This 12 square meter area is at the intersection of four roads. One side leads to Sirkeci, where sea, metro and train transportation are provided; one side to the Spice Bazaar, built in 1664 and visited by an average of 500,000 people a day; one side to the Grand Bazaar, which has existed since the Byzantine period and visited by 400,000 people a day; and the other side to the actively continuing market street. At the same time, Kuru Kahveci Mehmet Efendi, whose shop has been on the corner since 1871, is located. Therefore, this 12 square meter area is actually where all this crowd passes together.
I tried to define the area with a ambigious standard, arm size. I spent 1 hour within space and I went up to the roof of Kuru Kahveci Mehmet Efendi with permission between 10:00-11:00 pm, not much crowded time. It was an area of approximately 12 square meters. There was an interaction from all four sides. There were also people standing still. I walked in all directions, imitating people’s movements.
People felt strange and strange towards me. When they saw me taking measurements, they immediately asked me why I was doing it. In fact, although I was imitating them, they understood that I was not one of them. Although I did not visit during a very crowded time, there was still a flow. It had just started. No one was aware of the 12 square meters. When I mentioned the density of the area to those who asked about my work, the shop owners and employees who had been spending time there for years had only recently noticed it.
