Art Project Manifatura

Created By Luka Zet

“Manifatura”, Contemporary Arts and Crafts Days at Unkapani,/Istanbul Biennale parallel event/, Istanbul, Turkey; Is a Project, which took place in a specific area in Istanbul, called ‘Unkapani’.
This is a place where every thing is chaotically arranged: shops, barbers, fruit seller man walking all the way with his cart, strange old buildings ready to collapse, and the mixed nationalities, like: Kurdish Turkish, Arabs, Armenians, and other, making there living.

It is a place where everything is ready to be changed. Starting about 100 years ego, living nicely, making there own business, creating families and friends, now people have no choice, but to obey the Metabolised structure of the city. The whole Unkapani is going to be changed into a high standard European, market or business place.

I Luka Zet / Zautashvili,(Artist) Beste Mirey, (Designer) and Asli Dadak (Manager) had the mission, to create a nice small part, into an interesting art-place.
With people attracted from different socio-cultural environment, and different prophesies like: Artists, Architects, Film makers, Designers . . . etc.

So the cultural artistic Project began with, a close connections between the artists from different countries and the residents of Unkapani (Basically craftsmen). There where many interesting stories told by craftsmen about their parents who lived there for a long time, and made this place Appear. That now they will have to leave these places.

After, our entire project was successfully realized, with a great help of craftsmen and whole neighborhood. Firstly unpleasant faces became, pleasant and smiley.
Our art works attracted hundreds of people … all of them interested in a synthesis of art, Crafts and Design, and in creating of interesting, integral connections.

An Art Piece “Infinity=E”

The work presented in front of abandoned house, represents how the past, present, and future are interconnected. Here white represents past, gray the present and black the future. The path of an inhabitant is projected on an art piece, thus reprinting his way, the choice, when ones again he faced PAST, PRESENT, and FUTURE all together!