Nobel-Winning writer Orhan Pamuk signed a protocol on 21 August with Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency providing support for founding the Museum of Innocence

Mr. Pamuk fancied a discourse with the management and staff of the Istanbul 2010 ECOC Agency after signed the protocol on behalf of the Foundation of Innocence which he had initiated for the Museum. The Museum of Innocence as described in the novel of the same name by Orhan Pamuk will be opened in Çukurcuma district where the peculiar architecture still holds. Once completed, the Museum will have realized a poetic and documentary representation of Istanbul culture from 1950 to 2000 through objects of daily use, photographs and motion pictures.

During the discourse hosted by Chairman of Executive Board 2010 Agency Mr. Şekip Avdagiç and Secretary General Mr.Yılmaz Kurt, Orhan Pamuk responded questions by the Istanbul 2010 ECOC staff and articulated that The Museum of the Innocence process would accelerate with the support from Istanbul 2010 ECOC Agency. Mr.Pamuk also said “It would be best if the Museum could open as the novel was released. But it did not happen. I will be able to complete the Museum promptly with your support.” Stating that the process for the Museum of Innocence has been going on for 11 years Mr.Pamuk added “Everything started with the building. Once I saw the building when I was taking my daughter to the school, I started thinking about the story of people who lived n that building. An architect friend of mine suggested that I should turn the building into a museum. The museum idea thus gradually developed in 11 years.”

Orhan Pamuk explained that he collected items which were supposed to be used by the roman characters from 1970s until mid-80’s, and that he left blanks on the novel fort he items he could not find, and only returned back to those blank chapters of the novel as he was able to find items involved.

Items which were mentioned in 80 of 83 chapters of the novel The Museum of Innocence, or skipped the reader’s attention while reading the book will be exhibited in the Museum in 80 different units. Mr.Pamuk counted those items as “lots of photographs pertaining to the era between 70’s and mid-80s, newspapers and a lot of objects we did not pay attention like a Vita box, a bottle cap, 4217 cigarette butts of Füsun…”

Reminding that Füsun and Kemal are continually glancing at each other in the novel, Mr.Pamuk told some collages were made out of “glancing scenes” from the Turkish melodramatic films as a tribute to glancing with an inspiration from famous looks of Türkan Şoray. Mr.Pamuk also underlined that this peculiar type of look stemmed from the looks in our traditional art of miniature.

Still collecting items for the Museum Mr.Pamuk told he was looking for hairgrips and bobby pins used by girls in 1970s or toothbrushes of those times. He said “Apparently those items were thrown away and nobody kept them. This is why they are hard to find.”

Telling funny anecdotes of finding items in Çukurcuma Mr.Pamuk notes he has been writing novels for 35 years and he is excited to do a “social work” for the first time with this Museum.

“This is not my museum. This just the museum of Innocence” says Mr. Pamuk to emphasize there will be no objects in the museum pertaining to himself or his other novels.

By the Project The Museum of Innocence to be opened in Tophane side of Çukurcuma district which has ancient streets that still keep the early 20th century architecture, the Istanbul 2010 ECOC Agency aims at promoting relatively less known districts of the city, raising awareness for protection and conveying the idea of modern personal museum to the oldest streets of Istanbul