By Vercİhan ZİflİoĞlu, *Call for brotherhood with philosophy of Anatolia's Yunus Emre* - Hürriyet Daily News - Istanbul, TurkeySunday, May 30, 2010
Three artists from different disciplines will carry the philosophy of famous Anatolian poet Yunus Emre, which calls for brotherhood and friendship, to the world.
During their live ‘Yunus Emre Five Senses’ performance, painter İsmail Acar, piano virtuoso Burçin Büke and opera artist Hakan Aysev will seek to present the humanism of the 13th Sufi mystic.
Seeking to bring the philosophy of one of Anatolia’s most beloved mystics to 21st-century audiences, three Turkish artists are preparing for a tour dedicated to the philosophy of the famous poet, Yunus Emre.
Famous painter İsmail Acar, piano virtuoso Burçin Büke and opera artist Hakan Aysev have collaborated for the event, exchanging views for a long period of time. The three performers have attempted to adopt the core of Sufi mystic Yunus Emre’s philosophy, which calls for friendship and brotherhood, during their performance, titled “Yunus Emre Five Senses.”
In line with this, the performers have affixed mirror on the back of each invitation for guests so that everyone coming can see their reflections, in accordance with Yunus Emre’s philosophy. Also, a special scent made up of a mixture of grass, soil, wood and rose, named “Nature Scent,” has been produced.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review, Acar said: “In my childhood, my friends and I used to wear our white pants and rush to the poppy fields like crazy. We three friends rushed to the poppy fields again with this project, returning to our childhood and enjoying it greatly.”
Highlighting Yunus Emre’s philosophy, Büke said: “Unfortunately, I only perceived the philosophy of this master poet in my advanced age and saw how I was estranged from my own culture. Yunus Emre’s message is very important. He offers wisdom to people in the simplest way, and we brought it together with music.”
Armenia, a most important destination
The common wish of the artists is to carry the project to the world. Armenia is the most important destination for them. “We have lived together for centuries. Enmity should end, and we should take a step toward friendship.”
Acar, who was born in the Central Anatolian province of Sivas, said: “Following the 1915 events, my grandfather and grandmother moved to a house belonging to Armenians and lived there together with two orphan Armenian children. I feel close to Armenians and believe the public should progress on the way to dialogue.”
Giving examples from Yunus Emre’s philosophy, Acar said: “In the 13th century, Turks, Armenians and Greeks lived together without conflict. Yunus Emre did not discriminate between them and highlighted all of them. Now why don’t we embrace each other with love?”
The performance will be accompanied by an exhibition by Acar. There will be a huge leaf on the stage and artists will take to the stage wearing multiple costumes in each performance. When asked about the leaf, Acar said: “The leaf symbolizes life. It bears fruit. In autumn, it turns yellow and falls from the tree, just like human life.”
Büke said audiences would be included in the performance. “We hope everyone will be a part of this performance to experience life together.”
The piano player has made two compositions for the performance. One of them is “Mongolian Horses,” in which one feels as if horses are running at a full gallop when listening. Büke said she was inspired by Turkish clans migrating from Central Asia when composing the song.
Dynamic performance depending on location
The “Yunus Emre Five Senses” performance will be on stage on June 28 at Istanbul’s Hagia Eireni and on Sept. 14 in the Mediterranean province of Adana.
It will be performed in its preliminary form in various Turkish cities from June until the end of the year, while, following the Istanbul and Adana dates, will also tour overseas.
The performance will take shape according to the culture of each country it passes through, with the primary goal of the artists being to introduce Yunus Emre’s philosophy to the world.
“We want this project to go global,” said Büke. “Our goal is to invite everyone to friendship and brotherhood without discriminating against anyone.”
Yunus Emre
Yunus Emre was a Turkish poet and Sufi mystic who lived in the 13th century and is known as one of the most important scholars in Islamic history.
He taught that subjects come before objects and that the essence of existence is “Man, who is the conscious creature. Before the creation of the universe, there existed Man. But this Man was not anything but God himself. As the conscious creature, Man is aware of his own existence; he exists with God, whose might fascinates him. This existence is spiritual.”
[Picture: The statuette of Yunus Emre in Büyükçekmece, Istanbul. Photo: Wiki.]
Three artists from different disciplines will carry the philosophy of famous Anatolian poet Yunus Emre, which calls for brotherhood and friendship, to the world.
During their live ‘Yunus Emre Five Senses’ performance, painter İsmail Acar, piano virtuoso Burçin Büke and opera artist Hakan Aysev will seek to present the humanism of the 13th Sufi mystic.
Seeking to bring the philosophy of one of Anatolia’s most beloved mystics to 21st-century audiences, three Turkish artists are preparing for a tour dedicated to the philosophy of the famous poet, Yunus Emre.
Famous painter İsmail Acar, piano virtuoso Burçin Büke and opera artist Hakan Aysev have collaborated for the event, exchanging views for a long period of time. The three performers have attempted to adopt the core of Sufi mystic Yunus Emre’s philosophy, which calls for friendship and brotherhood, during their performance, titled “Yunus Emre Five Senses.”
In line with this, the performers have affixed mirror on the back of each invitation for guests so that everyone coming can see their reflections, in accordance with Yunus Emre’s philosophy. Also, a special scent made up of a mixture of grass, soil, wood and rose, named “Nature Scent,” has been produced.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review, Acar said: “In my childhood, my friends and I used to wear our white pants and rush to the poppy fields like crazy. We three friends rushed to the poppy fields again with this project, returning to our childhood and enjoying it greatly.”
Highlighting Yunus Emre’s philosophy, Büke said: “Unfortunately, I only perceived the philosophy of this master poet in my advanced age and saw how I was estranged from my own culture. Yunus Emre’s message is very important. He offers wisdom to people in the simplest way, and we brought it together with music.”
Armenia, a most important destination
The common wish of the artists is to carry the project to the world. Armenia is the most important destination for them. “We have lived together for centuries. Enmity should end, and we should take a step toward friendship.”
Acar, who was born in the Central Anatolian province of Sivas, said: “Following the 1915 events, my grandfather and grandmother moved to a house belonging to Armenians and lived there together with two orphan Armenian children. I feel close to Armenians and believe the public should progress on the way to dialogue.”
Giving examples from Yunus Emre’s philosophy, Acar said: “In the 13th century, Turks, Armenians and Greeks lived together without conflict. Yunus Emre did not discriminate between them and highlighted all of them. Now why don’t we embrace each other with love?”
The performance will be accompanied by an exhibition by Acar. There will be a huge leaf on the stage and artists will take to the stage wearing multiple costumes in each performance. When asked about the leaf, Acar said: “The leaf symbolizes life. It bears fruit. In autumn, it turns yellow and falls from the tree, just like human life.”
Büke said audiences would be included in the performance. “We hope everyone will be a part of this performance to experience life together.”
The piano player has made two compositions for the performance. One of them is “Mongolian Horses,” in which one feels as if horses are running at a full gallop when listening. Büke said she was inspired by Turkish clans migrating from Central Asia when composing the song.
Dynamic performance depending on location
The “Yunus Emre Five Senses” performance will be on stage on June 28 at Istanbul’s Hagia Eireni and on Sept. 14 in the Mediterranean province of Adana.
It will be performed in its preliminary form in various Turkish cities from June until the end of the year, while, following the Istanbul and Adana dates, will also tour overseas.
The performance will take shape according to the culture of each country it passes through, with the primary goal of the artists being to introduce Yunus Emre’s philosophy to the world.
“We want this project to go global,” said Büke. “Our goal is to invite everyone to friendship and brotherhood without discriminating against anyone.”
Yunus Emre
Yunus Emre was a Turkish poet and Sufi mystic who lived in the 13th century and is known as one of the most important scholars in Islamic history.
He taught that subjects come before objects and that the essence of existence is “Man, who is the conscious creature. Before the creation of the universe, there existed Man. But this Man was not anything but God himself. As the conscious creature, Man is aware of his own existence; he exists with God, whose might fascinates him. This existence is spiritual.”
[Picture: The statuette of Yunus Emre in Büyükçekmece, Istanbul. Photo: Wiki.]
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment