''ALL THAT IS SOLID'' in Istanbul Modern's courtyard

The 2015 project of the YAP Istanbul Modern:

Young Architects Programhas been announced

The project for the second temporary installation of the YAP Istanbul Modern: Young Architects Program has been announced. The program iscarried out by Istanbul Modern in partnership with The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) / MoMA PS1 and co-sponsored by Garanti Bank, Polimeks Holding and VitrA. Designed by PATTU (Cem Kozar, Işıl Ünal) the project entitled “ALL THAT IS SOLID” will be installed in early June in Istanbul Modern’s courtyard. It will host special events addressing especially the young audienceand can be used throughout the summer of 2015 by museum visitors of all ages. In addition to the winner, the designs proposed by all the finalists of the YAP International programs will be exhibited atIstanbul Modern, MoMA PS1 (New York), MAXXI (Rome), CONSTRUCTO (Santiago), and MMCA (Seoul).

“ALL THAT IS SOLID” is a temporary site-specific installation that is inspired by the industrial history of the area, it is a reminder of the past but also a statement about the imminent change the future holds, so we can be more critical about it. According to PATTU: “Buildings are like anchors to memories because they tend to last longer than our human lifespan. But how solid are buildings? The fact that they are made of stone, cement and marble does not really make them last eternally. They can easily be gone in a day. So we borrowed a part of the famous quote ‘All that is solid melts into air.’ Our approach was to dissect the space around Istanbul Modern with all its elements and previous constructions and reassemble them, showing the ephemeral side of architecture. The design borrows geometries from buildings that once stood in the area and crunches them together in a chaotic way. But this chaos starts making sense over the course of a day as the transparent shapes become opaque. Past geometries become visible, and invisible.”

The jury is formed of architectural experts and of representatives from Istanbul Modern and the YAP partners. The jury consists of Emre Arolat (architect), Çelenk Bafra (Curator, Istanbul Modern), Barry Bergdoll (Curator, MoMA), Pippo Ciorra (Senior Curator, MAXXI Architettura), Levent Çalıkoğlu (Director, Istanbul Modern), Pelin Derviş (YAP Istanbul Modern Coordinator), Oya Eczacıbaşı (Chair of the Board, Istanbul Modern), Pedro Gadanho (Curator, MoMA), Prof. Suha Özkan (President of the Jury / architect), Geuntae Park(Curator, MMCA),Jeannette Plautand Marcelo Sarovic (Directors, CONSTRUCTO)Melkan Tabanlıoğlu (architect), and Han Tümertekin (architect). From among proposed projects the jury selected the project “ALL THAT IS SOLID” by PATTU to be implemented in Istanbul Modern’s courtyard.

The president of the jury, Suha Özkan explained the jury’s verdict for selecting “ALL THAT IS SOLID” as follows: “The proposal by PATTU bases its inspiration on the physical, social and industrial history of Galataport area. The visual documentation of the area presented multitudes of historical urban existence that occupied the proximity surrounding the site. As for their proposal: depicting building components and then assembling them in novel abstract forms as outlines is the ‘site specific’ strength of the proposal. The three dimensional, multi-level piling of outlines or features of buildings once existed there in the course of history establishes the pavilion’s connection to more than two centuries of urban history. What makes this proposal very engaging for all age and social groups is the way the proposal enables to read, to experience and to discover this engrossing history.”

Held biannually during the summer, the YAP Istanbul Modern: Young Architects Program offers emerging architects the opportunity to design temporary exterior installations through an innovative approach to architectural design. In line with the principles of the program, nominators from acrossTurkey and the TRNC were contacted. These included architectural academicians, architectural critics, members of periodical publications, and representatives from professional organizations such as the Chamber of Architects and the Association of Architects in Private Practice. On 11 November 2014, 5 finalists were selected from among the 30 young candidates put forthby these nominators who then assessed the portfolios presented by finalists. The finalists were asked to develop proposals for a temporary installation for Istanbul Modern’s courtyard. The selection of January 22 was made from among these proposals.

The most exciting exhibition of young architectural talents in recent years: Young Architects Program

According to Pedro Gadanho, the Curator at MoMA, PATTU's proposal presented itself as a multi-layered installation that fully engages the spirit and challenges of the Young Architects Program. “It is a poetical evocation of a site's volatile history with its intriguing spatial exploration of suspended architectural memories, and even a playful exploration of innovative materials to create an interactive shadow device. Furthermore, the reinstatement of the famous idea that ‘everything that is solid melts into air' not only creates a timely commentary on politics of urban renewal, but also brings into question architecture's inherent sustainability: its permanence along time.”

“Whisper of Trees” of Ali Sinan & Hasan Okan Çetin; “House of Ropes” of FLAT C; “Collective Ground” of Herkes İçin Mimarlık (Architecture for All); “The Bosphorus Grove” of Young & Ayata were the other projects developed for Istanbul Modern’s courtyard and presented to the jury on January 22 in addition to “ALL THAT IS SOLID” of PATTU.

YAP INTERNATIONAL

The Young Architects Program International offers young designers and architects the opportunity to design spaces that promote uses such as rest, play, and relaxation as well as host diverse events, including concerts, spectacles, exhibitions, and performances. Architects are encouraged to address environmental issues, notions of sustainability, reuse and recycling and to create innovative projects providing elements of shade, water, and seating that would increase the possibilities of use in open-air spaces. The Young Architects Program has expanded in recent years to include the National Museum of XXI Century Arts (MAXXI) in Rome, Italy; CONSTRUCTO in Santiago, Chile; Istanbul Modern in Istanbul, Turkey; and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) in Seoul, South Korea.

YAP Istanbul Modern

Established in 2012, YAP Istanbul Modern continues the mission of the Young Architects Program by offering young designers an opportunity to create a space in the museum’s courtyard that will host museum events for visitors of all ages, especially young audiences. The project selected for the first YAP Istanbul Modern in 2013 was “Sky Spotting Stop” by SO? Architecture and Design (Sevince Bayrak, Oral Göktaş).

See YAP Istanbul Modern 2012-2013 and 2014-2015: www.istanbulmodern.org

PATTU

Founded in 2009 by Cem Kozar and Işıl Ünal, PATTU is active in the fields of architecture, urban research, exhibition design and graphic design. Raised in Antwerp, Belgium, Cem Kozar (1981, Lüleburgaz) received his formal education as an architect (Istanbul Technical University, 2005). After his graduation, he worked for various architectural offices in Istanbul. He published his master’s thesis “Reading the dynamics of the contemporary city” in 2009. Currently he continues working on his Ph.D. dissertation about the relationship between the museum and the city. In the office, he is mostly working on idea and content development, and space/interaction design. Işıl Ünal (1983, İstanbul) is a landscape architect graduated from Istanbul University (2006). She worked with various landscape architecture offices during and after her studies and had been a part of various urban and landscape design projects in Turkey. After founding PATTU together with Cem Kozar, she started working on graphic design and exhibition projects. In the office, she is responsible for the visual language of the projects.

YAP INTERNATIONAL WEBSITE

A dedicated YAP International website, MoMA.org/YAP, features the selected proposals and designs of YAP in New York, Istanbul, Rome, Santiago, and Seoul.

http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/yap/about.html