The Hulda project is the launching of an innovative travelling festival using M/S Hulda (Ilhan Koman's former home), a 100-year old Swedish sailing boat, as an attractive infrastructure for exhibitions & youth workshops presenting Turkish culture and links between arts & sciences. The project offers a unique opportunity to promote relations between Turkey and the EU countries in a spectacular and constructive way.

Hulda will visit 10 major European ports on her 1st trip from Stockholm to Istanbul. The festival will be locally implemented, thanks to the partnership of important art, culture & science institutions in the 10 countries. It will also actively involve local authorities & public primary schools

It directly targets 400 000 participants with varied activities all along the EU & in Turkey, as well as millions through a wide press coverage assumed by international media partners.

The Hulda Festival will include:

- International public relation & advertising campaigns,

- An onboard exhibition spreading knowledge about Turkish arts & cultures showing artworks, by the Turkish-Swedish artist-scientist Ilhan Koman, demonstrating scientific phenomena,

- Under a juxtaposed tent installed on the quay, interactive activities on the reciprocal influence of sciences, arts & cultures proposed by local partner organisations,

- Workshops targeting 54 000 youngsters, particularly including underprivileged children, to make approaches to different cultures, to arts and to sciences more accessible and playful,

- A competition encouraging students to write for the general public some vulgarized scientific texts about interesting links between sciences, arts & cultures,

- An ‘arrival’ special exhibition in Istanbul to tell the whole story of this festival,

- A public conference in the presence of all EU partners and of winners of the student competition to debate on the issues underlined by the project.

The Hulda Festival will cruise along the EU in 2009 and arrive in Turkey during the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture festivities.

It will come in France in July 2009 and will participate to the opening of the 'Turkish Cultural Season in France', organised by the Turkish and French governments.

The cultural, scientific and educational activities, which the project covers will contribute to Turkey to take an attractive role in the cultural life of Europe.


Hulda project is funded by the European Commission’s 7th Framework Program and by the Istanbul Consulate General of Sweden.

 

Implementation of several Koman's artworks in Bogazici University campuses thanks to the sponsorship of Garanti Bank

A motorised, 5-meter high, ‘Portal’ metal sculpture, from Koman’s ‘Moebius Series’ has been brought from Stockholm (Sweden) to Istanbul, to be installed in Bogazici University campus.

The Turkish bank, Garanti, has also decided to sponsor the implementation of several monumental artworks from the Pi series for the campuses of Bogazici University.

('Portal')

Implementation of Koman's artworks
in public spaces

('To Infinity...')

After the implementation of ‘To Infinity…’ monumental sculpture in Santral Istanbul during summer 2007, the Koman Foundation works on further projects aiming at realising in large scale some of Ilhan Koman’s prototypes or small artworks.

('Akdeniz')

A discussion is being held with Antalya Municipality (South Turkey) and architect Nevzat Sayin for the project of realising a 30-meter high ‘Akdeniz’ (‘Mediterranean’) iron sculpture that would face the Mediterranean Sea on one of Antalya’s most impressive cliffs.

('Pi Series')

Another discussion is currently held with Konak Municipality (Izmir – Turkey) and architect Nevzat Sayin for the projects of building Koman’s ‘Pi Series’ along Izmir sea side (Kordon) and/or of realising a large scale version of the column like sculpture ‘Response to Brancusi’ on one of Izmir’s hills.

('Response to Brancusi')


Ilhan Koman exhibition tour around Turkey



After several successful exhibitions of Koman’s works in Istanbul and Izmir, the Koman Foundation works on possibilities to reiterate the ‘Ilhan Koman Retrospective’ in Turkish cities such as Edirne (Ilhan Koman’s hometown), Ankara, Antalya, Diyarbakir, Eskisehir and Canakkale.


Ilhan Koman Retrospective Tour abroad



The Koman Foundation works on presenting the ‘Ilhan Koman Retrospective’ in Stockholm (Sweden), New York (USA), Paris (France), Shanghai (China), Dubai (Emirates) and Tokyo (Japan) in the coming years.


'Art, Nature & Science' children workshops

(educator Ulas Cibuk)

Together with the Ilhan Koman exhibition tour in Turkish cities, the Koman Foundation aims at setting up workshops with local children, civil society and public authorities, in order to sensitize the youth to cultural heritage, technology and natural resources of Turkey.


Koman Art & Science Centre

(sketch by Nevzat Sayin)

This project is under discussion with Santral Istanbul, in order to open a centre (to be named 'Koman Workshop') on the Santral site (in Eyüp district) that would comprise:

- A permanent exhibition of Ilhan Koman's artworks and scientific studies

- Permanent and temporary exhibitions of artworks demonstrating scientific phenomena

- An art gallery opened to promising sculptors

- A high-tech sculpture workshop to enable artists to realise monumental artworks

- Children workshops related to arts, sciences & urban planning.