SAY ISTANBUL AND A SEAGULL COMES TO MIND...

A few years ago I saw an exhibition with Turkish photographer ARA GÜLER, B/W photos, all taken in ISTANBUL, from the fifties and up till the eighties. Wonderful photos! Since then, without really thinking about it, I always conceived Istanbul in Black and White. Through the eyes of Ara Güler I discovered this fascinating city, a true melting pot of Asian and European influences, of Ancient and Modern cultures, of Buzzing city life and Leisurely seaside activities along the shores of the BOSPORUS, of seagulls, pigeons, cats and dogs.

I definitely wanted to go there! And got the chance when one of my sons got a job in Istanbul and moved there with his family.

I was curious to see whether, forty-fifty years later, I would still find the atmosphere, the soul of Istanbul, so present in the images of Ara Güler.

Of course Istanbul has changed, has become in places a very modern city, with high-rise buildings, enormous shopping centers, motorways. How could it not!

However, YES I did find the special feeling, the not quite Asian, not quite European, the old paved streets lined with wooden houses, just a few blocks away from the newly built shopping center, the Greek, the Jewish quarters; the imposing, but worn-down wooden "Yalis" along the Bosporus shore; the numerous ferries going up and down the Bosporus and the GOLDEN HORN (though no smoking chimneys these days!); the men fishing from the GALATA BRIDGE; the stray dogs, cats, pigeons, sure to be fed by someone; the seagulls!

And also young veiled women with mobiles walking along with young girls in miniskirts - and mobiles; determined business men in Istaklal, shop-owners having a glass of tea in front of their shop - or a cigarette; men gathering in the street to fill in their Loto coupons; couples walking along the waterfront watching the sun go down; dozens of ships waiting for the signal allowing them to go up the Bosporus; the numerous "balloon stands" on the waterfront; the mosques, the big bazar; the presence of ATATÜRK ...

ISTANBUL - Métropole sur deux continents, avec les cultures, les contrastes et les influences millénaires des deux, bien mélangés sur les deux rives du Bosphore. Très ancienne, pourtant à pas de géant vers un futur fulgurant. Le grand photographe, Ara Güler, parcoure sa ville depuis les années 1950, en a fait un portrait émouvant qui m'a profondément touché et inspiré. J'ai voulu savoir si, à l'heure de nos jours et malgré le développement explosif des dernières années, Istanbul a gardé un peu de cet esprit, et comment il s'intègre dans une métropole pétillante de modernité. Il m'est apparu comme une évidence de penser ces photos en noir et blanc.