News - A series of talks at the Ottoman Bank Museum

The Ottoman Bank Museum is organizing a series of talks in conjunction with its current exhibition "The Person You Have Called Cannot Be Reached at the Moment: Representations of Lifestyles in Turkey, 1980-2005" on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m.

June 28, 2006 - Prof. Ugur Tanyeli
Turkish Attitudes to Architecture: 1980-2005
In his lecture, Tanyeli will attempt to shed light on the popularization of architecture and the process that has made it more accessible to the general public. "The media triggered this process by generating an interest for architecture," says Tanyeli. "Design and urban lifestyle magazines, the popular press and TV programs have made architecture a part of people's lives and permit more public dialogue on the topic. Thus architecture, no longer limited to creating a sphere for the representations of lifestyles, has itself become defined by the public sphere."

Ugur Tanyeli was born in 1952, in Ankara. After graduating from the Department of Architecture at the State Academy of Fine Arts in 1976, he started his graduate assistantship in the history of architecture at the same university. In May 1982, he resigned from his post and transferred to the Faculty of Architecture at Istanbul Technical University. In the 1989-90 academic year, he was a visiting lecturer at the University of Michigan. In 1992, he was promoted associate professor at Anadolu University and since August 1998 when he was made professor, he has taught history of architecture at Yildiz Technical University. Tanyeli has published three books to date and over 100 articles. His research interests center on Ottoman architecture and the Modernist period in Turkey.  Since 1989, Tanyeli has served as the publishing coordinator for the architecture magazine, Arredamento.

July 5, 2006 - Prof. Murat Belge
The Latecomer Mentality
Belge examines how societies that are latecomers to modernization often tend to skip stages in the catching-up process. Thus, people become television viewers before learning to read newspapers, and "consumers"of anything western before actually becoming western.

Born in 1943, in Ankara, Prof. Belge graduated from the Department of English Language and Literature at Istanbul University. He became associate professor in 1980, after obtaining his Ph.D. from the same department. Following the foundation of YÖK (the Council of Higher Education) in 1981, Belge resigned from his post at the university and started writing for the newspapers Demokrat and Cumhuriyet. He was general publishing director for the magazine Yeni Gündem and for Iletisim Publications (1983), served as president of the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly, and produced programs for Açik Radyo. Belge is currently chair of the Department of Comparative Literature, at Bilgi University in addition to writing a column for the newspaper Radikal. He is the author of Osmanli'da Kurumlar ve Kültür [Institutions and Culture in the Ottoman Empire], Baska Kentler, Baska Denizler [Other Cities, Other Seas], and Tarih Boyunca Yemek Kültürü [Gastronomical Culture Throughout History].

July 12, 2006 – Naim Dilmener
Popular Music in Everyday Life
In his talk, Dilmener will address the gradually increasing influence of popular music in everyday Turkish life. “The 90s mark the beginning of an interest in ‘pop music,’ he says. “This interest grew steadily and by 2000, we realized that music had become an area to examine for ‘information’ about our past and future. The evolution of pop music contains hidden clues that explain how we have rushed headlong into an age where we now all find ourselves ‘outside the coverage area of our cell phones;’ we should take notice and act accordingly. Just laughing and seeing the humorous side of things is not enough.”

Dilmener was born in 1956, in Mardin and holds a degree in economic management from Istanbul University. He first started writing for the magazines Salata, Gırgır and Fırt. Later, he created short texts for the radio advertising spots and live shows of Kandemir Konduk’s GÜM (Güldürü Üretim Merkezi or Center for the Production of Noise). In 1995, he began producing programs for Mavi Radyo and in 1997, his music reviews appeared in the newspaper Gazete Pazar. Toward the end of 1998, he began writing for Radikal İki, the supplement to the daily Radikal. Around the same time, he also published  Sabrina-The Remixes and İmkansız Aşk Hikayeleri [Impossible Love Stories]. Dilmener currently writes regular columns for Radikal İki, Milliyet’s art supplement, and the humor magazine Hayvan, in addition to producing programs for Açık Radyo and a pop retrospective, Dünden Bugüne Pop, at the live music venue Babylon.

The activities organized by the Museum in conjunction with its current exhibition – which highlights the various events, objects and public figures that each achieved iconic status in their time – will resume with a panel discussion in September.