The office Hrant Dink in the Sebat Apartment which is empty since the Agos Newspaper and the Hrant Dink Foundation moved into the building of a former Armenian Primary School is being organized as a memorial museum. It is scheduled to open in April.
The old office space of the Agos newspaper in Sebat Apartment in Şişli, Istanbul, which has acquired a special place in social memory with the murder of Hrant Dink on January 19, 2007, is being redesigned as a memorial space.
THE OBJECTIVE
IS CREATING A DIALOG ENVIRONMENT
Since
the assassination of Hrant Dink on January 19th 2007, the former office venue
of Agos Newspaper in Sebat Building has a powerful presence in the collective
memory and it is being turned into a site of memory.
Hrant Dink Site of Memory is being designed as a place where memory meets hope,
a place which heartens the people who envision a future where living together
will prevail and take steps to that end, a place which creates awareness
regarding the importance of dialogue and remains constantly alive and engaged.
Creating a memory site which is loyal to the amateur, altruistic, collective
working spirit of Agos; to the truth and memory of the former Agos office and
which promotes conscience, dialogue, reflection, empathy, mutual understanding
while remembering the past and shedding light on the future are among the main
goals.
The memory site will open its doors to the public under the name of ‘23.5 Hrant
Dink Site of Memory’. The site takes its name from the article entitled as 23.5
April which is penned by Hrant Dink on 23 April 1996 in Agos newspaper.
Memory sites function as reminders of the difficult, violent pasts, crimes
against humanity and traumas which have a powerful presence in the collective
memory. Memory sites offer a space for confrontation; they provide information;
create reflection, make people feel; ask new questions; create a space for
dialogue and generate responses for the current pressing issues.
In order to create the Hrant Dink Site of Memory a comprehensive preparatory
phase was conducted. During the preparatory works which started in autumn 2015
the project team visited over 80 memory sites and museums that deal with the
difficult pasts in 15 countries. Within this scope the team had the chance to
observe the memory sites
Memory sites reminding people of the difficult pasts; enabling access to
information; providing a space for confrontation, reflection and dialogue;
generating questions; encouraging people to become a changemaker and seeking
answers to the current pressing issues were visited. The Nazi concentration and
extermination camps during the Holocaust, the museums and memory sites that
shed light on the violations of Apartheid regime, the clandestine detention and
torture centers in South America, the prisons which mostly housed political
inmates, the museums that deal with the difficult pasts, memory parks and
memorials are among the places that were visited. The project team also
benefited from the expertise of the professionals who are working in those
places.
Within the scope of the project a participatory process was conducted and the
opinions, expectations of a range of individuals were listened.
International panels and workshops were organized with the participation of
international experts with the aim of shedding light on the best practices and
raising awareness on the important role that memory sites and museums play for
confronting the past and achieving societal peace.
A report which feature the work that has been conducted during the preparatory
phase is published. The report is envisaged to function as a resource for the
people and organizations that conduct similar work in the field of memory.
23,5 Hrant Dink Site of Memory will address and highlight the importance of the
universal values such as human rights, democracy, equality, justice,
freedoms embraced by Hrant Dink and will build a bridge with the memory
of the past and hope for a better future.
An installation designed by artist Sarkis which aims to harness the pain to
brilliant will be a permanent section of the 23.5 Hrant Dink Site of Memory.
The project design of the 23.5 Hrant Dink Site of Memory is executed by PATTU
Architecture.
23.5 Hrant Dink Site of Memory is envisaged to open its doors to the public in
April 2019.
