CULTURAL MEMORIES IN ARCHITECTURE "CERAMIC PANELS" PUBLISHED IN BOOK

Academic and ceramic artist Nurdan Yilmaz Arslan's long-standing work on her book, "Turkiye's Cultural Memories in Architecture "Ceramic Panels," has been published by Akademisyen Publishing House. The book traces the ceramic panels in Turkish architecture, a significant component of cultural heritage.

A book of ceramic panels, which Associate Professor Nurdan Yilmaz Arslan, a faculty member in the Ceramics Department of Marmara University's Faculty of Fine Arts, has been archiving for 30 years and has been working on compiling for the past 10 years to contribute to cultural memory, has been published. Published by Akademisyen Publishing House, the book, titled "Turkiye's Cultural Memories in Architecture "Ceramic Panels," traces the ceramic panels in Turkish architecture, components of a significant cultural heritage.

The ceramic panels, the subject of the book, were among the decorative elements of buildings constructed during the Republican era, particularly between 1960 and 1980, but were subsequently demolished one by one due to the urban transformation that accelerated after the Golcuk earthquake. These panels, bearing the signatures of numerous prominent ceramic artists from Fureya Koral to Jale Yilmabasar, Erdinc Bakla to Ilgi Adalan, hold a significant place in urban memory. Arslan's research on ceramic panels within the context of culture and memory begins in Istanbul's Kadıkoy district and extends throughout Turkiye. The artist says, "The qualities of ceramic panels— their ability to create memories, to belong to the city, and to remain etched in our minds from childhood— make them valuable as cultural assets. The story of ceramic panels, which began in Istanbul-Kadıkoy in the 1960s, especially after the Republic era, is actually the story of other major cities like Ankara and Izmir."

Nurdan Arslan's research has two dimensions: creating an inventory of these cultural assets and drawing public attention to their preservation. Indeed, Arslan applied to the Kadıkoy Municipality in 2022, stating that most of the ceramic panels could be salvaged through technological means. She continued her insistence on this issue in 2022, reapplying and submitting a dossier. Her efforts were instrumental in prompting the Kadıkoy Municipal Council, which boasts such ceramics in many buildings, to decide on the panels' preservation.

The book, Turkiye’s Cultural Memories in Architecture “Ceramic Panels”, edited by Seyma Halkali Kara, can be purchased from nobelkitabevi.com, akademik.com and amazon.com.