Nazlı’s Guestbook

The guestbook of Nazlı Hamdi, the daughter of Osman Hamdi Bey -the famed artist, archaeologist and the founder of the Imperial Museum (Müze-i Hümayun)- is the focus of the exhibit  “Nazli’s Guestbook, Osman Hamdi Bey’s Circle” The question asked by the curator, Edhem Eldem , whether it was possible to make an exhibition about one single book, an incomplete, arbitrary piece of historical document? was also the starting point of our design.  The guestbook, consists of dedications by Osman Hamdi Bey’s circle of relatives, close friends, colleagues, or just acquaintances. But when the host is Osman Hamdi Bey, the traces of the signatures in the book vary from the famous archaeologist-spy Gertrude Bell, to founder of the illustrated magazine Servet-i Fünun, Ahmed İhsan, or to the crown prince of Bavaria, Rupprecht among many others..   The exhibition design is a story that is unfolded in space. The visitor is greeted by an installation made from floating frames, and the journey gives information about Nazlı and their house in Gebze and their travels, far in the gallery the visitor is greeted by a huge size portrait of Nazlı and the guestbook. The visitor than enters the main gallery in which the characters in the guestbook are explained, a big part of the space is occupied by a big table, which has an interactive installation further explaining the connections between the characters. Our aim was to transform the space from an art gallery into an intimate space, similar to the feeling of the guestbook.

30^th April -10^th July 2014