Elipsis Gallery is pleased to announce “Shell”, the second solo show of Serkan Taycan from 20 December until 19 January 2013. In this series  Taycan is examining the rapid and constant change of Istanbul throughout the periphery of the city.

 
In 2007, for the first time ever in world history, the city population outgrew the suburban population. Urban Millennium is a transition point in history and a realization that we should start to examine cities within a new perspective. Taycan photographs these changes and the phenomenons it creates. He looks at the impact of this change and questions the new living spaces presented to us as a result. The mass migration toward Istanbul since the 1950’s, has exposed the city to unplanned urbanization and the constant need for new buildings to accommodate the population which has transformed the city periphery into one massive construction site. This transformation can be witnessed at the urban border in its most vulnerable and raw condition. Sadly, the scene is far from an optimistic one; the environmental sustainability is not taken into account and new development areas are far-off from the dynamics of the city. The carved mine sites, which provide the origins of construction material, are simply transformed into the wounds of the city. Stuck in this vicious cycle of construction, deconstruction and reconstruction, Istanbul is represented as a dystopia in Serkan Taycan’s photographs.  He combines different endpoints of the city as diptychs and triptychs whereby merges, time and space, which become personal interventions to the topography. Taycan’s new realities become recent suggestions to the 19th century Istanbul panoramas that are engraved in our memories, and his photographs become an alternative for the current city image.
 
Parallel to the exhibition, there is an accompanying publication with texts by Jean-François Pérouse and Merve Ünsal, a map of Istanbul periphery by Superpool.
    
Serkan Taycan (1978) was born in Gaziantep. He studied engineering at Yıldız Technical University, Istanbul. In 2004, he completed a master-class on documentary photography at Nordens Fotoskola, Sweden. He continues his MA in Visual Arts at Sabanci University. His “Homeland” series was exhibitied in Thessaloniki Photo Biennale, Vendome Photography Festival and Niort IPM. In 2010, he participated at the Artist-in-residence program at Niort. In 2010, he was commissioned for the exhibition & book; “Ex:change, Istanbul – Marseille”. He has been shortlisted for the FullArt Prize-2012. He is a member RecCollective and currently lives and works in Istanbul.

The main theme of his works is the ever-changing relationship between urban and rural spaces, and the people who are affected by these processes of transformation.

2012-2013 Academic Year Spring Term Special Student Applications 
By Student Resources  |  14 December 2012

Gideon Rachman from Financial Times has blogged about the Hakan Altınay's book which is 'global civics' documentary.

Please click to picture to read:

Another international achievement by Sabancı University:
Sabancı School of Management goes on Financial Times ranking for Europe’s best management schools

Sabancı University School of Management ranked 42nd in Executive MBA Programs and 77th in faculty on the Financial Times ranking for Europe’s best management schools.

The Sabancı Executive MBA program continues to provide value to its participants with numerous international achievements and recognitions.  The latest was inclusion in the Financial Times ranking, whose criteria include alumni career potential, performance and salary increase, international profile and research performance of faculty members, percentage of female students and percentage of international students.

Speaking on the inclusion of the Sabancı University School of Management in the Financial Times ranking, Dean Nakiye Boyacıgiller said, “Sabancı University School of Management is a fairly new school that has made impressive achievements so far.  We have proven our worth with the AACSB accreditation, one of the most prestigious recognitions worldwide.  We have made a strategic partnership agreement with the MIT Sloan School of Management, one of the world’s best management schools, and become their only partner in the region.  Finally, we were included in both Faculty and Executive MBA categories of the Financial Times European ranking for the first time this year.  It is a great honor for a young management school to enjoy these successes and be on the same list with the leading management schools of the world.” 

Dean Boyacıgiller added that the School of Management would take part in a new International Executive MBA Consortium starting this year.  This will provide Sabancı Executive MBA participants with further international learning opportunities.

For more information and questions, please visit http://som.sabanciuniv.edu/tr/emba

Sabancı Üniversitesi Kasa Galeri exhibition Homework: "Make My Day" has been announced on Art&Education, one of the largest platforms for fine art news:

Homework: "Make My Day" features the work of the artist Batu Bozoğlu and is open until December 14, 2012.

Istanbul Policy Center Senior Scholar Bahri Yılmaz organized The German-Turkish Round Table (GTRT), funded by Robert Bosch Foundation and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) on November 22-23, 2012 in Istanbul.

45 experts from Turkey and Germany were brought together to discuss “China’s Growing Clout in International Relations; Turkish and German Perceptions.” Participants discussed economic relations of Germany and Turkey with China, China as a major topic in Turkey’s and Germany’s Foreign Policy, and China’s policy in the Middle East and North Africa throughout the conference.

The GTRT is an initiative that seeks to build bridges and promote dialogue between Germany and Turkey in areas of mutual international political and economic concerns.

IPC at Sabancı University Senior Scholar Korel Göymen organized the third conference wşth the theme of “Environmental Governance International Conference” this year in Istanbul on November 16-17.

IPC at Sabancı University Senior Scholar Korel Göymen organized the third conference wşth the theme of “Environmental Governance International Conference” this year in Istanbul on November 16-17.

IPC Director Fuat Keyman gave the keynote speech of the conference while IPC Senior Scholars Ersin Kalaycıoğlu and Ahmet Evin, and ERI Director Üstün Ergüder moderated various panels during the event.

The discussions ranged from environmental governance at national and local levels to the role of regional and international organizations, as well as the involvement of NGOs in environmental governance.

There were multiple panel discussions, enriched by keynote remarks from prominent members of Turkish and European civil society, government representatives, public officials, academics.  The two-day event also welcomed Sabancı University Public Policy MA students.  Among the prominent panelists who provided invaluable intellectual contribution to this timely conference were Hans-Georg Fleck (Friedrich Naumann Stiftung), Mithat Rende (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Murat Ersin Şahin (Ministry of Environment and Urbanism), Daniel Mittler (Greenpeace International), Sibel Sezer (REC Turkey), Yunus Arıkan (ICLEI), Uygar Özesmi (change.org), Tunç Soyer (Mayor of Seferihisar), Wolfram Lamping (Darmstadt University), Selami Öztürk (Mayor of Kadıköy), Asım Güzelbey (Mayor of Gaziantep), Ayfer Baykal (Environment Mayor of Copenhagen), Faruk Göksu (ÇEKÜL Foundation), Sıla Akalp (Support for Local Initiatives Platform), and Serdar Sarıgül (Tema Foundation). Panelists’s presentations will be compiled into a book to be published under the same title.

 “Reporting on International Security and Terrorism” Seminar

Syria and Beyond: Foreign Policy Challenges Facing the Next US President The Thomson Reuters Foundation Annual Global Security Seminar was held in Istanbul this year and organised in coordination with Istanbul Policy Center.

As the part of the seminar, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, former US Ambassador to the UN, Iraq, and Afghanistan was the keynote speaker at the conference at ‘the Seed’ at the Sakıp Sabancı Muesum in Emirgan, Istanbul. Mark Trevelyan from Reuters moderated the conference entitled “Syria and Beyond: Foreign Policy Challenges Facing the Next US President.” Ambassador Khalilzad, spoke of the on-going conflict in Syria and noted that this conflict has been creating problems for Syria’s neighbouring countries. During the conference, the future foreign policy challenges facing the next US president and their implications for Turkey and the region were discussed. The Ambassador referred to a number of foreign policy issues, such as the future of Afghanistan, the USA’s policies regarding the Arab Spring, Iran’s nuclear program and the Syrian crisis. Khalilzad spoke of Iran and nuclear weapons, and relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Ambassador mentioned that he was very pleased with the rise of Turkish power and influence in the last 10 to 15 years. For him, Turkey, as one of the rising powers, has become a much more important player.

The seminar on “Reporting on International Security and Terrorism” was held from November 12-14 with the support of Stiftung Mercator, Gerda Henkel Stiftung and the Stanley Foundation.

On the first day of the Seminar, guests discussed the death of global jihadism; how authoritarian rulers use social media to repress revolutions and collect intelligence; security, terrorism and the media; race politics, Islamophobia, and extremisms of the far right and left; and Somalia.

On November 13, Tuesday Doc. Dr. Rahmi Yaran, Mufti of Istanbul gave a speech on “the importance of Cami for Muslims and Tolerance and Living Together” at the Fatih Mosque. Fuat Keyman, Director of Istanbul Policy Center moderated the next session on “Turkey’s bridge building role in the Middle East and the World” and the Arab Spring was discussed.

On the last day of the “Reporting on International Security and Terrorism” Seminar; topics such as preventi

Dora Bakoyannis gave a lecture titled “The International Crisis as an Opportunity” at Sabancı University.  Bakoyannis spoke on the global economic crisis, the roles of Europe, United States and China on economic balances and Turkish-Greek relations, warning Turkey to be very cautious to avoid the impact of the global crisis.

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece and former Mayor of Athens Dora Bakoyannis gave a lecture at Sabancı University on Friday, November 16, 2012.

Invited by Akbank CEO and Managing Director Suzan Sabancı Dinçer, Bakoyannis lectured on “The International Crisis as an Opportunity.”  The lecture was hosted by Sabancı University Board of Trustees Member Suzan Sabancı Dinçer and President Professor Nihat Berker.

“The crisis in Europe is structural and contagious”
Dora Bakoyannis discussed the consequences of the failure to turn crisis into opportunity in the aftermath of the 2008 downfall, and the impact of the slowing of the growth rate in Europe and China on the global economy.  Bakoyannis mentioned that the US still struggled to pay its debts and that Europe was in the epicenter of the worst and most widespread crisis in history.

Bakoyannis said that the European crisis emanated from the debt crisis in Greece, explaining that the situation was structural and contagious, as evidenced by the repercussions in Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal, the European south, as well as Ireland, Slovenia and Belgium.  Speaking on the psychological impact of the crisis on the European Union, Dora Bakoyannis mentioned the friction and tension between the north and the south.

“Turkey must be very cautious”
Placing Europe at the epicenter of the global economic crisis, Bakoyannis argued that there were some hopeful signals: “We are also receiving positive signals.  The BRIC and Turkish cases are promising examples; however, the current dynamics of the situation is not all roses, being fragile at its core.”  Dora Bakoyannis said that the BRIC countries also suffered from the global crisis and reminded the words of Sabancı University International Board of Overseers Member Kemal Derviş for Turkey to be very cautious not to follow in the footsteps of other countries with very large debts.

Bakoyannis emphasized the importance of Europe as the balancer of the global economic system to confront the debt crisis.  She continued, “We need to cast a new role to China with its steady growth, a role that will place the nation as a counterbalance to the global economy under new economic principles.  The achievements that made the Turkish and BRIC economies sustainable have great weight in achieving balance across the global economy.”

Dora Bakoyannis argued that the boundaries of the EU and the Eurozone had to be reviewed and the management of the global economy had to be restructured to turn the crisis into an opportunity.

Bakoyannis on Turkish-Greek relations
Discussing Turkish-Greek relations, Bakoyannis said that Greece was in full support of Turkey’s accession to the EU.  Arguing against the perception of the EU as a “Christian Club,” Bakoyannis said, “EU is a club centered around values, which makes it different from other unions.”  She continued that the dynamic social structure and strong economy in Turkey were assets for the European Union.

“Greece needs more investment and jobs”
Bakoyannis explained the impact of the Greek crisis on everyday life, expressing her dismay that the young generation was emigrating due to employment.  Commenting on the recommendations of international financial institutions for Greece, Dora Bakoyannis said that while the income level could not be reduced any further, the country needed more investment and jobs.

Dora Bakoyannis concluded by saying, “The global crisis is far from over.  There are very few signals that could help to transform the crisis into opportunity.  The crisis is becoming exaggerated due to the debt crisis in Europe, expanding to the United States, China and the rest of the world.  BRIC countries and some other nations have so far considered the crisis fictitious.  Turkey must be very cautious to avoid the global downfall.”