Heritage Istanbul to bring together sector professionals
ISTANBUL
Heritage Istanbul, a fair bringing together restoration, archaeology and museology technologies under the same roof, will be organized between April 12 and 14 at the Hilton Istanbul Convention and Exhibition Center.
At a press conference held on April 3 at the Istanbul Archaeology Museum Library, Heritage Istanbul project creator and director Osman Murat Akan said the third edition of the event has become a brand.
He said their goal was to make Istanbul an important destination for the international cultural heritage sector.
“We organize conferences during the fair. We have a hall of 650 people and almost all speakers talk to a full hall. This is an honor for us. We host notable names from Turkey and abroad in the fields of restoration, archaeology and museology. They talk about the new visions, experiences and applications in their own sector. Last year we included workshops and inheritance talks to the events. We hosted more than 80 conference speakers. This year we have some 65 speakers and gave more attention to panels because we want these talks to be interactive. Our goal is to create platforms to discuss issues rather than academic presentations,” he said.
International Council of Museums (ICOM) President Suay Aksoy said such events were not held in Turkey in the past.
“But there are such fairs in many countries. For example, China is the leading country among them. The country is already big, the market is already big but these kinds of fairs and conferences are organized periodically,” he added.
Aksoy stated that fairs and conferences together provide a magnificent communications and social networking opportunity.
“Private museums have broken ground in the sector since 2004. The number of museums increased since then and they became more contemporary. Therefore, Heritage Istanbul is an important event because conferences are important to follow what is going on in the world in the sector,” he said.
Archaeology and Art Publications founder and cultural historian Nezih Başgelen said Turkey went through very difficult processes both in geopolitical and socio-economic fields, adding, “Turkey is a fast growing country but its problems are growing fast, too. We feel its impacts on the culture sector the most. Heritage Istanbul keeps the fire in the cultural sector in Turkey. It will have a more significant place in Turkey’s cultural agenda after 10-20 years.”
On the first day of the fair, new technologies in the archaeology, restoration and museology fields will be discussed. There will also be talks on the issues surrounding the ancient settlement of Göbeklitepe, ancient city of Petra, Patara Lighthouse Tower, Bodrum Castle and Istanbul Rami Barracks.
European Union Turkey Delegation Head Gabriel Munuera Vinals, Assorestauro President Alessandro Zanini, L’immagine Ritrovata Director Davide Pozzi, ICOM Georgian President Professor Klara Inga Karaia and Historic Royal Palaces Digital Producer Tim Powell will be among the guests of the event as speakers.