Beyond Walls project by SAYPE in Istanbul


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Thursday, 15.10.2020 – Monday, 26.10.2020

Beyond Walls project Istanbul
Beyond Walls project Istanbul © Saype

The largest human chain in the world links Europe and Asia. Istanbul is the eighth step of the global "Beyond Walls" project that Saype initiated in June 2019 in Paris. It was born from fortuitous encounters and a will of the people to bring the largest human chain in the world to Istanbul. It is therefore a real collaborative and multilateral project. For a painter whose monumental works want to be bridges thrown between cultures, the city of Istanbul constitutes an essential stage, at the crossroads of the worlds of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

After connecting Europe and Africa, the gigantic hands of the universal farandole created by the French-Swiss will pass through the European side of the Bosphorus and cross the strait to arrive on the Asian coast. They will thus continue to draw from city to city, from continent to continent, an immense fraternal chain which will henceforth intertwine West and East.
The work carried out in Istanbul has benefited from the support of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Kültür A.Ş, the Municipality of Beşiktaş, the Boğaziçi University, the Consulate General of Switzerland, the French Institute in Turkey and UPS.

Three frescoes were created using biodegradable pigments made out of charcoal, chalk, water and milk proteins. The "Beyond Walls" aims at creating the largest symbolic human chain around the world promoting values such as togetherness, kindness and openness to the world. In Istanbul this step links Europe to Asia: one artwork was created at Bogazici University (2500 Sq. m) on the European side of the country, a second one was created in the Beykoz district (1600 Sq. m) on the Asian side and the two of them were linked by an artwork painted on a floating barge in the Golden Horn of the Bosphorus (2200 Sq. m). (Valentin Flauraud for Saype).

In collaboration with Saype, the Consulate General organised a workshop with architects, urban planners, graffiti artists, environmental specialists and producers of sustainable building materials. An enriching discussion took place on sustainability in the different areas and we are now looking forward to the next stage of the Beyond Walls project.

Location: Istanbul