this documentary show us the rise the project which stands out among Turkey's Islamic places of worship dominated by historicist building typologies.
Known for its works at the 1st Istanbul Design Biennial’s “Musibet” exhibition and cooperations with various NGO's focusing on the built environment, creative media practice SGMStudio visualized the transformation of steel, concrete and stone into a place of worship in the “Sancaklar Mosque” film by following every step of the way, from the start of the mosque’s construction, in May 2012, until its inauguration.
SGMStudio, due to the inaccessibility of the area during harsh winter times, recreated the snowbound imagery of the construction with the help of photo manipulation, matte painting, 3D effects and compositing techniques. By utilizing both sharp timelapse shots and soft videos of NTSC 30 footage conformed to cinematic 24 for its visual narrative, the film dwells on the tension between the technical and engineering-centric implementation and humble and tranquil art of building with its pacing.
The original soundtrack of the film also integrates the modern silhouette and the Islamic references of the building. The musical piece combines classical music with the oriental ney*.
*For more information on ney, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ney
CREDITS. DATA SHEET.-
Video.- Creative Director.- Emine Seda Kayım.
Music Production.- Erhun Erdoğan.
Director.- Memduh Can Tanyeli.
Architects.- Emre Arolat Architects.
Location.- Istambul, Turkey.
Date.- 2011-2012.
Area.- 700 m²
Description of the project by Emre Arolat Architects. EAA.
Sancaklar Mosque located in Buyuk Cekmece, a suburban neighborhood in the outskirts of Istanbul, aims to address the fundamental issues of designing a mosque by distancing itself from the current architectural discussions based on form and focusing solely on the essence of religious space.
The project site is located in a prairie landscape that is separated from the surrounding suburban gated communities by a busy highway. The high walls surrounding the park on the upper courtyard of the mosque depict a clear boundary between the chaotic outer world and the serene atmosphere of the public park. The long canopy stretching out from the park becomes the only architectural element visible from the outside. The building is located below this canopy and can be accessed from a path from the upper courtyard through the park. The building blends in completely with the topography and the outside world is left behind as one moves through the landscape, down the hill and in between the walls to enter the mosque.
The interior of the mosque, a simple cave like space, becomes a dramatic and awe inspiring place to pray and be alone with God. The slits and fractures along the Qiblah wall enhances the directionality of the prayer space and allows daylight to filter into the prayer hall.
The project constantly plays off of
the tension between man-made and natural. The contrast between the natural stone stairs following the natural slope of the landscape and the thin reinforced concrete slab spanning over 6 meters to form the canopy helps enhance this dual relationship.
