building [Atatürk Cultural Center, AKM] to open. The foundations were laid in 1946. It took so long due to the economic and political conditions of the period. There are plenty of similar examples in other parts of the world during the same period. In the case of AKM various actors—including architects, design and engineering groups, public, governmental and cultural groups—were passionate about having an opera house for the city. The ups and downs in the planning, construction, and operation of AKM reflected the dynamics of the modernization efforts of the Republic of Turkey as it attempted to create the institutions of a modern state and society.”
—Pelin Derviş
Excerpt from Places of Memory / Hafıza Mekanları (Istanbul: İKSV, 2014): 49

Reflecting Modernity, 2014
Pelin Derviş & Murat Tabanlıoğlu
Memory tunnel dedicated to Atatürk Cultural Center
SALT Research, Hayati Tabanlıoğlu Archive

Graphic Design by Irma Boom