i used VPN to climb back to out world of China.....

object collecting_the balcony stage

I was soon get used of being peeped when walking in the narrow alleys of Istanbul neighbourhoods by those curious eyes behind the shutters or hiding in balconies.To them, i was a novel alien visitor;to me,they were like performers of various life scene. It is interesting to find out how an original building facade was turned into a live stage.It might be a working place of housewives in Gulensu where they can chat and hanging clothes in the lazy afternoon sun, or an advertising display for those"ladies" in tarlabasi's ambiguous evening, or a spiritual communicating space between someone inside and the entire city,which in his view easily but keep in distant always.

moreover, the stage is 24-hour operation.A silent show will begin in the midnight,acted by lights,shadows and those left behind.

object collecting__Amateur Fishing

The fishing men in Istanbul came from different places of the city.They spent most of their time standing by the coast line and waiting for prey,but always there were only a few 3-inch long sardines in the foamy box until the late night.Sometimes they will fight for a place on the Galata bridge so that it was easy to have a transaction with the restaurant downstairs. The fishing men worked hard for seasons, never feel relax.They can’t go back home unless they hve enough lira to buy family tomorrow’s meal. One day a fishing man found a strange structure along the golden horn at night, where he could take a nap and then got a magic harvest.

objects collecting__Boat Cafe

objects collecting__ the Bazaar tent

the bazaar tent

I was really surprised to see a series of tents which suspended in an narrow street when i passed a neighbourhood in Historical Peninsula. The tents were randomly overlapping each other,brought a special kind of beauty when playing with the sunshine.Usually made by white canvas,the tents are used to shade an temporary outdoor market,which can be easily found in many places of Istanbul. As a manifesto of occupation of certain urban space,the bazaar tents constitute a part of urban fabric.Under the tents,vibrant daily life takes place.

Object collecting_social clubs for housewife

social club

It was the first time to be invited into a turkish tea house in Kucuk Pazar, which was about 10 minutes' walk from the Grand Bazaar. This was a traditional neighbourhood in the central city.Beside a demolished wooden house's site, an old tailor was concentrating on sawing. Only kids were playing in the alley while their mums sometimes peeped them from the upstairs windows.

The tea house was not new to me,which i had known from the turkish movie "Distant". It was like social club where men gathered to play backgammon while being served steaming hot Turkish tea.They also watched TV or talked about daily things together.With a custom of "men domain",it is obvious that the existence of us three girls let them feel unexpected.These small tea houses can be easily found in villages,town squares,seasides and so on, where people spend day and night in this city.

The trip to Gulensu 2 days later was in the late sunny morning. It was a quiet and peaceful gecekondu village where i can see housewives doing housework in the balconies or chatting in the small garden in front of houses. Men went out to earn a living, women took care of families and prepared for dinner.This scene may be changed by the invasion of new built gate communities beside the village. Some day the inhabitants of Gulensu may move into those modern style apartment thanks to the city's policy,with the lost of their beloved garden, the family-like neighbourhood, the best girlfriends,and many pleasant moment.

object collecting_homemade play device

Playground for children can be seen every where in the open space of Istanbul,no matter in the sea side or high way's buffer zone. It supposed that people may use them for excises or relax in daily life,and sometimes the residents in nearby neighbourhood just come and use the facilities,though it may not so convenient. In some gecekondu settlement such as Tarlabasi, the inhabitants just made some play device for children by themselves. The spontaneous techniques are one of the urban life characters i found in Istanbul. The intention to made chance to get better living facilities by such informal activities always results in all kinds of creative built work in the city.The normal stuffs in daily life or recycled material are mainly used.