“Can you talk about yourself briefly? When and why did you come to Istanbul and under what conditions? When did you come to this neighborhood, and how was it? How did you made your house, under which circumstances? How you see the future of Gülensu-Gülsuyu?” (extract from Oral History interviews starting in July 2009)
When Gülsuyu-Gülensu Dükkânı was opened in 24th of July, its primary function was to be a platform, a container for the Oral History project that started a while ago before the Dükkan was opened. The Oral History project is investigating the different construction periods of Gülsuyu/Gülensu, through a series of video interviews with neighbors from different backgrounds. The focus of the Oral History Project is the period of 50’- 90’.
The project currently covers over 20 interviews. It will continue next year with new partners. The collection will be shared with the neighborhood and published in a book and DVD format. A key question will be to define “ownership and access” to this unique collection of urban narratives, as well as to prevent misuse of sometimes intimate and personal information. Discussion will be held with the community to address these questions.
