CrossRoads: A Life Like Mosaic Tile

Here's to wonderful weather, being around people you love, doing what you would like to do, sleeping late or staying up late...It's really important to doing something the child in you wants to do:

Reading a book, watching a good movie, sunbathing in the sunshine, walking the dogs, having some tea with friends, listening to the birds or painting, just whatever it is you feel like doing...

As for myself, I'm pretty ready to enjoy my weekend in peace:) There are many possibilities in the City, but tomorrow I'm focused on the biggest Jewish event.

Lets go back to historical side of the Turkish-Jewish friendship over 500 years.

Jews have lived in Turkey since Roman times, although the ancestors of most of Istanbul's present-day Jewish community are Sephardim who were driven from Spain in 1412 by the Spanish Inquisition. They were welcomed into the Ottoman Empire by Sultan Beyazit II. Jews have made significant contributions to Turkish culture, science, society and economy over succeeding centuries.

The European Day of Jewish Culture takes place almost all over the Europe -this year in 30 countries- on the first Sunday in September.

It's being organized for the 5th time in Istanbul at a historical Jewish location, the Galata region, which used to be a major residential for a local Jewry in the 19th and 20th centuries. First I've attended for the event in 2003, and those photos were taken at that time.

~Seven Point Blue-Gold~
Oil on canvas, 49X64cm

* Source: Example of Israeli Art. Artist Ron Gang

During the day, events (concerts, lectures, films, exhibitions) and visiting will be held in authentic places such as the 500th Year Foundation Jewish Museum of Turkey, the Neve Shalom Synagogue, the Ashkenazi Synagogue, the Italian Synagogue, the Ottoman Bank Museum and the Schneidertempel Arts Center. In addition, some of the restaurants in Galata region will be serving selected dishes from Sephardic and Ashkenazi cuisines.

One of the exhibitions which makes me interested in will be the Patchwork Exhibit of Eti Koen. Anybody wondering what is it Patchwork? Well...

Either the scraps put aside and/or thrown away, or the new pieces... When they are pieced together by skilful female hands with such patience, understanding, friendship, sharing, creativity, love and care, they turn into unexpected, meaningful, rich and attractive objects of art. The name of this significant part of textile arts is -also my hobby as long as I find enough time to do- Patchwork (Turkish: Kirkpare).

To what I read from the programme detail here, it's stated that Koen's interest into the Turkish Ottoman motives led her to switch from classical patchwork to a new trend. From 1998 and so on, she started using the theme of Ottoman miniatures in her works. I'm interested in seeing her works as she has participated in many exhibitions in Turkey as well as abroad. It will be again a nice opportunity to discover the Jewish cultural and historical heritage tomorrow.

Briefly, I really find myself lucky one because of being a part of this rich and colorful Turkish culture like mosaic-made, and also being the one coming from a family with ''mosaic'' roots:)