Scratches, seams, fractures, scars… in short, the traces of a life lived.



Each one carries a story within. Some traces demand to be seen. Once brought into the light, they transform into something greater. They breathe life into an object, freeing it from its mold and turning it into a symbol beyond the object itself.&nbsp;



The Japanese art of kintsugi carries this very philosophy. Broken pieces are joined with urushi, a natural lacquer, then dusted with gold. Instead of being hidden, the fractures are illuminated. What emerges is a whole far more valuable than before: for every repaired fragment holds the mark of labor and a new layer of meaning.



Raw edges, visible seams, and details left intentionally undone…&nbsp; Just as urushi reveals the gold in kintsugi, Prada’s “Raw Refinement” turns every mark into a story. The fingerprints of the hands that bring each piece together are made visible, like fragments bound again through urushi. And in this way, every piece gains a story that is entirely its own.



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Like an oak etched with names and weathered by time, the Shetland wool dress stands before us as a keeper of untold tales.The seams, left visible by the tailor’s intent, mirror a fearless spirit. Unaffected by the coldness of mass production, it carries the fingerprints that shaped it with pride.&nbsp;



The raw leather fragments spilling from the seams of the pumps offer a gaze turned toward the traces of the past. The piece’s untouched beginning and its finished form are bound into one body. Prada’s own savage technique is the urushi of these creations: the marks of scissors and the worn leather surface ripple across the piece.



The bag rests with a grace surrendered to the flow of time. Its soft creases and burnished patina, evoke the sense of a memory still alive – a story that began years ago and has taken on flesh with a beating heart.



For years, beauty was synonymous with perfection. Human nature is drawn to binaries – we are eager to define everything through opposites aren’t we? But beauty, at times, must hold duality; it must carry life. With these pieces, Prada rewrites the perception, showing that beauty is displayed not on a spotless canvas, but in the marks a story leaves behind.



Words by<span style="font-size: revert; text-align: right; color: initial; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif;"> Duru Ustaoğlu



All images courtesy of <span style="font-size: revert; text-align: right; color: initial; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif;"> Prada

Raw. Refined.

Objectification, ownership, exposure through public image, and the multiplication of the self as a way out of the tiny cage created by the public eye. It could be named as an expansion strategy: if one body is not enough, many can resist the mould. Or maybe it’s a suck-it strategy: If you see me as an object, yes I can design myself as one and just be it.&nbsp;



Bianca Censori debuted her first exhibition BIO POP in Seoul. Dressed in a red latex bodysuit, she stood inside a fully metal kitchen, baking a cake. The gesture felt ceremonial, almost devotional, as if the act itself was a cherry on top to the public gaze. Censori wants her cake, and she wants to eat it too.



The performance staged Censori in red, surrounded by her doppelgangers in nude. All wore identical wigs, masks and skin-tight latex bodysuits by Japanese designer Shigenari Kido. As she baked, only the kitchen was lighted up and the rest remained dark. Once she finished baking the cake, she went off to serve it in the living room. The curtains lifted, revealing a living room of objects, all versions of her, trapped.



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Hidden behind the curtains, the living room exposed fractured versions of the self, trapped inside a table, a chair, a chandelier. Her doppelgangers were no longer bodies but objects. Here, Censori made the objectification that comes with womanhood palpable, exposing how domesticity and femininity enforce self-constraint through rigid, internalised systems. Motherhood is where this logic often begins and, ironically, domesticity positions women as “the Other.”



The BIO POP statement frames domesticity as the quiet origin of all revolutions, the private training ground from which public identities emerge:



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Censori is not the first to address objectification and domesticity within womanhood. What distinguishes BIO POP is its refusal to keep the critique abstract. By tracing how ritualistic domestic habits shape our public personas, the work redirects the viewer’s attention toward the artist’s own limits: the unstable line between performance and humiliation, control and objectification. It is a tension Censori does not resolve, but deliberately sustains.



And this is only the beginning. BIO POP marks the first chapter of a seven-part cycle unfolding over the next seven years, a sequence of reliquaries, confessions, sacrifices, and rebirths. Less a single statement than a long-form excavation of how identity is rehearsed, repeated, and ultimately performed back to us.

BIO POP and the Spectacle of Objectification

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From Based Istanbul 10th Anniversary &#8220;Brave Monologues&#8221; Issue. <a href="https://shop.basedistanbul.com/">Buy your copy here!</a>



“Creativity isn’t safe. It’s not meant to be. It’s a “brave monologue” you deliver to the world, hoping someone will hear it, knowing you’d say it even if they didn’t. It’s the 10th year of our journey to be ourselves. And no apologies. None.” 



Creative Direction and Interview by<span style="font-size: revert; text-align: right; color: initial; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif;"> Duygu Bengi



Directed by Melike Müge Şahin



<em style="font-size: revert; text-align: right; color: initial; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif;">Styled by Tuğçe Özakdağ



<em style="font-size: revert; text-align: right; color: initial; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif;">Makeup by Aslı Bilge



Hair by Kenan Şen



Creative Agency BI Creative



Creative Team Duru Ustaoğlu, Yankı Tan



Styling Assistant Aleyna Aslan



Gaffer Ömer Rauf Aksoy



Makeup Assistants Arzu Sezar



Performer Gizem Seçkin



Special Thanks to Emirkanshop

Based Istanbul TV: EXISTENCE PRECEDES ESSENCE

Isn’t the holiday season supposed to feel warm, calm, and quietly joyful? Then why does walking into certain spaces in December feels like being hit with visual noise instead of comfort?



At what point did decorating stop being about atmosphere and start becoming a competition in excess? Why does “festive” so often translates to overwhelming? Too bright, too loud, too much of everything at once?



Why do outdoor displays look exhausted before the season even begins, with sagging inflatables and blinking figures that seem as tired as the people who set them up? Do decorations really need to move, flash, sing, and demand attention all at the same time?



What happened to the lighting we used to love? Why does it burn our eyes instead of glowing? Is there a reason holiday lights now resemble emergency signals or nightclub strobes rather than something you’d want to relax near? When did cozy lose to chaotic?



Indoors isn’t much better. Why do decorations shout instead of whisper? Why does every surface need to be covered, every corner filled, every tree overloaded with novelty items competing for attention? Isn’t the point to create a mood, not visual clutter?



Then there are the decorations that feel strangely hostile: figures that laugh unexpectedly, lights that switch on when you walk past, oversized characters staring just a little too long. Who decided the holiday season needed jump scares?&nbsp;



Maybe the real issue isn’t taste, budget, or trends. Maybe it’s intention. Decorations are supposed to support a feeling, not overpower it. They’re meant to make people linger, not feel overstimulated or eager to escape.



So when seasonal decor replaces warmth with noise and comfort with chaos, does it still serve its purpose? Or does it quietly undo the very mood it’s meant to create? Because if decorations make a space feel less inviting during a season built on togetherness, then something has clearly gone wrong.

When Holiday Season Decorations Ruin the Mood

Superstardom, heroism, glam, technology and fashion all wrapped in one neat package. Over more than a year on the road, Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism Tour wrapped in Mexico City as a masterclass in how pop can be built today; Apple turning the tour into a Shot on iPhone spectacle, YSL Beauty shaping the glam vocabulary, both hinting at a new era where artist collaborations become part of the show’s architecture rather than marketing add-ons. Want to grab a bite?



Dua closed the era on December 5, after flying across four continents for 81 shows, in Mexico City with what she pointedly called her last dance.&nbsp;“This journey has been an absolute whirlwind of emotions,” she shared. “When I think back to where it all began in November last year, and every culture and pinch-me moment since… it honestly brings tears to my eyes.”



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It was a class act with an encyclopaedia of unforgettable moments. Dua paid homage to each city’s unique creative voices, positioning herself as a unifying musician who absorbs and reflects the sound of wherever she travels.&nbsp;New York had Lenny Kravitz and Billie Joe Armstrong; Liverpool had the glam sheen of YSL Beauty; London saw Jamiroquai shake up Wembley; Sydney brought Tame Impala; Melbourne welcomed Vance Joy and an entire book’s worth of artists impossible to list in one breath.



Radical Optimism unfolds in curated acts, each shifting mood, colour, and emotional temperature. Clear references from Baz Luhrmann shapes the core of the visual direction specifically from his works of “The Fifth Element”, “Romeo + Juliet (1996)”. The youthful intensity of Luhrmann’s aesthetic dominates the cinematograpy with hyper-saturated color palettes that becoma a distinctive part of the show with neon accents and that signature romanticism. This is directly hinted, as the official production notes for Radical Optimism mention that staging and video graphics “mix natural and ‘surreal’ landscapes. And forgive me for stating the obvious, but am I the only one who felt the entire tour had an undertone of Black Swan?&nbsp;



The conceptual framework leans into elemental symbolism. As simple as it sounds, the tour carves out its own niche reading of it, hinting at Marina Abramović’s dramaturgy and her signature thematic cycles. Structurally it all breaks down piece by piece giving way to a new element which corresponds to a different part of the show; shifting its lighting, pace and narrative.



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Moving on from that same approach, take a look at that firey circle and tell me it doesnt remind you of Alexander McQueen’s Joan (SS99). A ring of fire circles Dua, directly recalling that iconic Laetitia Casta moment engulfed in flames. Dua’s version swaps martyrdom for empowerment: lace, corsetry, a heroine refusing to burn. The reference is clear to anyone who has ever loved a runway.



Dua is absolutely no stranger when it comes to fashion, in the talented hands of Lorenzo Posocco the tour was basically a fashion editorial in itself. Spectacles like Karl Lagerfelds’ &nbsp;iconic Christy Turlington Chanel couture look was brought back to life in a bodysuit and was directly cited from the archive. Full of custom pices, each part of the show was in dialogue with the visual direction of their respective section. Drama, energy, romanticism, femininity… All in order.&nbsp;



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Blonde ambition, satin busts, fetishism remind you of anyone? Garments from Jean Paul Gaultier’s corsetry opened the night whereas Valentino provided the grounded, lace-heavy silhouettes picturing an elegant and anchored version of Dua. Schiaparelli was there with&nbsp;surrealist sculptural bodices featuring gold&nbsp;appliqués and anatomical shapes as always. And of course, Balenciaga handles the ferality in a very feminine manner with white faux-fur, red velvet, lingerie. Phenomenol job Lorenzo, nothing else to say here.



In the end, the tour delivered what its name promised and engineered a space for emotional release, spectacle, and creative cross-pollination. Between Apple’s POV cinema, YSL Beauty’s glam language, fashion resurrected from the archives and musicians from across the world woven in, Dua built a template for a new kind of touring era. And honestly, she left us hungry for more — even after all 81 shows.

Dua Lipa Ends ‘Radical Optimism Tour’ With One Last Dance

It was Umberto Eco who said, “Books are the compass of the mind, pointing toward countless worlds yet to be explored.” With Library of Us, Es Devlin turns that sentence into a physical reality. Her 50-foot-wide rotating triangular bookshelf, holding more than 2,500 books and texts that shaped her thinking, her living, and her practice, reads like a tribute: a way of honouring the minds that formed her own, a gesture of respect toward the pages that built her.



But who said reading had to stay a solo act? We’re living in a hyper-individualistic age, glued to our phones like they’re digital umbilical cords, doom-scrolling our way through the day. Reading ten pages feels like earning a gold star from an inner teacher we haven’t met in years. Everything arrives instantly, visually, and our imagination barely gets the workout it used to. You can’t doom-scroll collectively… but you can read collectively.



Reading is often solitary, yes. But it’s always had the quiet ability to bring people together. A sentence can spark a conversation, a paragraph can shift the air between strangers. That’s exactly what Devlin leans into with Library of Us: she takes something private and turns it outward, letting it land between people, not just inside them.



The woman who has built some of the world’s most memorable stages now builds one for the sources that shaped her own mind. And the architecture says it all. At the centre sits a glowing triangular structure, slowly turning like a mirrored compass needle trying to find its direction. Around it, a circular pool; around that, a long reading table she sets each morning with her own annotated books; underlines, scribbles, margins full of thoughts… all left open for visitors to fall into.



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The reading experience is choreographed as carefully as one of her stage designs. The outer ring of stools remains still, a space for quiet focus. The inner ring rotates gently with the bookshelf, drawing its readers into motion. With each gradual shift, a new book comes into view, a new face appears across the table, and reading transforms into a slow, shared orbit: part meditation, part encounter: turning reading into a collective act.



Even the bookshelf itself becomes a voice. One of its shelves houses a LED ribbon that streams lines from 250 texts, and Devlin’s voice echoes through the library reading those lines out. Her voice is layered with compositions by the British collective Polyphonia, makes this installation into something more than a library… a living chorus of literature, circulating through the room like breath.

 Es Devlin’s Library Of Us Makes Reading a Collective Act

Indie boys, punk rockers, skaters, misfits unite! Converse takes over the block with their latest collaboration with DRKSHDW, continuing an architectural aesthetic blended with punk generation codes.&nbsp;



The ONESTR collaboration, honours the DIY heritage that has long defined Converse with a new edge. Rick Owens&#8217; whole aesthetic (and, the DRKSHDW line, obviously!) has a reputation for distorting iconic silhouettes to breathe new life into them. The familiar low-top shape is retained, but the sneaker now wears a full pony-hair upper that gives it an edgy, tactile texture.



The design is completed with details like the Rick Owens–specific spiral-woven label, the saw-tooth outsole, and the molded rubber heel, carrying all the signature elements of the Converse x DRKSHDW aesthetic language. What makes this project resonate is the way it brings two distinct subcultures into one story. The skate-rooted One Star has long been a staple for punk kids and street culture, while DRKSHDW speaks to a cult world built on gothic minimalism.



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Fronting the campaign is interdisciplinary artist and legendary ballroom commentator Precious Ebony, a figure who embodies the defiant elegance Rick Owens gravitates toward. Owens recalls first seeing her at a Paris voguing ball eight years ago, later inviting her to perform at his Milan Triennale retrospective after-party; a moment he describes as “one of the most magnificent nights of my life.” Rebellion, beauty, fluidity, and presence are all shaped in a single act that defined the visual poetry of what we see today.



By pairing a vulcanized skate sole with authentic branding and exaggerated proportions, the shoe channels the rebellious energy of punk. Converse x DRKSHDW ONESTR is here, ready to be discovered on selected stores and converse.com.tr!

A New Cult Classic From An Old Cult Classic

Blazy is slowly taking over the most popular cities in the world. After his debut in Paris Fashion Week, now he took over New York. And he pulled something that truly matched the city’s spirit: the metro.



You may have never thought that Chanel would fit with the energy of public transportation. But sometimes, opposites attract. The show took place in the abandoned train platform at the Bowery stop. With looks that gathered women all around the world, Blazy described it as Character-driven: A journalist from the 70s and an 80s businesswoman that looks like she could rule the world, collided in one stop.&nbsp;



The show resembled a movie set: which is clearly what Blazy was trying to do: “There are two ways. First, it was inspired by the history of Gabrielle Chanel and when she came to America. I like the fact that she came here to do costumes for cinema, which is a very simple, efficient story. I lived in New York for many years, and I always find the city almost like an actor in a movie. It’s always the main character. So for this show, I was thinking about cinema.”&nbsp;



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The front row felt like its own film cast. Margaret Qualley a.k.a Chanel’s ambassador of cool, slipped in alongside Tilda Swinton, Kristen Stewart, Jessie Buckley, and the eternally untouchable Linda Evangelista. Even Rose Byrne, Riley Keough, and Jon Bon Jovi found their way underground. It was the kind of guest list that nearly upstaged the set itself: almost.



And honestly, where else on earth would you catch Martin Scorsese gossiping with A$AP Rocky on a subway platform?



In the end, Blazy didn’t just bring Chanel to New York, he let New York perform. A city that never pretends, a brand that’s built on intention, meeting on a forgotten platform underground.&nbsp;



It felt like a reminder that fashion still has the power to surprise us: not by being louder, but by being exact. And for a moment, the metro became the most glamorous place in the world.

The Subway Has Never Looked This Chic

Creating a magazine still feels both surreal and deeply real — it’s hard to believe a whole decade has gone by. Time moves fast especially when your mind is full of ideas, and your only motivation to bring them to life is your own will. Creativity doesn’t ask for permission. It just kicks the door open and walks in. Suddenly, it takes the center of your life. The concept of time disappears. It’s just you and your dreams. Sometimes in the midst of grand, dazzling crowds; sometimes alone in a room. Everyone who claims to be by your side is there only to a certain point. That’s not a cold or harsh statement, it’s reality. But it’s not the kind that hurts; it’s the kind that simply is. The moment you start making things to please everyone, you stop making them for yourself. Rules can be useful, sure, but they’re also fences. And fences aren’t for people who want to see how far the horizon goes.&nbsp;Don’t be afraid if your ideas scatter things, if they make everything take a more chaotic form. Listen not to the rules, but to your inner voice.



Being creative with no rules means&nbsp;embracing the messy middle&nbsp;— the chaos that seems meaningless at first but gains meaning in the end; the confusion that looks wrong but feels like magic; the idea that you fear to share because it feels too much like you. That fear? It’s the sign that you’ve touched something real.



Creativity isn&#8217;t safe. It&#8217;s not meant to be. It&#8217;s a &#8220;brave monologue&#8221; you deliver to the world, hoping someone will hear it, knowing you&#8217;d say it even if they didn&#8217;t. It&#8217;s the 10th year of our journey to be ourselves. And no apologies. None. There never have been, and there never will be. Some may find meaning in what we do; others may not. For some, we’re simply creators — for others, much more, or perhaps less. We owe no one an explanation for the colors we choose or the worlds we build to express ourselves.



If what you create moves someone, perhaps it’s because you’ve awakened something that has long been dormant within them. We are glad our paths have crossed on this journey. And now, it’s time to celebrate how extraordinary this journey has been — how extraordinary it is, and how extraordinary it will continue to be. Knowledge is a synergic effort. Gathering is a strength. A shared reality is a lived experience. Together, we reflect a collective encounter where individuality meets a common purpose. Together, we create a power greater than the sum of our parts. Together, we carry the excitement of what we have done and what we will do. The magazine you hold in your hands is the result of ten years of staying together and being us. If we’re meeting among these words today, then you are one of us. And thank you for joining us on this journey.



<a href="https://shop.basedistanbul.com/">Click here</a>&nbsp;to buy a copy.&nbsp;

BASED ISTANBUL NO 45

Creating a magazine still feels both surreal and deeply real — it’s hard to believe a whole decade has gone by. Time moves fast especially when your mind is full of ideas, and your only motivation to bring them to life is your own will. Creativity doesn’t ask for permission. It just kicks the door open and walks in. Suddenly, it takes the center of your life. The concept of time disappears. It’s just you and your dreams. Sometimes in the midst of grand, dazzling crowds; sometimes alone in a room. Everyone who claims to be by your side is there only to a certain point. That’s not a cold or harsh statement, it’s reality. But it’s not the kind that hurts; it’s the kind that simply is. The moment you start making things to please everyone, you stop making them for yourself. Rules can be useful, sure, but they’re also fences. And fences aren’t for people who want to see how far the horizon goes.&nbsp;Don’t be afraid if your ideas scatter things, if they make everything take a more chaotic form. Listen not to the rules, but to your inner voice.



Being creative with no rules means&nbsp;embracing the messy middle&nbsp;— the chaos that seems meaningless at first but gains meaning in the end; the confusion that looks wrong but feels like magic; the idea that you fear to share because it feels too much like you. That fear? It’s the sign that you’ve touched something real.



Creativity isn&#8217;t safe. It&#8217;s not meant to be. It&#8217;s a &#8220;brave monologue&#8221; you deliver to the world, hoping someone will hear it, knowing you&#8217;d say it even if they didn&#8217;t. It&#8217;s the 10th year of our journey to be ourselves. And no apologies. None. There never have been, and there never will be. Some may find meaning in what we do; others may not. For some, we’re simply creators — for others, much more, or perhaps less. We owe no one an explanation for the colors we choose or the worlds we build to express ourselves.



If what you create moves someone, perhaps it’s because you’ve awakened something that has long been dormant within them. We are glad our paths have crossed on this journey. And now, it’s time to celebrate how extraordinary this journey has been — how extraordinary it is, and how extraordinary it will continue to be.Knowledge is a synergic effort. Gathering is a strength. A shared reality is a lived experience. Together, we reflect a collective encounter where individuality meets a common purpose. Together, we create a power greater than the sum of our parts. Together, we carry the excitement of what we have done and what we will do. The magazine you hold in your hands is the result of ten years of staying together and being us. If we’re meeting among these words today, then you are one of us. And thank you for joining us on this journey.



<a href="https://shop.basedistanbul.com/">Click here</a>&nbsp;to buy a copy.

Creating a magazine still feels both surreal and deeply real — it’s hard to believe a whole decade has gone by. Time moves fast especially when your mind is full of ideas, and your only motivation to bring them to life is your own will. Creativity doesn’t ask for permission. It just kicks the door open and walks in. Suddenly, it takes the center of your life. The concept of time disappears. It’s just you and your dreams. Sometimes in the midst of grand, dazzling crowds; sometimes alone in a room. Everyone who claims to be by your side is there only to a certain point. That’s not a cold or harsh statement, it’s reality. But it’s not the kind that hurts; it’s the kind that simply is. The moment you start making things to please everyone, you stop making them for yourself. Rules can be useful, sure, but they’re also fences. And fences aren’t for people who want to see how far the horizon goes.&nbsp;Don’t be afraid if your ideas scatter things, if they make everything take a more chaotic form. Listen not to the rules, but to your inner voice.



Being creative with no rules means&nbsp;embracing the messy middle&nbsp;— the chaos that seems meaningless at first but gains meaning in the end; the confusion that looks wrong but feels like magic; the idea that you fear to share because it feels too much like you. That fear? It’s the sign that you’ve touched something real.



Creativity isn&#8217;t safe. It&#8217;s not meant to be. It&#8217;s a &#8220;brave monologue&#8221; you deliver to the world, hoping someone will hear it, knowing you&#8217;d say it even if they didn&#8217;t. It&#8217;s the 10th year of our journey to be ourselves. And no apologies. None. There never have been, and there never will be. Some may find meaning in what we do; others may not. For some, we’re simply creators — for others, much more, or perhaps less. We owe no one an explanation for the colors we choose or the worlds we build to express ourselves.



If what you create moves someone, perhaps it’s because you’ve awakened something that has long been dormant within them. We are glad our paths have crossed on this journey.And now, it’s time to celebrate how extraordinary this journey has been — how extraordinary it is, and how extraordinary it will continue to be.Knowledge is a synergic effort. Gathering is a strength. A shared reality is a lived experience. Together, we reflect a collective encounter where individuality meets a common purpose. Together, we create a power greater than the sum of our parts. Together, we carry the excitement of what we have done and what we will do.The magazine you hold in your hands is the result of ten years of staying together and being us. If we’re meeting among these words today, then you are one of us. And thank you for joining us on this journey.



<a href="https://shop.basedistanbul.com/">Click here</a> to buy a copy.

Creating a magazine still feels both surreal and deeply real — it’s hard to believe a whole decade has gone by. Time moves fast especially when your mind is full of ideas, and your only motivation to bring them to life is your own will. Creativity doesn’t ask for permission. It just kicks the door open and walks in. Suddenly, it takes the center of your life. The concept of time disappears. It’s just you and your dreams. Sometimes in the midst of grand, dazzling crowds; sometimes alone in a room. Everyone who claims to be by your side is there only to a certain point. That’s not a cold or harsh statement, it’s reality. But it’s not the kind that hurts; it’s the kind that simply is. The moment you start making things to please everyone, you stop making them for yourself. Rules can be useful, sure, but they’re also fences. And fences aren’t for people who want to see how far the horizon goes.&nbsp;Don’t be afraid if your ideas scatter things, if they make everything take a more chaotic form. Listen not to the rules, but to your inner voice.



Being creative with no rules means&nbsp;embracing the messy middle&nbsp;— the chaos that seems meaningless at first but gains meaning in the end; the confusion that looks wrong but feels like magic; the idea that you fear to share because it feels too much like you. That fear? It’s the sign that you’ve touched something real.



Creativity isn&#8217;t safe. It&#8217;s not meant to be. It&#8217;s a &#8220;brave monologue&#8221; you deliver to the world, hoping someone will hear it, knowing you&#8217;d say it even if they didn&#8217;t. It&#8217;s the 10th year of our journey to be ourselves. And no apologies. None. There never have been, and there never will be. Some may find meaning in what we do; others may not. For some, we’re simply creators — for others, much more, or perhaps less. We owe no one an explanation for the colors we choose or the worlds we build to express ourselves.



If what you create moves someone, perhaps it’s because you’ve awakened something that has long been dormant within them. We are glad our paths have crossed on this journey.And now, it’s time to celebrate how extraordinary this journey has been — how extraordinary it is, and how extraordinary it will continue to be.Knowledge is a synergic effort. Gathering is a strength. A shared reality is a lived experience. Together, we reflect a collective encounter where individuality meets a common purpose. Together, we create a power greater than the sum of our parts. Together, we carry the excitement of what we have done and what we will do.The magazine you hold in your hands is the result of ten years of staying together and being us. If we’re meeting among these words today, then you are one of us. And thank you for joining us on this journey.



<a href="https://shop.basedistanbul.com/">Click here</a>&nbsp;to buy a copy.&nbsp;