This image is part of a photographic study I produced between 2011 and 2013 to understand transformation on the periphery of Istanbul. This period corresponds to the time when the spatial transformation of Istanbul was gaining the most momentum. The photograph shows a stone quarry located near the Gazi neighborhood in northern Istanbul.
The ever-changing peripheries of a city are places where social contradictions can be seen most directly and where the city is in its most fragile, raw form. The quarries are an important link in the cycle of construction, demolition, and reconstruction within the built environment. In this context, we can talk about the layered relationship that exists between the stone quarries on the urban periphery and the city center. The quarries that were opened to provide material for never-ending construction are like the city's wounds or dental cavities. As the city grows, so do the quarries. As the city rises higher, its quarries get deeper. This inverse relationship resembles the negative/positive relationship in analog photography. Like in photography, it is not possible to obtain a real image without its virtual replica.
About the author Serkan Taycan is a researcher-artist and scholar. In his works, he focuses on the transformations of urban and rural spaces, and the physical, social and ecological impacts of these transformations. Upon his education in engineering, Taycan studied visual arts and photography on a post-graduate level. He lectures on cities, geography and visual arts in various universities.
