Bad Brother

My little sister came to visit for a few days with her friend but I needed to go flat-hunting so on one of their visit days I left them alone for a few hours…in a dilapidated building…in Talatpaşa.

 

Ok, look, it’s not as bad as it sounds.

 

There was a streetart festival and several of the buildings in one street were covered in fantastic pieces graffiti.

 

The gecekondu (slum) area is due to be regenerated (i.e. demolished and re-built), producing an interesting argument as the government insist that the key reason for regenerating is to provide safer homes which will survive a large earthquake, and that they will provide housing for those who live here.The festival aimed to provide a political message about the likelihood of the gentrification of the area driving the locals away. 

 

For one day this street was alive with music, dancers, tourists, photographers and art-lovers.

 

Still, I made my sister promise not to tell our parents.

 

(Photographs courtesy of “mini Carter”, the arty geek)