| past events |
THE POWER OF EXAMPLE EXHIBITION
jun 11
As a lasting emblem of the Annual Congress, a month long photo exhibition entitled “The Power of Example” was opened on 11 June in the presence of Androulla Vassiliou,EU Commissioner responsible for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth. The exhibition shows more than 100 projects representing "the best of the best" achievements in European cultural heritage, arranged in panels mounted above the first platform of the Sirkeci Train Station (1888). This venue of the exhibition is symbolic in the sense that it has been considered the gate to the West for citizens of Istanbul. For Europeans, it has been considered the gate to the Orient. The architecture of the Train Station is a reflection of this double identity. As the terminus of the legendary Orient Express, Sirkeci Train Station has been a witness to imperial, political, tragic, and sentimental events in history.
The photos displayed were selected from the more than 1100 Awards given since 1978 when Europa Nostra launched its annual Awards programme, later called the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards, launched jointly in 2002 by the European Commission and Europa Nostra as part of the implementation of the European Union Culture Programme.
Projects are displayed according to the different Awards categories. In the Category of Conservation, architectural restorations and adaptations, cultural landscapes, archaeology and works of art were included, reflecting the diversity of Europe’s cultural heritage, ranging from ancient times to modern, from re-use projects as museums to the restoration of bridges. It also ranges from large-scale projects to material conservation. Special emphasis is given to projects that have more recently attracted the interest of conservation enthusiasts, such as the heritage of the Modern Movement and industrial heritage.
The photo exhibition, inspired by a previous Europa Nostra and Europa Nostra Belgium photo exhibition, “The Building of Europe / A Vision on Heritage”, created for europalia.europe in Brussels (2007-08), highlights Turkish Awards winners and provides explanations for the audience of local commuters. Responsible for the Turkish exhibition is Dr Yonca Kösebay Erkan of Kadir Has University.
