Details of ‘Darzanà’ project revealed

ISTANBUL

The Pavilion of Turkey at the 15th International Architecture Exhibition, la Biennale di Venezia, which will be held between May 28 and Nov. 27, will feature the project Darzanà. The Pavilion of Turkey, coordinated by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) is located at the Sale d’Armi, in the Venetian Arsenal.

The details of Darzanà were revealed at a press conference by the project’s team on March 7 at the Istanbul Naval Museum. 

İKSV General Director Görgün Taner said they were participating in the exhibition for the second time thanks to the permanent venue in the Arsenal which they obtained for Turkey’s use. 

“We believe in the importance of Turkey’s participation in this event and it’s a pleasure to undertake the coordination of the exhibition, which we believe enriches the creative sector in our country while contributing to the international promotion of Turkey’s contemporary production in this field. Our curators and project team are working on an exciting and remarkable exhibition for the Pavilion of Turkey,” he said. 

The project builds a bridge between the dockyards of Venice and Istanbul, borrowing its title from a hybrid word which has its roots in the Mediterranean. The title of the project makes a reference to Lingua Franca, as the term Darzanà corresponds to the Turkish word “tersane” and the Italian word “arsenale” in this hybrid language and in fact all three words share the same origin. 

For the Darzanà project a baştarda ship will be built at the Haliç dockyards in Istanbul using waste materials on site. It will then be taken to Sale d’Armi, where the Pavilion of Turkey is hosted, and reinstalled there.