A joint effort between the British cultural event organizers Liberatum and the İstanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency, İstancool is a cultural celebration that will feature a diverse and thought-provoking program over three days aimed at raising the profile of İstanbul as a “forward-thinking world city.”Scheduled for July 2-4 in several venues around the city, İstancool promises an original festival of art, design, fashion, literature, film, music and ideas, its organizers say on the festival’s website, www.liberatum.org.uk/istancool.
One of the festival’s goals is “to complement İstanbul’s new position as the 2010 European Capital of Culture whilst creating a dynamic and independent brand that will contribute significantly to the city’s cultural calendar. The festival will further strengthen UK/Turkish cultural relations and aim to promote a positive image of İstanbul in the international media,” the organizers say.
The festival will bring together some of the world’s most renowned cultural icons, among them Nobel laureate novelist V.S. Naipaul, Iranian architect Zaha Hadid, Oscar-nominated filmmakers Lee Daniels and Stephen Frears, American author Gore Vidal, Turkish contemporary artist Haluk Akakçe, Oscar-nominated English composer Michael Nyman, Turkish novelist Elif Şafak and internationally acclaimed Indian filmmaker-producer Shekhar Kapur among others.
The program will include exhibitions, performances, art installations, fashion shows, panel discussions, Q&A sessions, film screenings and master classes. Venues to host the festival include The Seed, the İstanbul Modern and the Pera Museum.
The festival will open on Thursday evening with a private dinner hosted by Güler Sabancı in honor of Zaha Hadid at the Sakıp Sabancı Museum. The museum’s ongoing show, “Legendary İstanbul,” will be open through the night for the special occasion. Events on the lineup of the festival’s first day, July 2, will take place at The Seed. The second day’s events will be held at the İstanbul Modern and the third day at the Pera Museum.
