ESCAPE JOURNEY INTO OUR CULTURE JOURNAL � I BODRUM ISSUE EDITOR'S NOTE 3 Dear friends, ’74Escape is a community platform that was born from a passion for exploring other people’s cultural experiences and making new discoveries through travel. Over time, the platform evolved into a wonderful collaborative and intimate space where we connect with friends from around the world, and share new finds and unforgettable memories. The emergence of a curated space and shop from this platform has always seemed like the next inevitable step. While the idea has long been on my mind, it was after enduring these last difficult months that the true philosophy and purpose began to take shape. Before we look outwards and explore, we must look within, and appreciate and celebrate our roots. Born from a heightened sense of unity and solidarity, this edition of the ’74Escape Store & Gallery hence intends to turn inwards, and shine a light on the creative and cultural production happening in Turkey today. This felt like an important time to activate our platform for the benefit of our community, and we have aimed to support our friends and their much loved brands, as well as newly discovered local designers, artisans and artists of Turkey. Istanbul is home to so many spirited brands that each share a unique vision and story that is rooted in our rich history, heritage and culture. The ’74Escape Store & Gallery at Maçakızı Bodrum this summer, celebrates and champions our homegrown talent, and offers a curated selection of exquisitely crafted contemporary works and products inspired by the Mediterranean way of life. I am so happy to also be able to share with you this summer this special issue, which intends to capture the soul and spirit of this project. I hope you enjoy these pages that evoke the energy of the Mediterranean coast through the works of the brilliant designers and artists that we had the pleasure of collaborating with. Along the way, we’re delighted to share with you a few stories of what makes Bodrum and Turkey such a truly magical place... DEMET MÜFTÜOĞLU EŞELİ FOUNDER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR CONTENTS 5 ESCAPE JOURNAL Special thanks to; ISSUE NO I SUMMER 2020 Aytül Ayke Fıratoğlu, Konca Aykan, Nazlı Pektaş, Nil Ertürk, Yonca Ebüzziya, Öykü Baştaş and Seda Domaniç for moderating PUBLISHER 6 ISTANBUL’74 the ‘74Escape podcasts with the ceramic artists and designers. Bodrum: A Love Story LIFESTYLE FOUNDER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR Demet Müftüoğlu Eşeli Special thanks to Melisa Tapan and Selin Selgur for modeling 8 ART DIRECTION & PRODUCTION the ‘74Escape collection for our spontaneous photoshoot. The Fisherman Of Halicarnassus and Bodrum ’74STUDIO Creative Agency LIFESTYLE DESIGNERS Special thanks to the wonderful Maçakızı Hotel team for all their Ayşe Şişmanoğlu 14 Ayşe Kap help and support in building the ‘74Escape Store & Gallery The Bodrum Gulet LIFESTYLE EDITORS space that we have dreamed of. Ela Perşembe Işıl İlkter 17 The Bodrum Tangerine CONTRIBUTING EDITORS CULINARY CULTURE Zeynep Yener Leyla Karakaş Hande Oynar 20 Sunny, Salty Keepsakes PHOTOGRAPHY LIFESTYLE Demet Müftüoğlu Eşeli Can Büyükkalkan Berkant Demirbek 32 Ceramic Works ARTS & CULTURE 50 Journey Into Our Culture FASHION 78 Escape to Nature FASHION 98 The Maçakızı Story TRAVEL 106 Q&A with Chef Vera Loulou and Chef Aret Sahakyan CULINARY CULTURE 108 Escapes TRAVEL 112 Ancient Unwinding Practice: Aromatherapy BEAUTY 6 LIFESTYLE 7 Bodrum: a Love Story hen Mausolus, who with his queen Artemisia, ruled over Halicarnassus back in the 4th century BC, died, Artemisia was so grief-stricken that she drank the ashes of her husband, which she has mixed with wine, in order to turn her body into his living tomb. And she hired the most talented Wartists and craftsmen of the time to create the most magnificent tomb in the world to house his remains. It was around 350 BC and Pytheos, the designer of the Athena temple at Priene CALL ME was the starchitect of the era. Artemisia commisioned him to supervise the architectural design of the memorial, and the glorifying reliefs to embellish it were left to the hands of Bryaxis, Leochares, Scopas, and Timotheus, each responsible for decorating one side of the gigantic marble structure. The sepulchral monument standing 45 metres tall on a hill overlooking the ARTEMISIA, Halicarnassus took three years to built. It was one of the tallest structures of its time, with 24 different layers featuring beautiful friezes and columns. Pytheos also sculpted the crowning piece, a four-horse chariot to stand atop the structure. The result was not only a showpiece of beauty, artistic and architectural ambition, but also of the purest and rarest kind of love. An elaborate monument constructed on the lamentations of a AND heart-broken widow who wanted it to be as big as her grief for her husband. Unfortunately, Artemisia never had the chance to visit the monumental grave of her husband, as she too died two years after him, before the tomb was completed. The Mausoleum became ‘theirs’, the eternal home of Mausolus and Artemisia - the perfect couple of the ancient World. Now reckoned among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Mausoleum I’LL CALL YOU survived more or less intact throughout antiquity, but couldn’t resist to the heavy eath- quakes of the middle ages. Today, there are only a few fragments remaining to indicate that it once existed. Even the site itself, which is little more than an earth pit with a few stones and column drums strewn about, has nothing to hint at what was once the great- est tomb in the world. MAUSOLUS. But Artemisia’s love for Mausolus lingers on every inch of Halicarnassus’ ancient soil, now called Bodrum. Words ZEYNEP YENER 8 LIFESTYLE 9 The Fisherman “I resembled the city to Aphrodite a little. In the early hours of the morning, she was born white from the sea. The sun was holding her by the arms and taking her out of the sea.” of Halicarnassus — The Fisherman of Halicarnassus, from Blue Exile. and Bodrum erhaps the most famous resident of Bodrum, Cevat Şakir Karaağaçlı was a historian, humanist, and ecologist. An incredible storyteller, he was a pursuer of dreams, and often he was dubbed as a modern Homer. His inspiration was the sea, nature, and the Bodrum peninsula, which led to his MediterraneanP discourse that set the foundation for Bodrum’s current fame. Born in Crete on April 17, 1886, to Mehmet Şakir Pasha, Ottoman High Commissioner to Crete, and Sare İsmet Hanım, Cevat Şakir’s family was abundant with talented artists and writers who would play important roles in the Turkish cultural scene. Two of his sisters were Fahrelnisa Zeid and Aliye Berger, who would become famed painters, while his niece Füreya, daughter of his eldest sister, went on to become an inspiring ceramic artist. Coming from an excellent education, Alumni of Robert College and Oxford University, he spoke many languages with commanding fluency, including English, Arabic, French, Old and New Greek, and Latin. Then, he The Fisherman of Halicarnassus moved to Italy to study painting after discovering that he did not want to pursue (Halikarnas Balıkçısı) academic endeavors. He returned to the country with an Italian wife and child, which Photograph Ara Güler his family did not approve of; this set a heated quarrel between Cevat Şakir and his Courtesy of Ara Güler Museum & Doğuş Group Words IŞIL İLKTER father leading to the death of his father. 10 LIFESTYLE 11 BEGINNING OF A LOVE AFFAIR After the series of unfortunate events unfolded, he was exiled to this small Aegean town. He was supposed to stay in the Bodrum Castle. However, the castle was in ruins. Instead, he settled in a distant fisherman’s town, reporting each day to the police. He struggled to fit in here at first. Then, he realized that away from modern life’s troubles, this place was a paradise. It was just what he needed. So, his lifelong love affair with Bodrum began. “I resembled the city to Aphrodite a little. In the early hours of the morning, she was born white from the sea. The sun was holding her by the arms and taking her out of the sea.” This is how Cevat Şakir recounted his first meeting with Bodrum in his book “Blue Exile.” Up Cevat Şakir wrote some of his works in this small coastal town and adopted the nickname The Fisherman of Halicarnassus (Halikarnas Balıkçısı) the Fisherman of Halicarnassus, based on Ancient Greek Halikarnassos for Bodrum. The use of word Photograph Ara Güler fisherman is actually not an irony. Often, Cevat Şakir went fishing in Bodrum and spent time with the Courtesy of Museum & Doğuş Group sponge divers. He even developed new tools for fishers. From its flora, sea currents, and winds, Cevat Şakir dedicated himself to learn everything about Bodrum. He invested all his money in books about On the right agriculture, seeds, and fishing practices. He looked after the town. Besides almost all citrus trees in Photography Jane Laroche Bodrum, he planted 45 species of seeds and trees in Bodrum. Courtesy of SALT Research, IFEA 12 LIFESTYLE 13 BLUE VOYAGE TRADITION He wanted more people to meet this beautiful coves that were impossible to reach through the town, but there was a mishap. The transportation land and explored archaeological remains that were means and roads in Bodrum back in the day were unnoticed. They witnessed the long-standing history almost nonexistent. He had to try going around the and past of Asia Minor where it met the marine peninsula by sea. Like Odysseus who ultimately culture. Assuming a lifestyle that fits the spirit of the mastered the waters ruled by Poseidon, he wanted blue voyage, they abandoned the newspaper and the to set out on a journey to learn about every cove radio; they slept at the deck and spent time fishing.