Play as a form of resistance

Making a comparison between the recent past and the present day in Istanbul, the installation aims to discuss the need for spaces of play and idleness in urban planning.

Focusing on the last 15 years of changes in Ataköy, where the artist spent her childhood, Aslı Narin considers the shift from a structure that allowed games and encounters in this district to an understanding where the safety of the gated communities is prioritized as one of the reflections of the urban transformation in Istanbul. Constant Nieuwenhuys's connections between play, creativity, dynamic cities and freedom also determine the artist's utopian intervention in Istanbul.

The work, which strives to contribute to the organic structuring of the city by enabling its inhabitants to take a more active role in shaping Istanbul and to have fun while doing so, suggests that the right to spend time freely and idly should be considered as critical for everyone, not just children.