No Further Records: Reşad Ekrem Koçu and Istanbul Encyclopedia Archive

No Further Records: Reşad Ekrem Koçu and Istanbul Encyclopedia Archive sheds light on the unpublished sections of the Istanbul Encyclopedia to which historian and novelist Reşad Ekrem Koçu (1905–1975) devoted most of his life. Organized by Salt in collaboration with Kadir Has University, the exhibition focuses on the articles that had remained in the design stage of the publishing effort, following the 11 volumes of the encyclopedia printed until the letter “G” during Koçu’s lifetime.

The archival materials comprise drafts for the articles, clippings, collages, and drawings, revealing the privileged position of Koçu in historiography as he had set out to manifest, in his own words, the “grand register” of Istanbul. At the same time, the exhibition seeks to comprehend the idiosyncratic elements of the encyclopedia and what makes this work a grand register.

Spreading across Salt Galata, the exhibition takes the building’s location as an urban focal point, and presents a selection of materials in a framework shaped around the neighborhoods of Karaköy and Galata. It highlights the particular urban image that Koçu created about Galata, its immediate surroundings, and its inhabitants from the early 19th century to the mid-20th century. The “lowlives” who lived in the urban space surrounding the building in question for a century and those who existed outside the traditional neighborhood order of Istanbul are traced in the archive. This line of inquiry pursues the uncanny elements of the city under the guidance of Koçu rather than a repetition of narratives situated on the home-neighborhood-monument axis, which constitutes the majority of urban studies.

Koçu’s Istanbul Encyclopedia also includes “serious” topics of urban history. Yet, the historian does not bring a new approach to these topics; instead, he uses such issues to produce a ground of legitimization for Istanbul’s “grand register.” Urban history studies focusing on streets, buildings, objects, or demographic movements gain components previously unrecorded within the framework Koçu constructed. In particular, the statement “no further records have been found” at the end of some of the articles exemplifies the point where one may go beyond official historiography, looking into the city of those with no other records.

In parallel with the exhibition, the printed volumes of the Istanbul Encyclopedia and a collection of approximately 40,000 items have been digitized and will soon be accessible online. Offering a different perspective on 19th and 20th century Istanbul, the exhibition and the archive will be accompanied by an e-publication with contributions of researchers from diverse fields. Public programs accompanying the exhibition will be announced via saltonline.org and Salt’s social media channels.

No Further Records: Reşad Ekrem Koçu and Istanbul Encyclopedia Archive is programmed by architectural historian Bülent Tanju, researcher Cansu Yapıcı, and Gülce Özkara (Programmer) and Masum Yıldız (Archivist) from Salt, in collaboration with Emirhan Altuner (Design and Production) and Kadir Has University. Artist Cem Dinlenmiş contributed to the exhibition with illustrations inspired by the encyclopedia. A joint project of Salt and Kadir Has University, the archival and research project was initiated in 2018 by Meriç Öner (Former Director of Salt Research and Programs) and architect-academic Arzu Erdem.

Founded in 2011 by Garanti BBVA, Salt is a not-for-profit cultural institution in public service engaging in research, exhibitions, publications, web projects, and public programs. The institution works at the intersections of different disciplines such as visual practices, the built environment, social life, and economic history. With its library and archive, Salt Research provides public access to the institution’s print and digital resources while contributing to the development of local and regional memory through its expanding collections.