An Innocent City: Modest Musings on Everyday Istanbul has opened at the #rcac [#research center for anatolian civilizations]. Curated by Ian Alden Russell, it presents the stories and illustrations of the everyday objects of Istanbul. The objects presented in the exhibition were inspired by objects on display in the cases of the Museum of Innocence in Çukurcuma.
Graduate students from Koç University chose 12 objects from the Museum of Innocence and searched the streets of Istanbul to find the lives of these objects. Following the lives of everyday things, they encountered alternative perspectives on the cultural heritage of the city of Istanbul. A tea glass, a coffee cup, a hairpin. As a contribution to An Innocent City, photographer Hasan Deniz has created new work capturing the 12 objects in the historic and urban context of the city. Additionally, American artist Mark Dion has written a modest postcard to the Museum of Innocence on behalf of The Jenks Society for Lost Museums that deepens the parafictional bond between the novel and museum. ✪
