Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), in collaboration with YouTube, is launching a video series that blends Istanbul's urban heritage with music. The series, titled ‘With Love from Istanbul with İKSV’, features performances by 10 distinguished artists in four historical and cultural venues of Istanbul, along with exclusive interviews with the artists.
The featured musicians and bands include Barış Demirel, Muganni (Burak Güven), Büyük Ev Ablukada, Emir Taha, Fazıl Say, Kalben, Lara Di Lara, Nova Norda, Paptircem and Tuğçe Şenoğul. They present a unique panorama of Istanbul and music through the songs of their choice.
Performances:
● Barış Demirel, Büyük Ev Ablukada, and Lara Di Lara at Istanbul Bilgi University Santralistanbul Energy Museum
● Paptircem at Istanbul Museum of Modern Art
● Emir Taha, Nova Norda, and Tuğçe Şenoğul at Grand Bazaar
● Muganni (Burak Güven), Fazıl Say, and Kalben at Rahmi M. Koç Museum
In addition to these performances, the artists engaged in short backstage conversations with Alper Bahçekapılı, music writer and project consultant. ‘With Love from Istanbul with İKSV’ premieres on İKSV's YouTube channel, with new episodes released weekly starting Friday, 14 June. ‘With Love from Istanbul with İKSV’ draws inspiration from the creative spirit of YouTube's ReBoot Culture project, which launched in Berlin in 2021. With the motto ‘Pop music meets cultural institutions’, ReBoot Culture featured young artists performing different genres of music in cultural institutions, museums, and exhibition halls across Europe. İKSV participated in the project with the goal of showcasing Istanbul’s musical and spatial richness to the world. This time, for YouTube, İKSV is bringing original Turkish voices to venues that have hosted its events since 1973.
Celebrating the launch of ‘With Love from Istanbul with İKSV’
The project was introduced at an event held at Salon İKSV in Istanbul on Wednesday, 12 June. Attendees included İKSV General Director Görgün Taner, İKSV Deputy Director General Yeşim Gürer Oymak, Google Turkey Country Director Mehmet Keteloğlu, YouTube Head of Music EMEA Dan Chalmers, YouTube Head of Artist and Label Development EMEA Nur Özdamar, Head of YouTube Partnerships Türkiye Timur Altop and Google Germany GmbH Music Partnerships Manager EMEA Kiki Ganzemüller, as well as artists, industry professionals and press members.
In her speech, İKSV Deputy Director General Yeşim Gürer Oymak acknowledged that the project was made possible through grant support from YouTube, beginning her address with a word of thanks to the platform. Oymak said: “As İKSV, we’ve dedicated fifty-two years to make art accessible to everyone. In doing so, we renew ourselves, maintaining our dynamic spirit and original content. We firmly believe that our collaboration with YouTube will play a pivotal role in advancing this mission. Throughout our history of organizing festivals and biennials, we've held events in over 300 venues across Istanbul. These cultural gatherings have not only brought art to the forefront but also helped rediscover many of the city's diverse spaces through the lens of culture and creativity. With the project “With Love from Istanbul with İKSV”, we have transformed four remarkable venues that have previously hosted İKSV events. These spaces that reflect the city’s cultural texture and richness now stand as inspiring platforms where the music of ten distinguished artists comes to life. We are thrilled to share these original contents with music lovers worldwide through YouTube.”
YouTube Head of Music EMEA Dan Chalmers, shared the following thoughts about the collaboration: “It’s an absolute pleasure for us launching the ‘İstanbul’dan Sevgilerle’ with İKSV as a part of the Reboot Project. Reboot started out as a way to help connect artists, helping them learn from each other and from the many people at YouTube with massive experience in the music industry. This iteration of the program honors Istanbul and the artists inspired by the history, people, and stories of this magical city. That is exactly what we work on at YouTube, to make sure our platform is the best place for every music fan and artist. This partnership with iKSV will enrich YouTube with powerful performances by some of Turkey’s favorite artists in Istanbul’s most iconic venues, creating yet another bridge between fans and artists on YouTube.”
During the presentation, İKSV Communication Group Director Ayşe Bulutgil and Alper Bahçekapılı, as well as Barış Demirel, Kalben, Lara Di Lara, Nova Norda, Paptircem, and Tuğçe Senoğul took the stage to share their experiences.
