Art on every street, every hour

In order to understand the level of affluence and democratic loyalty of a country, you should look at the streets of large cities. If you are in a city whose street performers compete with one another to liven the streets, this rivalry will give you information on many social aspects of the city such as its residents, its municipal structure, legalities and markets. This means that many social structures stare us in the face, manifesting themselves in the form of an upbeat street. The police and municipalities are actually happy that streets are becoming democratized through street art. Local authorities now view street performances not as an illegitimate trade, but as activities that adorn the streets.

The support and tolerance that street performances -- which appear as protests due to their unofficial nature -- receive from municipal authorities reflects how deeply the spirit of democracy is embraced as is evident in European cities such as Barcelona and Edinburgh. These municipality-supported street performances have become signs of these cities' prestige.

In recent years we have witnessed many local and international street performers on our pavements. So who are these artists who we pass by, at times lending an ear to their musical performances and sometimes purchasing their cartoon drawings? Undoubtedly they are one of us. Let's take Salih and Rahmi as examples. At this very moment there is an interpretation of our most valued poets' song on a street, "Uzun ince bir yoldayım " (I am on a long and narrow road). In the freezing cold, these two are singing our songs on İstiklal Street in front of a wall covered with graffiti: Salih is on guitar and Rahmi on vocals. They are preparing for university and have chosen to become street performers to save money for their preparatory courses while studying for the entrance exam. For the past four months they have been on this street every evening, granted the police don't interfere. They take requests and even have a fan base!

A little further ahead we run into Ludwig. German musician Ludwig Lehner is the mastermind behind the street festival that takes place every spring. He gave a series of concerts that appeal to the five senses with his group Perfect View at Babylon music venue in İstanbul. Authorities from the Goethe-Institut (GI), realizing his talent, asked him to organize a performance-based festival in İstanbul. Ludwig thought of a street festival that would bring street performers from all over the world together. At that time Italian cultural attaché Silvio Marchetti informed Ludwig that there was a bus full of circus performers who were on their way to Delhi to take some gifts belonging to Gandhi who, at one point, had been in exile in Turin, Italy. Marchetti wanted this group to perform on the streets of İstanbul. Eventually they ended up coming, becoming one of the first street performance İstanbul would witness.

The "Tünel Festivali" (tunnel festival) was launched by Ludwig in 2002 and is now celebrated every spring. Eventually its named was changed to "Tünel Street Art Festivali" (The Tunnel Street Art Festival). Ludwig said that local administrators, the municipality and Kamil Başar's vision and support  were the reasons behind the festival's success. He said that this combined foresight allowed the showcasing of the city's charm through art.

The street art festival at the tunnel has become a hot spot for a community of street performers who travel throughout the world, from one pavement to another.