Dolmabahçe Sarayi [Palace]
An Interdisciplinary Project by Dalia Atteya – MA Painting – Wimbledon College of Arts – University of the Arts London
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Over the past few years, I have been watching Turkish drama about the Ottoman Empire. The series were engaging and I discovered that there is a lot we do not know about the Ottomans. But still you cannot believe everything you see in the drama, so I started to read and it fascinated me even more because, for one thing, the Ottomans all descended from one blood line; “Othman”, which is unlike the Pharoes or the British dynasties whose ruling power moved through several families. Another thing, is the fact that women were not licensed to rule, yet they managed to gain enough power to interfere in the political landscape of the Empire, either through their husbands (the Sultans) or through their sons and grandsons. The Empire stretched from east at the Persian borders to west till Austria, and managed to keep its position for nearly 500 years, the key to that was their ability to embrace other cultures and provide a prosperous life to their subjects. There had been some adversaries but nothing that would cause it to collapse. I also visited Istanbul (previously known as Constantinpole) more than once, the city is full of natural scenery and monuments, more like a big museum. There is DolmaBahche Syarai (palace) that sits on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait.
About DolmaBahche Sarayi?
When we were asked to do an interdisciplinary practice, I found it an opportunity to express my interest in the Ottoman history and share the knowledge I accumulated over the years. The palace was the residence of the ruling family and the administrative centre of the empire from 1856 and onward till the end in 1922. Top Kapi palace was the administrative palace till Dolmabahche was built.
When the Ottomans started to establish relations with Europe, they decided to build Dolmabahche to match the European style and comfort that TopKapi Lacked.
Dolmabahche as an Icon
Dolmabahche is perceived as the tipping point before the empire ended; it represented the height of the empire before its end 66 years later. It cost five million Ottoman gold liras or 35 tonnes of gold, circa 1.5 million dollars in today’s terms. The cost of the palace added to the financial burden leading to its end. The palace becomes symbol and a transformation point to an empire that lasted over 500 years.
My visit to the British Museum
As a means to verify my information and to seek ways of collaboration, I thought of meeting an expert from the British museum. Therefore, I met professor Zeina Kink-Hoppe, a historian and a curator in the Middle East department. Prof. Zeina talked extensively about the Ottoman history including their involvement with Egypt and how the Empire ended and added more info to what I know.
Painting was not a popular art in the Ottoman period; the Ottoman art was mainly focused on textile, embroidery, and Chinaware. The flower motif was popular in the 15th century and onward. However, during the 19th century, and as the Ottomans got closer with Europe, painting was introduced. Some miniature paintings of Sultan portraitures can be found in the V&A.
Possible Collaboration
Together we navigated the collection which belonged to the 14th and 15th century; I asked Prof. Zeina whether she had experienced collaborations between the museum and artists. She advised that there has been a collaboration under a project called “Voice of Iran”, where the artist Shabour Pouyan, had responded to the famous Iranian painting “Rustam slating the white div” Qazvin 1576-1577 by repainting it, however removing the central characters out of the painting.
Fig 1: Rustam slating the white div (before) Fig. 2: Rustam slating the white div (by Shabour
Pouyan)(after)
What could I gain / How will I respond as an Artist:
Seeing the previous collaboration done with Shabour Pouyan, I am considering several options:
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Collaborate with the archives department, to create flower paintings inspired by the flower drawings in the archives collection.
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I have previously visited the V&A and went through the Ottomans’ collection; there I noticed that flowers were a popular motif, and since my core practice is about flowers, a possible collaboration could be by creating paintings in response to the collection. In those paintings I may change some elements, such as change in colour, or flower style.
Limitations & Drawback:
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Associated costs & raising funds: being new to the country, I will need to find my way around raising funds.
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Lack of awareness of the process.
Artworks made in response to Significant Buildings
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The sculpture artist Marwan Rechmaoui and his sculptural piece Monument for the Living – displaying in Tate Modern (fig 3: Monument for the living)
Professor Zeina, being from Lebanese origins, explained the story intended for the artwork to communicate. The sculpture is of the “El Murr” building, that was used as a sniper post during the civil war that took place in the seventies. Besides her vast expertise, I was touched at the human quality that surfaced as she told the story.
- Julie Mehretu responding to the Egyptian revolution by her painting Mogamma – being a refuge for the rebels during the 11-day revolution. Also, displaying in Tate modern (fig 4: Mogamma)
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I have few comments on this painting: the Mogamma does not signify the revolution, however, the Tahrir square does. Instead, the Mogamma is a signifier for bureaucracy and routine. The painting carries meanings for politics associated with power and oppression. Mehretu is known for her densily layered abstract paitnings, which explains her approach to the painting.
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Looking at these artworks one would reflect, as how interesting the way artists respond differently to events. For example, the El Murr sculpture was a direct representation of the Lebanese civil war, whereas, the Mogamma painting is an outline was rather an indirect message covered by layers of other locations of oppression and protests against injustice. Both carry political meanings of conflict, power and communal resistance.
Seeing those two artworks raised some questions in my mind as to the relationship between architecture and artists, and whether art can function as a way to communicate the history of nations through once artwork, one building!
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Appendix
Conversation with Prof. Zeina Klink-Hoppe
Zeina Klink-Hoppe: Z
Dalia Atteya: D
Constantinople: currently known as Istanbul and was the administrative capital of the Ottoman Empire
Top Kapi Palace: The Ottoman administrative centre during the 14th -18th centuries.
Introduction and Political Background
D: in my interdisciplinary project I am looking at DolmaBahche Saraiyi as one of the reasons the Empire ended. The history is not really clear about how it ended and why. There is no clear cut.
In order to for the ottomans to build the Saraiyi, they had to raise huge funds appx 35 tonns of golden.
Z: I wouldn’t consider Dolama Bahche as the main reason leading to the end, I would call it the tipping point before the end of the empire. In fact, there are a number of reasons, some political and some financial. The Ottomans whose land borders stretched to the Far East, west and North Africa.
Economically the empire depended partly on collecting revenue from the countries under its domain by collecting fees from ships passing through Ottoman land. As the British empire expanded, far east to India it started to create presence in strategic places where their own ships can pass through without the need to pass through Ottoman lands. During the 18th century, the ottomans were aware of the challenge and that no matter how big their land spot is, it is not generating as much profit as it did back in the 15th-17th centuries.
Gradually the Ottomans started engaging with their European neighbours in an attempt to Europeanise their country, it became more of a catch-up game, but Europe was always steps ahead.
At the beginning of WWI, the Ottomans had to stick to their existing allies including the German. After the loss the Ottomans had to recede back to their original borders before the 15th century in order to save Constantinople (Istanbul). Mustafa Kamala Attatork, who lead the transformation and re-invented Turkey during the 3rd and 4th decades of the 20th century, realized that it is not viable to revive the Empire, and since then, it is Turkey that we know nowadays.
D: The Ottomans ruled Egypt for 500 years, but it is not really clear how Egypt gained autonomy, and yet still under the Ottoman rule. Taking into consideration the Mohamed Aly in 1805 had reinvented Egypt, he and his successors had developed Egypt to a great extent until the final independence in 1956.
Z: In fact Egypt under Mohamed Ali’s rule and onward was not under Top Kapi, but was rather perceived as an independent province, and Mohamed Ali did not answer to Top Kapi. In fact Mohamed Ali was so powerful that he expanded the Egyptian territory south till Sudan and east till Syria, a situation that forced the Ottomans to sign a treaty with him to safeguard Constantinople which was otherwise was going to fall under his rule.
Art and the Ottoman Empire
D: About art, I believe painting was not popular at that time, but rather textile and embroidery.
Z: The late Ottoman period (19th century and on) was a very creative period for the Ottomans
D: I believe the miniature paintings were introduced at that time, as I’ve seen it in the V&A. I think they were influenced by the European art! What about the collections you have here in the museum?
Z: Most of it belongs to the 14th to 16th century I am afraid, as the museum is more concerned with the earlier periods
D: What kind of collaboration can take place between the museum and artists, or whether you witnessed any collaboration before?
Z: Some artists were inspired by some of our collections. There is the project “Voice of Iran” where the artist Shabour Pouyan has repainted Rustam slating the white div” Qazvin 1576-1577, but removed the central characters from the painting.
Similar Buildings
D: In my project I need to show how artists had responded to iconic buildings such as DolmaBahce. In that respect I thought of two artworks, both of them display in Tate Modern, Monument for the Living by Marwan Rechmaoui and “ Mogamma” by Julie Mehretu.
Z: Yes I know the building “Burj el Murr” it belongs to El Murr Family, this was meant to be a business building, but was never completed and was used as a sniper outpost during the civil war.
Then Prof. Zeina escorted me to see the collection and showed me the “Voice of Iran” collaboration project.
