Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Istanbul London? Yeah!

NPP took a taste of Turkey to London under the title of:

PEACE AT HOME
PEACE IN THE WORLD

9 Adam Street, The Strand, London WC1
www.adamstreet.co.uk
28 Jan – 11 Feb 2006

As well as paintings, the taste included Cikolatı Lokum from The Marmara Pera hotel and Kurukahveci Mehmet Effendi Turkish coffee. SETUR arranged the flights to and from London. We also flew a live Mevlevi to spin for our guests.

Photography by Abdulkadir Besikci & NPP.

According to the story Noah’s Ark came to rest on Mount Ararat in present day Eastern Turkey. The dove, olive branch and 7 colours of the rainbow signalled the end of the great flood.

The whirling dervish movement was founded in Konya, Central Turkey by Jelaleddin Mevlana Rumi (1207-1273). He proclaimed love as the dynamic force and his Sema dance represents the mystical journey of people’s spiritual ascent through mind and love to perfection. There are 7 parts to the Sema ceremony, the 7th part being a prayer for the repose of the souls of all prophets and believers. According to Rumi, love is the positive energy that is responsible for interaction between particles, thus connecting everything with everything else in the universe. So everything in the universe is interdependent.

The secular democratic Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923 consisting of 7 internal regions and touched by 7 bordering countries: Greece, Bulgaria, Armenia, Georgia, Syria, Iran and Iraq.

To create awareness for the Rainbow Bridge peace project and its related 7 synergy, on Tuesday 7th February at 7pm a Mevalana “Whirling Dervish” turned at Adam Street Club in a meditation and philosophy of peace, announcing the message:

“Come, come who ever you are, however you are, just come.”

The founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, left the country with a standard-bearer slogan for the nation: PEACE AT HOME, PEACE IN THE WORLD.

We didn't expect world peace to break out over night, but every little drop helps make an ocean. NPP hoped visitors learnt a little bit more about Turkiye and the messages of peace originating from a country where East meets West.

The invitation

Xmas Card e-mail to Adam Street members

Brian Sewell? Yeah!

Ned & Brian Sewell, art critic for London's Evening Standard newspaper.
Brian says Ned has a "painterly" style.

Standing in The Strand.

Steve Swales, head sculptor at Madame Tusaud's.

From Istanbul to London, our Adam Street Dervis, Selcuk Gurez.

Mum.

Dad.

Ned with Tolga Tuyluoglu, Turkey's Cultural Attache in London

Our sponsors: The Marmara? Yeah! SETUR? Yeah!
Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi? Yeah!
DHL? No comment.

Adam Street Members Club - the gallery...


Adam Street Members Club - the front door entrance.