tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14303577112420745162024-03-13T17:57:49.457+03:00Sesli günlük... İstanbulMerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03421324310351080046noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430357711242074516.post-23590944925753727572013-05-02T13:03:00.001+03:002013-05-02T13:03:25.511+03:00Çengelköy pier
Friday morning.
The ferry pier of Çengelköy doesn't get as much traffic as the public trasport hub ports of Kadıköy, Eminönü or Karaköy. The morning I took the ferry to Emirgan there were only about fifteen other passangers besides me that hopped on board at Çengelköy. The route zig-zags from one side of the Bosphorus to the other stopping at the smaller piers unlike the bigger vapurs that Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430357711242074516.post-77399095311069684912012-05-01T16:12:00.002+03:002012-05-01T16:19:31.597+03:00Labour day
The empty road
at Taksim
The morning of first of May in 2010. I sense that there is something wrong with the soundscape when I wake up in a room by the road uphill to Taksim square. I look out the window and see what's wrong: no traffic. There isn't a single car or bus on the road. No rolling tyres, no murmur, no beeping, no accelerating, nothing.
All roads to the square have been closed toUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430357711242074516.post-14419948241565529902012-04-23T18:56:00.002+03:002012-05-01T11:21:25.984+03:00Countryside frogs
It was a warm summer evening in May. I'm standing on a porch of a friend of mine. She's having a picnic party at her country house north of Istanbul. Behind me is the house and behind that a crowd of 50 people singing türküs, playing baglamas, eating salads, pies and köftes and skipping rope. On this side of the house you can only hear the frogs. It's strange. As if I was in a different place Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03421324310351080046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430357711242074516.post-87697403661242939642012-02-25T15:55:00.001+02:002012-02-28T13:54:01.335+02:00Singing at the animal shelter
Yedikule, a weekend in April
When I was a kid I remember there was much more stray dogs in Istanbul. Packs of quite intimidating, growling and often sick dogs. Nowadays there are new policies concerning strays and the situation is a bit better as they are vaccinated, neutered and tagged with electronic chips. The attitude towards dogs has also changed even though most are still afraid of Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03421324310351080046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430357711242074516.post-76357352228889932122012-01-05T14:26:00.003+02:002012-01-05T15:40:22.709+02:00Soundcheck at Hagia Eirene
Sultanahmet, midday in April.
The Hagia Eirene (or Aya İrini) church is located inside the Topkapı palace walls. It's a chilly April day. 1629 years ago the church was getting ready for the First Council of Constantinople. Now it is getting ready for the opening gala of the international poem festival "Şiirİstanbul".
Chairs are being arranged, PAs checked, people building up the lights and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430357711242074516.post-20220128669984458892011-01-25T17:05:00.002+02:002012-04-23T19:01:07.877+03:00Nightly waves and daily flowsKuzguncuk
Sunday night in May
Last May I was counting traffic in Kuzguncuk. The method was to count everything passing me (people, cars, cats, bicycles ect) for 10 minutes on the hour, around the clock. This was to demonstrate in an orderly fashion the changes in the everyday rhythms of the main street in Kuzguncuk. Who was on the move at the break of dawn, who at dusk, what was the time mostUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430357711242074516.post-31416322768464050282010-11-02T15:04:00.005+02:002010-11-02T15:41:15.828+02:00the bomb and the jetslast sunday I attended the celebrations of the 87th anniversary of Turkish Republic. the ceremonies were planned to be done in 29th -which is the official birthday of the republic- but because of the bad weather conditions the sunday morning was chosen. the event takes place every year in Vatan Caddesi, which is a large avenue- where the land cruisers can pass easily. the road was closed to the Şirinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251947181302607324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430357711242074516.post-60940510976050879052010-05-15T18:23:00.003+03:002010-10-10T15:47:09.979+03:00Waiting at the carÇamlıca, Thursday afternoon
This is one of the most everyday soundscapes one can imagine in Istanbul, for me at least. Sitting in a car, waiting for something, anything, and listening to the traffic rolling by.
This recording was made in Çamlıca. It was supposed to be a quick stopover by the side of the street (they always are), but turned out to be a bit longer. You can hear the blinker / Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430357711242074516.post-91404650650400426212010-05-14T17:20:00.002+03:002010-10-10T15:52:11.099+03:00BauhausKozyatağı, Wednesday afternoon
Just when you thought there couldn't be anything interesting to hear at a shopping mall specialized in "home making"... how wrong I was! This is probably the most hilarious recording I've made during these weeks. At least I had fun while recording this, hopefully it transmits somehow.
The recording starts outside the main door, from the parking lot. As I slowly Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430357711242074516.post-91558082985855299252010-05-11T17:48:00.001+03:002010-10-10T15:53:06.093+03:00At the mosqueGöztepe mosque, Sunday afternoon.
I had the opportunity to participate to a ceremony that was arranged 40 days after the funeral of a relative of a friend of mine. This prayer ceremony is called the kırkı, literally meaning the "40th". It started right after the midday prayer on a Sunday.
The voice of the imam is heard downstairs while the women enter the mosque from a small door at the back Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430357711242074516.post-53094510420879453152010-04-30T13:00:00.001+03:002010-10-10T15:54:51.816+03:00BörekçiSarıyer, Sunday afternoon.
Once in Sarıyer you should eat börek, the place is famous for them.
We visited the Sarıyer Meşhur Hünkar Börekçisi. The savory flaky pastries are filled with either minced meat, pine kernels, raisins and spices or cheese. And they are delicious, soft and chewy.
The börek is baked in an tubelike shape, then cut to small bite size pieces, tucked to a paper box and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430357711242074516.post-76710235155412088972010-04-26T09:05:00.016+03:002010-10-10T15:58:42.294+03:00Corridor sounds at ITUİstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi,
Taşkışla, Saturday afternoon.
I have spent the last three Saturday afternoons at the ITÜ Taşkısla campus. This is where the architecture department is, apparently, as there are some sketches and models on display on the corridor. I'm waiting my friend to finish her choir practise. Walking in the corridor, sitting at the benches, drinking tea at the campus cafe, or Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430357711242074516.post-3968731050535427312010-04-25T11:54:00.031+03:002012-01-07T12:02:34.251+02:00Teachers' roomKuzguncuk primary school,
Wednesday morning.
I had an opportunity to talk to the students at Kuzguncuk primary school about the sounds they like and dislike. I visited three classes, thanks to their wonderful teacher, Aslı hoca. She has the most adorable students. We had a lot of fun together talking about different kind of car horns, sounds of water and differences between washing machine and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430357711242074516.post-20998287889061682632010-04-24T09:51:00.003+03:002010-10-10T16:01:28.392+03:00Traffic lights
Kabataş, Saturday afternoon.
There was a small man inside the traffic light post. He was looking after us pedestrians very keenly.
'Lütfen bekleyin' (Please wait)
'Şimdi geçebilirsiniz' (Now you may cross [the road])
'Altı, beş, dört, üç, iki, bir' (6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1)
'bip - bip - bip - bip' (him talking to the cars that answered)
Listen to his directions:
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430357711242074516.post-48073595001654809702010-04-23T10:09:00.001+03:002010-10-10T16:03:03.525+03:00All we hear is... radio gagaKadıköy, August 2009, afternoon at an apartment flat.
Last August I was feeling a bit bored one day. It was raining and there wasn't really that much to do. I thought that maybe there would be something on the radio and I was right. Everything was on the radio...
Here's a six minute potpourri recording of all the FM radio channels audible at Kadıköy rolled slowly from the lowest Hz to the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430357711242074516.post-54579874049433824292010-04-22T10:00:00.003+03:002010-10-10T16:04:14.000+03:00Emirgan mosqueEmirgan shore, midday.
I was going to the Tulip festival and just got out of the ferry, when I heared the öğle (midday) ezan from the Emirgan mosque. The mosque itself is a beautiful and delicate wooden building painted in white, very much in tune with the other old buildings on the shore. The traffic on the shore had a lingering rhythm, too.
Listen to the recording:
At 0'19 of the track Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430357711242074516.post-35387291217428339192010-04-21T21:41:00.002+03:002010-10-10T16:05:04.781+03:00Trabzonspor supportersİstiklal caddesi, afternoon.
Football. No way you can live in Istanbul and not stumble on it. You can try to ignore it but eventually you will hear about it. If not via television, radio or eavesdropping, then via the supporter groups that take the streets before the game.
Last week there was a game between Galatasaray (I guess) and Trabzonspor. The visiting team supporters, probably a few Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430357711242074516.post-60814018520448038152010-04-17T12:20:00.001+03:002010-10-10T16:06:01.813+03:00Constantinople Ecumenical PatriarcateFener, Friday afternoon
Last March, a few weeks before Easter, I went to hear a service at the Greek Orthodox Patriarcate, located at Fener. The walled complex has seen a lot of history, some of it very violent since the 17th century. To get to the Church of Saint George you must go through metal detectors that protect the clergy.
The congregation present that day was formed of elderly people, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430357711242074516.post-31590669623852602752010-04-16T14:37:00.003+03:002010-10-10T16:07:28.123+03:00Tulips and a skipping rope
Tulip festival, Emirgan park,
afternoon.
There's no sense in describing the Istanbul Tulip Festival to someone who hasn't seen it. All I can say is that there are fragrant tulips everywhere, a lot of them. Some things you just have to see for yourself. (And the same goes without saying to sounds as well, to hear them with your own ears.)
The soundscape in the park however was quite Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430357711242074516.post-83150110241343120502010-04-15T22:12:00.002+03:002010-10-10T16:08:32.978+03:00Kittens!
at home, Thursday afternoon
I was washing dishes today when I heard something unusual from outside the window. Kittens! Squealing kittens, tiny tiny meaows. Some neighbours were present, wondering what should be done with them. The mother cat was following the situation very closed from a few meters. (I hope they didn't give the kitties any harsh verdicts. I am a cat person, you see. I'd Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430357711242074516.post-91380686723016282562010-04-13T17:54:00.003+03:002010-10-10T16:11:06.178+03:00At the hairdressers - kuaförS & B, Çengelköy,
Thursday, midday
Since I was a little girl I had realized that going to the hairdressers was something essential to the women living in Istanbul. In Finland we were used to cutting our hair by ourselves (I cut my friends' hair, they cut mine ect), not to talk about the manicures and pedicures (what luxury!). So, at the beginning of every summer my mother took me to the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430357711242074516.post-44942438292135438002010-04-13T00:54:00.001+03:002010-10-10T16:12:53.696+03:00Evening at a meyhaneAkşam sefası, Beyoğlu,
Friday, midnight
A friend took me to a tiny meyhane, a restaurant with a duo playing Turkish classical music, popular tunes everybody seems to know. The place was on a small street, just a turn away from the crowded İstiklal street. There was no sign on the street as there usually isn't. We climbed up the stairs to the (if I remember right) fouth floor. Still no signUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430357711242074516.post-91281320362881558782010-04-11T18:22:00.003+03:002010-10-10T16:13:58.414+03:00World Roma DayBalat, Thursday 8 April
The World Roma Day festivities have started at the shore of the Golden Horn (Haliç) strait. Listen to the recording:
The echoing ezan faintly heard in the begining of the recording made the festival pause for a few minutes. But soon the voices of the müezzins are no longer heard and the soundsystem is switched on.
The Çanakkale Lapseki Roman orchestra is warming upUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430357711242074516.post-10021225084336185072010-04-10T01:03:00.009+03:002011-04-04T13:35:38.435+03:00Bazaar chicksFriday, midday at Çengelköy
It's a market day (pazar) at Çengelköy, a sunny Spring day. The stalls on the street, covered lightly, have put their produce beautifully on show. Spinach, carrots, cheese, cabbage, artichokes, bananas, lettuce, garlic, mushrooms, aubergines, tomatoes... and çağla, delicious and sour small green raw apricots [edit: not apricots! silly me... raw almonds]. The colours Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430357711242074516.post-58614571136613548222010-04-07T21:49:00.008+03:002011-03-05T15:51:06.336+02:00AkbilEminönü ferry pier, 6 pm, Tuesday.
People have done their work for the day and are running to catch the ferry to the Asian side, Kadıköy.
Meriç Öner writes about Akbil (the 'smart ticket', a small keychain-like magnet that can be used to pay trip fares at ferries, buses, metros, trains, the 'tünel', funicular, tram, you name it, in Istanbul) in the book İstanbullaşmak (eds. Derviş, Tanju, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0