Istanbul 2010 Museum of Innocence
This is the year that Istanbul expresses its cultural glory to all the world and opens its doors to everyone. Istanbul is one of three cities which are nominated this year as the European Capital of Culture in 2010.
Turkey’s greatest writer and Nobel peace prize winner, Orhan Pamuk published his book “The Museum of Innocence” in 2008. Alongside the novel, The Museum of Innocence was created as a cultural event and museum in the Çukurcuma district of Istanbul by Orhan Pamuk who bought the building and began collecting objects representative of a poetic and visual documentary featuring photographs, paintings, movies and objects from the daily cultural life of the city since the 1950s. He began the book in 1999, working on the establishment of the museum alongside the creation of his novel. Pamuk says that the Museum does not illustrate the book and the book does not explain the exhibit, but that it coexists with the novel as a separate cultural work. In the novel, the protagonist Kemal obsessively collects all that his love Füsun touches. Approximately 1000 objects form this exhibit.
The Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency has supported the establishment of the Museum of Innocence which illustrates the cultural life of 20th century Istanbul. “The Museum of Innocence , a project I have been planning for 10 years, is being completed with the support of the İstanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency. The work of collecting objects to reflect cultural life in İstanbul has mostly been completed. We are still working with artists on the design of the imaginary objects mentioned in my book. It would take 12 hours for a visitor to see all the objects in the museum in detail,” Pamuk noted.
Yilmaz Kurt, the Secretary General of the İstanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency office supported the creation of the Museum of Innocence stating, We believe that this work of our internationally renowned author Orhan Pamuk will contribute greatly to the city of İstanbul and to the İstanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture.
For lovers of Pamuk’s novels and lovers of cultural and Istanbul, this is an exhibit not to be missed in Istanbul 2010.
Photography courtesy of the New York Times. A wonderful display of Photographs from the Istanbul 2010 Museum of Innocence collection can be seen at the New York Times website at www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/10/28/magazine/20091101-pamuk-slideshow_6.html.
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