Site specific neon light installation for Tophane, a neighborhood on the
European side of Istanbul.
The city street plan has been redesigned in pink
color neon tubes and have been set on several buildings facades located in
the heart of Tophane.
The light network branches out of the windows and it spreads over the walls like a climbing plant that grew its
roots in a rich and dense history. It expands from one façade to the other. It mixes its light lines with the existing city landscape and at the same time it reverses the perception as the
streets emerge from the building.
It is a flow of light, that is mapping the city that symbolicaly refers to the various flows of migrating populations who have created the Istanbul
urban topography.
The gleaming street map enlightens an area of the city shared by
numerous small businesses and deprived populations. Their future is uncertain
since fast growing international speculations turn the local landscape into high-end
rehabilitations.
Technical infos:
Neon tubes Diam: 25 mm fixed on p.v.c structures.
Length total: 250 neon tubes
Transformers: 20
Company: Isik Neon, Istanbul
This project was commissioned by FranceCultures and the French Institute in Istanbul for the first "Nuit Blanche" Istanbul in collaboration with the 10th International Istanbul Bienale.
With the support of: FranceCultures and the French Institute in Istanbul
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| left building |
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| light reflecting on the building's walls |
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| center and right buildings |
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close-up view of the left building facade light reflecting on next building windows |