A TCF grant was awarded in 2017 for a project by the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, Ireland to conserve one of the earliest printed books in Turkish, the Cihan-nüma (Mirror of the World, 1732). The book was written by the Ottoman Turkish scholar Katip Çelebi, and printed by İbrahim Müteferrika in 1732 in Istanbul. The Chester Beatty’s rare and complete copy of the Cihan-nüma has survived with all of its original 13 astronomical and 26 geographical maps intact. The conservation project was completed this month and Kitab-ı Cihan-nüma is now on exhibition at the Chester Beatty Library’s Arts of the Book Gallery.
The project’s completion and the subsequent exhibition of the book was widely covered in the media.
Jazz musician Ferit Odman (TCF Cultural Exchange Fellows - 2012), performed at Nardis Jazz Club on December 1 and 8. He also performed at Yeldegirmeni Sanat Merkezi with Kerem Görsev Trio on December 7 in Ankara, Turkey. Ferit Odman and TRT Hafif Müzik Ve Caz Orkestrası gave a concert at TRT Istanbul Radio, İstanbul, Turkey on December 26.
Ballet dancer Yasemin Kayabay (TCF Cultural Exchange Fellow-2018) competed in the YAGP 2019 (Youth America Grand Prix) Barcelona, Spain International Semi-Final and Finals on December 6 – 9. From among 140 participants in the Junior category, Yasemin was selected to compete in the finals both in the contemporary and classic ballet categories. In the finals, Yasemin was able to be selected to the Top 12 and was the youngest dancer to make the list.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Berna Kurt (Cultural Exchange Fellow-2012), Head of the Arts Management Department and member of the Fine Arts Faculty at Istanbul Aydın University, gave a talk on ""Turkish Folk Dances" History, Politics, Aesthetics" at Istanbul Technical University in İstanbul, Turkey on December 3.
Cellist, composer, improviser, and photographer Anıl Eraslan (TCF Cultural Exchange Fellow-2014) held seven concerts in Berlin, Leipzig and Bielefeld in Germany. His concert series continued in France with one 'H' Album Release Concert w/ Grégory Dargent, Wassim Halal at Chez nous in Strasbourg and w/ Matthieu Metzger & Eric Groleau at A l'Improviste at Radio France in Paris on December 1 and 10. He also held three concerts “Take the A.I.D Train” at Bova, with Saadet Türköz, Sevket Akinci, Ignaz Schick at Peyote and duo with Cymin Samawati & Ralph Schwarz at Bant Mag/Bina in İstanbul, Turkey on December 18,19,21.
Oud virtuoso Mehmet Polat (TCF Cultural Exchange Fellow-2016) held four concerts in Amsterdam and Utrecht, The Netherlands in December. His concert series continued with two concerts with Ziel/Rouh | ICK & Amsterdam Andalusich Orkest in Marseille, France on December 20 and 21.
Poet and playwright Nurduran Duman’s (TCF Cultural Exchange Fellow - 2016) poem ’Edim’ which has written for one of Alexandre Hollan's paintings, was published in French in “Peinture et Poésie,” a book on painting and poetry. She wrote the poem at the request the Paul-Valéry Museum. The book includes 235 poems from around the world, from Adonis to Victor Rodriguez-Nunez.
Newsletter December 2018
