UNFOUND FOUNTAIN
by admin
Tell me, who did this? OK. We are still in Istanbul, in the very centre indeed. This is the old Taksim Gezi Park. And this is the old fountain. Probably work of a foreign artist or urban objects designer or whatever you call people with such skills and profession. I’ve been trying to find the name of the person behind this beauty and googled it a couple of times without any successful results. And I must say, I’m a pro at googling. Instead of a name, I came across some people’s brilliant ideas and comments that this old fountain should better be replaced by a playground!!! Stop there. First of all there’s already a playground within the borders of the park. Plus, the world is overpopulated enough so we can stop thinking about children, their happiness and particularly, making new ones. This planet doesn’t need your kid. And that’s a fact no matter what your sinister minister says about having a set of 3. Anyway, back to the main subject. I’m planning to promote the fountain on an international level. A feature in Wallpaper magazine, wide spread coverage in every single Istanbul tourist guide book, small size fountain key rings to be sold at souvenir shops etc. And then I have plans to have it included in the Seven Wonders of the World list. They are updating the list once in a while with votes, don’t they? If they do not agree to replace the fountain with the Great Wall of China or the Stonehenge, then they can change their title to Eight Wonders of the World. And I’m still wondering about the fountain’s designer.
Comments
By the looks it has Art Nouveau feautures but of course was not made at those times
(1890-1910’s) . Although nouveau features are organic, especially floral and has other plant-inspired motifs, as well as highly-stylized, flowing curvilinear forms and are much more florid or lets say ornate compared to this fountain but the flower petals like parobola and metal details are so art nouveau. Anyway it’s sad to see such beauties left aside like that. With the new art taste of Istanbul Buyuksehir they are planting plastic green palm trees with marble fountains in newly developing neighbourhoods which resembles me of Saudi Arabia:)
Sad but true. On a smaller scale, that’s what Keten Bros are doing to Nisantasi. Knocking down old apartment buildings with beautiful characteristic features one after the other to build new ones with their ugly taste. In my opinion, the Keten Bros are plastic surgeons. I have even seen one particular building, a work of them, with plastic flowers dangling from every single balcony in perfectly-fake harmony. What is more disturbing than their artificiality is, the tenants of the building all seem happy with the result since none of them removed that crap from their balcony. Maybe they don’t want to interrupt the harmony of the facade. Or maybe as a nation we deserve to be treated with plastic flowers.