
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">In <em>Moretón</em>, Los Angeles-based photographer Darren Vargas steps inside the Lee Espinoza Coachella Valley Boxing Club, documenting a world shaped as much by memory, community and belonging as by the discipline of the ring.</h2>



<p>Published by Friend Editions, the photo book takes its title from the Spanish word for “bruise”—a fitting metaphor for a project where toughness and vulnerability constantly overlap. Rather than focusing on the spectacle of boxing, Vargas turns his attention to what surrounds it: preparation, gestures, relationships and the everyday rituals that transform a gym into a community.</p>



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<p>At the heart of the project is Lee Espinoza, known locally as the “godfather of boxing,” who founded the club in the 1980s and has kept it free and accessible to generations of young fighters. The project is also deeply personal. Vargas began photographing the club following the death of his grandfather, Esmael, in 2020. Having spent childhood summers with his grandparents in the Coachella Valley, returning to the region became a way of navigating memory and loss.</p>



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<p><em>Moretón</em> ultimately uses boxing as a language for something quieter: resilience, care and what a community carries from one generation to the next. Bodies absorb impact and bruises eventually fade, but the relationships and memories formed around them remain.</p>



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<p>Published by Friend Editions in a limited edition of 200 copies, <em>Moretón</em> extends its connection to the community beyond the photographs, with a portion of sales benefiting the Lee Espinoza Coachella Valley Boxing Club. </p>



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More Than a Fight: Darren Vargas’s Moretón


<h2 class="wp-block-heading">James Turrell’s new Skyspace in Aarhus, As Seen Below, transforms light from something merely observed into a physical experience. James Turrell’s As Seen Below – The Dome, created for ARoS in Aarhus, Denmark, begins with precisely this paradox. Visitors follow an underground passage extending from the museum before arriving inside a monumental dome measuring 16 metres high and 40 metres in diameter. Above, there is only one opening: the sky.</h2>



<p>Opened on 19 June 2026, As Seen Below is Turrell’s 100th Skyspace and the largest he has created in a museum context to date. Yet the work’s impact lies less in its scale than in the remarkably simple act this monumental architecture ultimately invites us to perform: to stop and look up.</p>



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<p>For Turrell, light has never been merely a means of illumination. Throughout a practice spanning more than six decades, he has treated light almost as a physical material, using it to shape space, transform colour and, most importantly, question how much we can trust what we see.<br>As Seen Below is the architectural-scale expression of that same idea. The opening at the centre of the dome isolates the sky from its surroundings, transforming it into a seamless field of colour. As the controlled lighting inside the space shifts, the tone of the sky outside appears to change with it. Yet it is not really the sky that changes, but the eye. In Turrell’s work, the art object itself seems to disappear. What remains is light, architecture and the viewer’s perception.</p>



<p>As Seen Below is not an installation that could simply be relocated elsewhere. The work was designed specifically for Aarhus’s latitude and the city’s distinctive light conditions. The long twilight of northern summers and the early darkness of winter become part of the work’s programmed sequences of light. In this sense, the true composition of the piece is shaped less by architecture than by time. There is one As Seen Below in the morning, another in the afternoon, and an entirely different one at sunset. As the weather, seasons and time of day change, so does the work. During Twilight in particular, the boundary between natural and artificial light almost disappears. As the colours inside the dome slowly shift, the sky visible through the opening overhead takes on unexpected tones. Rather than changing the sky itself, Turrell recalibrates the eye that looks at it.</p>



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<p>The scale of As Seen Below has been compared to Rome’s Pantheon. Yet at the centre of Turrell’s monumental dome there is no sculpture, icon or object. There is only emptiness.<br>Perhaps this is precisely what makes the work feel so relevant today. At a time when images flow endlessly and culture is increasingly consumed through screens and in fragments of attention lasting only a few seconds, Turrell asks something unusual of the viewer: time. There is not much to do here. Sit. Wait. Look. And allow the light to change slowly. In this sense, As Seen Below functions less like an artwork than a space carved out from the speed of contemporary life. It exists within the museum without being entirely detached from the world outside; on the contrary, it brings the sky directly into the exhibition space.</p>



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<p>Turrell’s Skyspaces can now be found in more than 26 countries. The 100th example, in Aarhus, is perhaps one of the purest expressions of the investigation the artist has pursued for decades. Because ultimately, As Seen Below does not offer us a new image. It allows us to see differently what has always been there. We descend underground, enter a vast dome and lift our heads.<br>The sky is the same sky. But we no longer look at it in quite the same way.</p>


A New Way of Looking at the Sky: As Seen Below


<p>Streaming gave us everything, instantly. Somehow, we responded by slowing things down. From listening bars and second-hand record shops to the return of the home turntable, our fascination with analog culture suggests that what we miss isn’t necessarily the past. It might simply be the feeling of giving something our full attention.</p>



<p>There is something almost absurd about choosing vinyl in 2026. Millions of songs sit in our pockets, available within seconds, yet we find ourselves drawn to one of the least convenient ways of listening to them. Take the record off the shelf. Place it carefully on the turntable. Lower the needle. Twenty minutes later, get up and flip it over. There is no skipping with a swipe, no infinite queue waiting to take over.</p>



<p>By any logic of technological progress, vinyl should have disappeared years ago. Instead, record collections are back in our living rooms, turntables and oversized speakers have become objects of desire, and listening bars have emerged as some of the most compelling spaces in our cities. Vinyl, it turns out, is no longer just a format. It offers something our frictionless digital lives increasingly struggle to provide: a ritual.</p>



<p>Streaming has made music almost invisible. Albums became rows on a screen, collections became cloud libraries, and ownership gave way to access. We can listen to almost anything, anywhere, at any time. Yet having everything at our fingertips can make it feel strangely weightless. A record insists on being noticed. It is heavy. It takes up space. It gathers dust, scratches, ages. You hold the sleeve, study the artwork, learn about the pressing, discover the story behind it. You have to find somewhere for it to live. An album becomes more than forty minutes of sound. It becomes an object with a history.</p>



<p>This fascination with analog isn’t quite nostalgia, either. Many of the people buying records today never experienced vinyl as the default. They aren’t returning to a past they remember; they are constructing a version of one they never had. What they seem to be searching for is not “the good old days,” but something slower, more tactile and less algorithmic. Vinyl, then, isn’t really competing with streaming. The two serve entirely different purposes. One gives us access. The other gives us ritual.</p>



<p>Perhaps nowhere is this more visible than in the rise of the listening bar. With roots in Japan’s jazz kissa culture, these spaces were built around a simple idea: people gathering not merely to drink or socialise, but to listen. Today’s listening bars reinterpret that tradition through a distinctly contemporary aesthetic—towering speakers, analog mixers, shelves of records, low lighting and carefully considered interiors. But beneath the aesthetics is a more interesting proposition: music is no longer the background. It is the reason you are there.</p>



<p>Most of the time, we listen while doing something else. Commuting, exercising, working, cooking, answering messages. Music has become the soundtrack to productivity. A listening bar asks for the opposite. Sit down. Have a drink. Listen. There is something quietly radical about that proposition. We remove our headphones and, for once, hear the same record at the same moment as everyone else in the room. In an age built around personalisation, listening becomes collective again.</p>



<p>Then there is collecting. A record collection is a physical map of taste, but also of memory. The album you played obsessively at university. A second-hand pressing found on a trip. The limited edition you searched months for. The record you knew nothing about but bought because the cover was impossible to ignore. You can save a thousand albums to a streaming library in an afternoon. Building a record collection requires something else: time, money, space and, most importantly, choice. You cannot own everything. That limitation is precisely what makes a collection yours.</p>



<p>An algorithm can endlessly suggest what comes next. Collecting creates a different kind of discovery. You follow the sample on a track back to its source, become obsessed with a label, dig through a second-hand bin, or take a chance on something unfamiliar. Discovery becomes less efficient—and perhaps more memorable.</p>



<p>Of course, none of this escapes aesthetics. Vinyl looks good. Turntables are beautiful objects. Record sleeves double as artwork. Giant speakers make a room feel intentional. A carefully assembled collection can communicate something about its owner before a single record is played. There is an obvious irony here. We go to listening bars to escape our screens, then photograph the turntable. We grow tired of algorithms, start collecting records, then post the collection online.</p>



<p>But perhaps analog culture was never really about rejecting the digital world. It is about carving out small spaces within it where different rules apply. And the most important of those rules might be time. Forty minutes to listen to an album from beginning to end. A phone left on the table. A sleeve examined while the record plays. Getting up when Side A ends and turning it over. Allowing the artist, rather than an algorithm, to decide what comes next.</p>



<p>Vinyl cannot give us the past back. What it can give us is permission to slow down. And in a culture obsessed with speed, convenience and infinite choice, perhaps the coolest thing about playing a record has very little to do with the record itself. It is the decision to give something your time.</p>


Why Listening to Music Became a Ritual Again?


<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Caps, caps and more caps. Every season brings a new trend, a fresh logo or a different colourway. Yet sometimes, all it takes is one cap—the one that becomes part of your identity. For more than two decades, Renée Zellweger has remained loyal to a single accessory: her faded orange Texas Longhorns football cap. Whether she&#8217;s walking through an airport, running errands or spotted off duty, chances are she&#8217;s wearing the same well-loved hat.</h2>



<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s like a worn-in pair of jeans,&#8221; the Oscar-winning actor once said. &#8220;When I put it on, it feels familiar. And wherever I go in the world, people come up and share their own Texas story.&#8221; What makes the cap remarkable isn&#8217;t its label or trend appeal. It&#8217;s the memories stitched into every faded seam. Purchased years ago as a simple keepsake, it has evolved into a personal signature proof that true style often has less to do with fashion and more to do with authenticity.</p>



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<p>In an era of ever-changing wardrobes and endless &#8220;must-have&#8221; accessories, Zellweger&#8217;s favourite cap offers a refreshing reminder: the most meaningful pieces are the ones we keep reaching for. They carry stories, spark conversations and become part of who we are.</p>



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<p>Perhaps that&#8217;s why her Texas Longhorns cap continues to resonate. It&#8217;s not just a hat, it&#8217;s comfort, nostalgia and a quiet celebration of home. And sometimes, that&#8217;s the most stylish statement of all.</p>


Renée Zellweger & Her Favorite Texas Longhorns Football Cap


<h2 class="wp-block-heading">At Milan’s Fondazione Achille Castiglioni, Achille and Bruno: Free to Play celebrates two of Italy’s most influential creative minds—designer Achille Castiglioni and artist, designer, and educator Bruno Munari. Running until February 17, 2027, the exhibition explores a shared philosophy that transformed ordinary objects into extraordinary tools for imagination.</h2>



<p>Rather than presenting design as a rigid discipline, the exhibition reveals it as a playful process driven by curiosity, experimentation, and observation. Through everyday objects, toys, sketches, photographs, and interactive installations, visitors discover how both Castiglioni and Munari believed that creativity begins with asking simple questions about the world around us.</p>



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<p>One of the exhibition’s central themes is the importance of play. For Castiglioni, familiar household items could be reinvented into functional yet humorous products. His iconic designs often challenged conventional thinking by finding unexpected uses for ordinary materials. Munari approached creativity in a similarly experimental way, encouraging both children and adults to learn through hands-on exploration, visual games, and tactile experiences.</p>



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<p>The exhibition also highlights the dialogue between the two designers. Although their practices differed, both rejected the idea that design should be overly serious or exclusive. Instead, they embraced simplicity, accessibility, and the joy of discovery. Their work demonstrates that innovation often emerges not from complexity, but from carefully observing everyday life.</p>



<p>Archival photographs, design drawings, prototypes, and personal objects provide insight into their creative processes. Interactive displays invite visitors to engage directly with ideas rather than simply viewing finished products, reflecting the educational principles that Munari championed throughout his career. This participatory approach makes the exhibition suitable for audiences of all ages, reinforcing the belief that creativity is a universal human ability.</p>



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<p>More than a historical retrospective, Achille and Bruno: Free to Play offers a timely reminder of the value of curiosity in contemporary design. In an age increasingly shaped by technology and efficiency, the exhibition argues that imagination, experimentation, and a willingness to play remain essential tools for innovation.</p>



<p>Ultimately, the exhibition celebrates a legacy that extends far beyond iconic objects. It presents Castiglioni and Munari not only as designers but as thinkers who transformed the act of observing, questioning, and playing into a lifelong creative practice. Visitors leave with a renewed appreciation for the extraordinary possibilities hidden within the ordinary—a perspective that continues to inspire designers, artists, and curious minds around the world.</p>


How Curiosity Became a Design Method


<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Road trips on repeat, sunsets over sunrises, pizza every chance he gets, and a beauty routine that keeps things simple! Uygar Utku&#8217;s summer mood is all about chasing the glow, not overthinking it. We asked him to spill the essentials behind his perfect season, from his favorite escape to the products that always make it into his beach bag.</h2>



<p><strong>Pick a place and an occasion that are part of your annual summer routine.</strong></p>



<p>Since my family lives in Antalya, I make sure to go there every summer. I think having your family in a summer destination is such a privilege.</p>



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<p><strong>A song that reminds you of summer?</strong></p>



<p>Definitely this one! It’s my favorite song to blast in the car during long road trips.</p>



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<p><strong>Favorite cocktail?</strong></p>



<p>Negroni. It’s always a safe choice, and I love the balance between its bold and slightly sweet taste.</p>



<p><strong>Sunrise or sunset?</strong></p>



<p>Sunset, without a doubt. I love the warm color palette it creates in the sky—the deep reds and oranges always amaze me. And the sunset in Zia, Kos is definitely one of the most beautiful I’ve ever experienced.</p>



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<p><strong>Best summer outfit?</strong></p>



<p>I’d rather not get sunburned than get a tan. :) That’s why I wear lightweight long-sleeve T-shirts with shorts and flip-flops all summer. And a tote bag is always a lifesaver.</p>



<p><strong>Best spot to take summerish shots?</strong></p>



<p>For me, summer means beautiful beach &amp; sea photos. I’m definitely more of a beach vacation person than a city traveler.</p>



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<p><strong>Favorite summer food?</strong></p>



<p>Pizza. Forever and always. Any kind!</p>



<p><strong>One trick for summer glow.</strong></p>



<p>I think summer beauty should be simple. For me, a healthy-looking glow starts with radiant skin and shiny hair. A glowy sunscreen—Lancôme makes a great one—and my Kérastase hair oil, which never weighs my hair down, are my two summer essentials.</p>



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<p><strong>Bodrum or Çeşme?</strong></p>



<p>I love both, but lately I’d say Çeşme. If I’m in the mood for a lively day, I love spending time in Alaçatı. And whenever I want to slow down and escape the crowds, Urla is just a short drive away. I like having both options so close to each other.</p>



<p><strong>Show us your summer selfie.</strong></p>



<p>Summer = lots of road trips.</p>



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HOTLIST: Uygar Utku Akbıyık


<h2 class="wp-block-heading">For a while, it felt like there was only one acceptable way to look online. Neutral colors, slick buns, glazed skin, gold jewelry, minimalist apartments, green juices, Pilates classes, and carefully curated morning routines became the visual language of the “clean girl.” She wasn’t just a fashion trend; she was sold as an ideal lifestyle; disciplined, healthy, wealthy, and effortlessly put together. Then, almost overnight, the internet seemed to pivot. Suddenly, maximalism returned. Layered jewelry replaced delicate chains. Smudged eyeliner pushed aside barely-there makeup. Vintage leather jackets replaced beige blazers. People embraced messy hair, clashing patterns, DIY fashion, and references to underground art, indie music, and experimental design. The “avant-garde girl” appeared to reject perfection in favor of individuality. The question is: did she actually win? The answer is more complicated than social media suggests.</h2>



<p>The internet thrives on opposites because opposites generate engagement. Every aesthetic needs an enemy. The clean girl needed to become “boring” before something new could be exciting. Likewise, the avant-garde aesthetic became desirable largely because it positioned itself against the polished minimalism that had dominated Instagram and TikTok for years. But this isn’t necessarily a cultural revolution. It’s a business model. Fashion, beauty, and social media operate on planned obsolescence. Once everyone owns the same wardrobe and uses the same products, brands need consumers to buy something different. Trends cannot stay aspirational forever because widespread adoption reduces their commercial value. The fastest way to restart consumption is to convince people that last year’s look is now embarrassing. We’ve seen this cycle repeatedly. Minimalism replaced maximalism. Then maximalism replaced minimalism. Skinny jeans became outdated. Baggy jeans became essential. “Natural makeup” replaced full glam. Now expressive makeup is making another comeback. Each shift is framed as authenticity, yet each arrives alongside new product launches, new influencers, and new shopping guides. Even rebellion has become a market category.</p>



<p>Ironically, today’s avant-garde aesthetic is often just as curated as the clean girl aesthetic it criticizes. What appears spontaneous is frequently the result of expensive vintage shopping, designer pieces, niche beauty products, and highly edited social media content. Looking “effortlessly unconventional” can require just as much consumption as looking “effortlessly polished.” This doesn’t mean the aesthetic lacks artistic value. Experimental fashion has always challenged conventional ideas of beauty, gender, and identity. The difference is that social media compresses decades of artistic movements into bite-sized trends that can be copied, monetized, and abandoned within months. Perhaps the real shift isn’t from clean girl to avant-garde girl at all. It’s from one algorithm-friendly identity to another.</p>



<p>Platforms reward recognizable aesthetics because recognizable aesthetics are easy to categorize, recommend, and monetize. Whether someone dresses in monochrome linen or oversized deconstructed silhouettes, they are still participating in an economy where visibility depends on fitting a label. That may explain why new aesthetics seem to appear faster than ever. Once an identity becomes mainstream, it loses its exclusivity, and the algorithm begins rewarding whatever feels new. Users chase novelty, brands chase users, and the cycle repeats.</p>



<p>So, did the avant-garde girl beat the clean girl? Only if beating means becoming the latest aesthetic to be commercialized. The clean girl was never defeated; she simply stopped being the most profitable fantasy. The avant-garde girl now occupies that position for the moment. Eventually, she too will become overexposed, and another aesthetic will emerge to promise authenticity, originality, and self-expression.</p>



<p>The irony is that genuine individuality has never depended on choosing the “right” aesthetic. Real personal style develops slowly, borrowing from different influences and evolving over time rather than changing with every viral trend. While the internet encourages us to identify with labels, the most compelling style often belongs to people who refuse to fit neatly into one.</p>



<p>Trends rarely disappear because they fail. They disappear because industries need us to believe something new is worth buying. The smartest response may not be choosing sides at all.</p>


Did the Avant-Garde Girl Beat the Clean Girl Or Is It Just Another Marketing Cycle?


<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Some people chase summer. Others carry it with them. For Beyza, it lives in salt on sun-kissed skin, the quiet rhythm of a boat drifting at sea, and the golden light that lingers long after the sun has disappeared below the horizon. It is found in places that feel timeless, in rituals that ask nothing but presence, and in moments where the world seems to move just a little more slowly. From childhood memories of Aspat Bay to her love for crisp white linens, silver jewelry, and a perfectly spicy picante, Beyza&#8217;s vision of summer is effortless, nostalgic, and deeply sensory. Here, she lets us into the season as she knows it—one of freedom, beauty, and the art of savoring every fleeting moment.</strong></h2>



<p><strong>Define your perfect summer getaway.</strong></p>



<p>Waking up on a boat with no plans, no schedule, and nowhere else to be. Just long swims, slow lunches, and nights that go on forever.</p>



<p><strong>A place that feels like summer always.</strong></p>



<p>Aspat Bay, always. It’s been one of my favorite places since childhood; calm, beautiful, and the kind of place that feels like a visual escape.</p>



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<p><strong><strong>A song that reminds you of summer?</strong></strong></p>



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<p><strong>Wine or cocktail?</strong></p>



<p>A cocktail, always. Preferably a picante. Fresh, spicy, and full of tequila… it always puts me in the right mood.</p>



<p><strong>Favorite summer food?</strong></p>



<p>Ayran Aşı soup. I’m slightly obsessed with yogurt, and it’s the perfect summer meal&#8230; Light, refreshing, filling, and impossible not to love.</p>



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<p><strong>Sunrise or sun dip?</strong></p>



<p>Sun dip, always. My favorite moment is those few minutes after the sun sets. The light gets softer, everything feels calmer, and the whole world looks a little more beautiful.</p>



<p><strong>Best summer outfit?</strong></p>



<p>White everything, lots of silver jewelry, and heeled sandals. Clean, effortless, and a little glamorous.</p>



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<p><strong>A movie that reminds you of summer days.</strong></p>



<p>Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. I watched it recently at an open-air cinema, and it was the most fun film I’ve seen in a while. Nostalgic, youthful, playful, and so visually pleasing. Summer has always felt a little like skipping school to me, so it fits perfectly.</p>



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<p><strong><strong>Show us your summer selfie! </strong></strong></p>



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HOTLIST: Beyza Efe

Making a Film Possible


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<p><strong>Luxury is no longer defined solely by flawless service, striking architecture or breathtaking views. Today, true privilege lies in immersive spaces that restore the body, refresh the mind and inspire the spirit. Set on the unspoiled Delice Peninsula along the Aegean coast, Anda Barut Collection embraces this new generation of luxury with a philosophy centered on meaningful experiences. It is a place to pause, reconnect with your inner voice and rediscover a quieter rhythm of life. Rather than distancing you from everyday living, it invites you one step closer to nature.</strong></p>



<p>In today&#8217;s fast-paced world, stepping away is about far more than simply resting. It is about restoring physical and mental balance, embracing healthier habits and rebuilding a meaningful connection with natüre qualities that have become defining factors in contemporary travel.</p>



<p>Throughout the season, Anda Barut Collection brings this vision to life through its holistic wellness experiences. Yoga, aerial yoga, breathwork and a carefully curated selection of wellness practices offer guests far more than a short escape; they inspire sustainable rituals that can become part of everyday life long after the holiday ends.</p>



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<p>Transformative longevity retreats, Michelin-starred culinary journeys that bring world-class gastronomy to the Aegean, and remarkable sculptures hidden within the region&#8217;s extraordinary landscape all contribute to an experience where well-being becomes a way of life. Here, every experience has the potential to evolve into a lasting habit of mindful living. At Anda Barut Collection, luxury is redefined not through extravagance, but through authenticity, balance and unforgettable moments.</p>



<p>Today, travel is no longer simply about discovering a new destination; it is about discovering new emotions, new flavours and new perspectives. Surrounded by the most generous shades of blue and green on the Delice Peninsula, this destination offers an inspiring setting for personal transformation. If you are searching for more than a holiday if you seek experiences that enrich your life, restore your body and reset your mind Anda Barut Collection is where that journey begins.</p>


Where Living Well, Exceptional Cuisine and Well-Being Come Together


<h2 class="wp-block-heading">There is something about summer travel that feels almost cinematic. The late sunsets, crowded terraces, airport photos, saltwater hair, even an ordinary Tuesday can somehow feel like a scene worth remembering. Summer has a way of making travel feel less like an itinerary and more like a possibility.</h2>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">But there is another side to it. Somewhere along the way, the summer holiday stopped being just a holiday. It became an expectation.</h2>



<p>Nobody seems particularly concerned when February passes without a ski trip. You can spend an entire winter at home and feel perfectly fine about it. There is no existential crisis because you did not drink hot chocolate in the Alps or rent a cabin surrounded by snow. Winter travel is treated as a bonus, lovely if it happens, hardly tragic if it does not. Summer is different. By June, the question is no longer “Are you travelling?” but “Where are you going?”. And suddenly, having no answer feels strangely uncomfortable. While everyone else appears to be boarding planes, swimming somewhere impossibly blue or posting dinners under Mediterranean sunsets, staying home can feel less like a choice and more like missing out. Summer, perhaps more than any other season, comes with FOMO built in. Social media only intensifies it. We see the beach clubs, not the delayed flights; the sunset dinners, not the overpriced hotel rooms; the effortless linen outfits, not the suitcase that refused to close that morning. Everyone else’s summer arrives on our screens as a highlight reel, creating the impression that there is a limited amount of fun happening and somehow, we should be part of it.</p>



<p>Maybe that pressure exists because summer itself feels temporary. Winter will return. Restaurants will move indoors. Evenings will become shorter. There is an unspoken countdown running beneath the season, and wasting a warm, bright day can feel almost irresponsible. And yet, this urgency is also part of what makes summer travel so irresistible. Longer days give trips a kind of freedom that winter rarely offers. There is room for slow mornings and spontaneous detours, afternoons that become evenings without anyone checking the clock. You can wander through a city until you find a restaurant you never planned to visit, stay at the beach for one more hour or take the long way back simply because the weather is too good to go inside.</p>



<p>Winter travel can be beautiful. But we rarely feel that winter is escaping us. Summer, on the other hand, always seems to be leaving just as we begin enjoying it. Perhaps that is why we chase it so intensely across cities, coastlines and time zones hoping to collect enough memories before September arrives. Maybe summer FOMO is not really about where everyone else is going. Maybe it is the fear of reaching the end of the season and wondering whether we made enough of it.</p>


When Did Summer Become a Deadline?


<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong><strong>A beginning, an end, and what happens between the two. There are no dots. Only spaces, the words, the sounds between them. It&#8217;s all moving, evolving, expanding and becoming. Death is only a dot, fearing it is humane. What&#8217;s real is in between the dots. How are those spaces filled? Emotions and senses. One is felt with the heart, the other with the body. And music is the link in between. A space where all the dots and the spaces meet. Meriç Artaç believes in the power of music. The unifying thrill of it. Shared human experiences, just like life itself. She turns sounds into compositions, giving them a world of their own. Senses collect fragments of the world. Music is where all of it plays. Meriç collects those fragments, adds her own, plays within the dots&#8230; and gives them a room to breathe.</strong></strong></h2>



<p><strong>DURU </strong><strong>What does inspiration mean in your world?</strong><strong></strong></p>



<p>MERİÇ Inspiration is a way of connecting. In my daily life, the things I see, hear, and experience become part of my bubble of inspiration. What inspires me most are unobserved, forgotten objects, feelings, and things that are abandoned.</p>



<p><strong>DURU </strong><strong>How does inspiration influence your work or decisions?</strong><strong></strong></p>



<p>MERİÇ Inspiration becomes the core of my work; it is the idea around which I base my entire process. Everything else grows from that core.<strong></strong></p>



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<p><strong>DURU </strong><strong>How does each piece you create echo into the emotional landscape of your next work?</strong><strong></strong></p>



<p>MERİÇ At the core lies inspiration, followed by the process of creation. In the end, there is the final score: the sound shaped and refined along the way. I see the core, the process, and the result as deeply interconnected, each influencing the other. From this relationship, the next piece begins to take form. Every work is both a learning experience and a moment of reflection, and together they form part of an ongoing creative journey.<strong></strong></p>



<p><strong>DURU Your work often feels less like composing music and more like building a world. When you start a piece, are you starting from sound, or from a character, an image, a feeling?</strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </p>



<p>MERİÇ Yes, that’s true.<strong> </strong>I like to create my own world through my works, whether it’s an ensemble, orchestral, or an opera/music theatre work. I believe that anything with a beginning and an end within a timeline, already forms a kind of micro-universe. These worlds are built around a central sensation of an image or a character. Sometimes these sensations emerge from the psychology of a character I imagine: perhaps inspired by something as simple as seeing someone walking down my street and wondering about their emotional world. At other times, they arise from broader societal currents I find myself immersed in. Political landscapes can also generate complex emotions. Feelings that people don’t always know how to ground or interpret. I like to search for the core of those emotions.</p>



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<p><strong>DURU </strong><strong>Your process is long, layered, and collaborative. In a time where everything is expected to be immediate, how do you stay connected to the initial emotion that made you start?</strong><strong></strong></p>



<p>MERİÇ I work with long-term plans and carefully structured schedules. Usually, I don’t begin composing until quite late in the process. I prefer to create in a rush, during intense and concentrated periods, while developing the ideas in my mind over a long time. In that sense, I also sustain the tension by delaying the actual act of composing. I try to remain in the initial emotional state for as long as possible. Everything I do in my daily life contributes to initiating the process that will unfold later: going out for a coffee, talking to a friend, visiting an exhibition… I try to first open myself up, absorbing as much as possible; then, when the intense period of composing begins, I close myself off, working immersively: eliminating, cutting, and “killing my darlings.”</p>



<p>In this way of working, I begin to notice the connections around me that can feed into my work. I stay connected both to my work and to my daily life. I believe I can distinguish between fast and slow forms of consumption, and I value both. I try to reflect this balance in my working process as well.</p>



<p><strong>DURU </strong><strong>Has there ever been a moment during a project where you felt disconnected from it? If so, how do you find your way back into it?</strong><strong></strong></p>



<p>MERİÇ Requiem for Mariza was the first piece where I felt a sense of disconnection. Usually, that doesn’t happen because I am fully immersed in my work. On the day I received the commission, I also learned that I was pregnant. The creation process took over three years, so a lot changed in my life, both physically and psychologically.</p>



<p>At the beginning, I felt quite close to the concept of composing a requiem, but also quite distant from the concept of writing about death while I was experiencing pregnancy and the months that followed. I think the piece became a final farewell to who I was before: a closing of a chapter, and an opening toward a new phase in my life, while also trying to find balance between my daughter and my work.</p>



<p>Although I struggled at times to find space for the composition, I was determined to shape it in a way that felt true to me. I came to see the opera as a form of therapy, and I tried to create a safe and supportive environment with the collaborators involved. The director of the opera, Silvia Costa, also had a daughter around the same time I did; it was a pure coincidence, and it was great because we had a mutual understanding of each other’s situations.</p>



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<p><strong>DURU </strong><strong>A requiem traditionally deals with death, but Requiem for Mariza feels more internal, almost psychological. What drew you to this liminal space between life and death rather than a more </strong><strong>“</strong><strong>final” </strong><strong>idea of death?</strong><strong></strong></p>



<p>MERİÇ In the operatic repertoire, female characters have, for centuries, often died or taken their own lives in despair. Out of love, betrayal, or circumstances shaped by others. I wanted to create an ordinary female character: even though the word <em>ordinary</em> can carry negative connotations for many, surprisingly. A character who does not fulfill society’s expectations. She does not become a mother, she is not a successful career woman, she never marries; she dies young, believing she still has a life ahead of her, and then she simply slips and falls. That’s all.</p>



<p>I wanted to create space for a woman who is not larger than life, because there are many women like Mariza, and to give her (or them) the chance to look into her own life. Her core memories, her unfulfilled dreams… and to move through the stages of grief for herself. It was crucial for me that she was aware of her own liminal space. I did not want another female figure who remains unaware of what is happening to her, expressing herself only through fragility. I have grown tired of that portrayal of women on stage in opera who do not know how to act in difficult situations.</p>



<p>That is why I wanted to create this liminal space, which becomes the stage itself: to give her a voice and let her tell herself and to us that she accepts who she is and the life she has lived, and then joins the choir -the collective of voices. No grand drama, no suicide born of betrayal. Just a strong, gentle woman who grieves her own death, reflects on her memories, and accepts her fate.</p>



<p><strong>DURU The piece begins with an individual emotion but is ultimately performed by many bodies, voices, and instruments. How does something so personal survive that translation into something collective?</strong><strong></strong></p>



<p>MERİÇ I believe we are all made up of millions of voices and layers, each of us carrying entire universes within ourselves. I often represent my characters through these layers: psychological, environmental, and physical. And I see them as forming a single, unified universe, much like life itself. We are constantly surrounded by bodies, voices, and sounds that shape our complex emotional ecosystems.</p>



<p>The same applies to collective creation: as makers, our individual universes come together to form a new one. In that sense, these layers exist in a multidimensional way, constantly interacting, overlapping, and reshaping each other.</p>



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<p><strong>DURU Do you think emotions in music are truly universal, or do they shift depending on who performs and who listens?</strong><strong></strong></p>



<p>MERİÇ It definitely varies depending on the listener and the performer’s interpretation. This is something I often discuss with my students.I believe that basic emotions, when expressed through music, can generally be perceived as shared human experiences; however, narratives are interpreted differently depending on our backgrounds and listening practices. In other words, in contemporary music, a key difference lies in how each listener listens and perceives. This, in turn, is shaped by the depth and complexity of each individual’s inner world.</p>



<p><strong>DURU </strong><strong>How does a composition usually begin for you? Is there ever a specific instrument, a sound, or something else that draws you in?</strong><strong></strong></p>



<p>MERİÇ My compositional process almost always begins with a graphic score. I like to translate sounds into colors and shapes, creating an initial point of emotional and visual reflection. I believe a sound is extremely visual and has a strong visual form. I interpret that imagined sound through drawing, colors, shapes, and sometimes a tactile sensation -which I might describe in words as <em>‘sound like velvet’. </em>These sensory impressions become the foundation of my sound world.<strong></strong></p>



<p><strong>DURU You work within a classical and operatic language, but your approach feels very contemporary. Did you choose this form, or did it naturally become the medium that could hold what you wanted to express?</strong><strong></strong></p>



<p>MERİÇ I compose contemporary music, and my approach is equally contemporary; all my works are nourished from the same core. I would not describe my language as classical. However, the language of opera offers me a uniquely open space in which to bring my inner worlds and characters onto the stage. Festivals such as Opera Forward Festival, organized by Dutch National Opera, aim to challenge and expand how opera is perceived today. Increasingly, new opera productions are becoming open, experimental spaces. At such festivals, some works may not even include a traditional operatic singer. For those interested, I would strongly recommend exploring contemporary opera through experiences like this festival.</p>



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<p>“I believe we are all made up of millions of voices and layers, each of us carrying entire universes within ourselves. I often represent my characters through these layers.”</p>



<p>-Meriç Artaç</p>
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<p><strong>DURU </strong><strong>What does it mean to create a requiem today? Not historically, but personally. What made you feel that this was the form you needed for this moment?</strong><strong></strong></p>



<p>MERİÇ Actually, this was a commission, and composers usually work through commissions. The piece was a co-production between November Music and the Dutch National Opera. I was asked to compose a requiem, but the way I chose to bring this form to life was extremely open. Essentially, I was given complete freedom, and I did not even have to use the traditional Latin requiem text or form. Although I eventually decided to include it at the end in the choral sections.</p>



<p>From this, I chose to develop the work into an opera. What inspired me most was precisely the distance I felt from the requiem form. I was not raised with requiems, nor did I grow up experiencing this tradition in churches as a way of saying farewell to loved ones. Because of this, it became fascinating for me to explore and immerse myself in different composers’ interpretations of the requiem. I already have a deep appreciation for Fauré’s Requiem, and I also love György Ligeti’s <em>Lux Aeterna</em>, which, for many visual and contemporary music lovers, is closely associated with <em>2001: A Space Odyssey</em>.</p>



<p><strong>DURU </strong><strong>If your work is a kind of filter like everything you see, experience, and carry passes through it, what from your own life found its way into Requiem for Mariza?</strong><strong></strong></p>



<p>MERİÇ I don’t think I can ever fully separate my life from my creative process. Especially in long, extended projects like this piece, everything becomes deeply intertwined. In <em>Requiem for Mariza</em>, I later realized that I was writing from within a very personal transformation. It became a space where I was, in a way, mourning a version of myself. I only understood afterwards that I was grieving an identity that had already changed. In that sense, the piece may have become an unconscious requiem for the person I was before becoming a mother.</p>



<p id="block-f0d45eca-f64f-4ce4-b505-97d56fc8da63">From Based Istanbul N°46 ICONS, Redefined Issue.</p>



<p id="block-265919d4-7fb0-4065-9bf3-4f3f698dbd0f">&nbsp;<a href="https://shop.basedistanbul.com/">Buy your copy now!</a></p>



<p class="has-text-align-right"><strong>Interview by</strong>&nbsp;Duru Ustaoğlu</p>



<p class="has-text-align-right"><strong>Photography by</strong>&nbsp;Zeynep Özkanca</p>


Between the Dots


<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Doruk proves that summer doesn&#8217;t always belong to the coast. For him, the season is best spent wandering through flea markets, people-watching, and lingering over champagne at a neighborhood bistro. If anyone knows how to romanticize summer in the city, it&#8217;s him. Though don&#8217;t be surprised if you find him at the top of a mountain instead.</strong></h2>



<p><strong>Define a perfect sunday on summer days.</strong><br>Treasure hunting at my neighborhood flea market, then sitting at my favorite bistro, people-watching and listening to music all day long.</p>



<p><strong>Your favorite summer destination?</strong><br>In the mountains&#8230; whether that’s Switzerland, the South of France, or Turkey. My name, Doruk, means ‘the peak of a mountain’ in Turkish, which explains why I feel most at peace when I&#8217;m up there.</p>



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<p><strong>Sunrise or sun dip?</strong><br>You know it’s a good night when you experience both.İkisini de gördüğün geceler en iyi gecelerdir.</p>



<p><strong>Favorite cocktail?</strong><br>I&#8217;m rather a champagne person.</p>



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<p><strong>Best summer outfit?</strong><br>A white tailored navy pants paired with black boots &amp; a graphic tee is my summer uniform.</p>



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<p><strong>Favorite summer food?</strong><br>Cozze Alla Veneziana!!!</p>



<p><strong>Best spot to take summerish shots?</strong><br>Any Paris bar with a fun crowd in front of it.</p>



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<p><strong>Sana yazı hatırlatan bir sanat eseri?</strong><br>Magritte&#8217;in <em>Empire of Light</em> tablosu bana hep yaz akşamı saat 22.00&#8217;deki gökyüzünü hatırlatıyor.</p>



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<p><strong>Bize bir yaz selfie&#8217;si göster!</strong></p>



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HOTLIST: Doruk Başkır


<p><strong>For years, Christopher Nolan has been accused of making films that feel more like puzzles than stories. The criticism has never quite landed. His films aren&#8217;t puzzles. They&#8217;re epics. Long before he announced his adaptation of The Odyssey, Nolan had been telling stories that echoed ancient mythology. His heroes leave home, endure impossible trials, confront forces beyond human comprehension, and return transformed, if they return at all. Time bends, memory deceives, sacrifice defines character, and knowledge always comes at a price.</strong></p>



<p>In many ways, Nolan has spent his entire career preparing to tell Homer&#8217;s greatest tale. The Odyssey is often remembered as an adventure about monsters, gods, and sea voyages. But beneath those legendary encounters lies a far more intimate story. It is about perseverance. Identity. The longing for home. It asks what twenty years of war and wandering do to a human being. Those are questions Christopher Nolan has been asking for decades. His protagonists are rarely conquerors. They are survivors.</p>



<p>Leonard Shelby struggles to rebuild an identity shattered by memory. Dom Cobb wanders through dreams, unable to return home to his children. Cooper crosses galaxies, sacrificing decades of his life for the hope of seeing his family again. Even Robert Oppenheimer becomes a man forever separated from the life he once understood. Odysseus belongs naturally among them. The greatest misconception about The Odyssey is that it is a fantasy filled with mythical creatures. In reality, the monsters are only obstacles. The true conflict is internal. Every temptation—the Lotus-Eaters, Circe, Calypso, the Sirens—asks the same question: Will Odysseus forget who he is? That question feels unmistakably Nolan. His films are obsessed with identity under pressure. Characters cling to photographs, spinning tops, journals, wedding rings, watches, and promises because memory is fragile. They construct rituals to remind themselves of who they are. Their greatest fear is not death.</p>



<p>It is losing themselves. Odysseus spends ten years fighting exactly that battle. Then there is time. No contemporary filmmaker has explored time as relentlessly as Christopher Nolan. In his cinema, time stretches, folds, accelerates, reverses, and traps. It is never simply a measurement, it is the force that shapes every human life.</p>



<p>In The Odyssey, time functions much the same way. Twenty years pass between Odysseus leaving Ithaca and returning home. His son grows into adulthood without him. His wife survives by memory alone. Home becomes less a place than an idea preserved against time&#8217;s relentless erosion. For Nolan, this is fertile ground. He understands that the greatest distance is often measured not in miles, but in years.</p>



<p>Few stories demand scale like The Odyssey. Endless oceans, towering cliffs, forgotten islands, violent storms, impossible creatures, and distant horizons seem designed for the vast canvas Nolan has spent his career defending. If IMAX allows audiences to feel dwarfed by black holes in Interstellar, imagine what it can do with the wine-dark sea Homer described nearly three thousand years ago. But spectacle alone has never interested Nolan. What matters is what the spectacle reveals.</p>



<p>A Cyclops is terrifying not because it is enormous, but because it tests Odysseus&#8217; intelligence. The Sirens matter because they expose human weakness. Scylla and Charybdis force impossible choices where survival itself carries guilt. Nolan has always preferred impossible choices to easy victories. His heroes win only after sacrificing something essential. Perhaps the most intriguing question concerns the gods.</p>



<p>Modern audiences often expect mythological adaptations to emphasize supernatural spectacle. Nolan may choose a different path. Throughout his career, he has treated the extraordinary with remarkable restraint, grounding impossible ideas in emotional realism. Whether he presents Athena, Poseidon, and Zeus as literal divine beings or explores their presence through the subjective experience of Odysseus, the emotional truth of the story will likely matter more than its visual effects. That restraint could become the adaptation&#8217;s greatest strength. After all, The Odyssey has survived for nearly three millennia not because of its monsters, but because of its humanity. Every generation recognizes something familiar in Odysseus.</p>



<p>Christopher Nolan has spent twenty-five years making films about people searching for home, wrestling with memory, sacrificing themselves for loved ones, and confronting forces too vast to comprehend. The Odyssey gathers those ideas into a single story. It is less a departure from his career than its natural culmination. Some directors adapt classics because the material is famous. Christopher Nolan appears to have chosen The Odyssey because it speaks the language his cinema has always spoken. Not the language of gods and monsters. But the language of endurance.</p>


Why Homer’s greatest epic may be the perfect story for modern cinema?


<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Dilhan Şeşen’s music is not only heard, but felt and lived through. Moving between her instincts and the expectations of the industry, she creates a language of her own. For her, creating is less about building a fixed identity and more about honestly sharing a constantly evolving state of being. She explores the place of sincerity in music, the challenge of remaining original in an age of visibility, and the creative power of imagination.</h2>



<p><strong>DUYGU What place does the idea of a </strong><strong>“</strong><strong>blueprint” hold in your musical journey? When creating your own voice, which expectations do you find yourself resisting the most?</strong><strong></strong></p>



<p>DİLHAN To me, Blueprint represents a period in which I began embracing my identity without fear. Within a male-dominated industry -as in many other fields- women are often expected to be controlled, easily defined, and lacking in complexity. But I refuse to limit my existence simply because those expectations exist. I am made up of my contradictions, my vulnerabilities, my strengths, the parts of myself I struggle to accept, and so much more. I’m certainly not going to leave a path that belongs to me in someone else’s hands.</p>



<p><strong>DUYGU What is it that truly makes a song unforgettable? Technique or sincerity?</strong><strong></strong></p>



<p>DİLHAN When sincerity is supported by technique, the result can be something truly magical. Emotion on its own can sometimes become scattered, while technique on its own can feel a little lifeless. It’s the combination of the two that creates a remarkable balance.</p>



<p><strong>DUYGU How much do you trust your instincts? When your inner voice clashes with the expectations of the industry, which one do you listen to?</strong><strong></strong></p>



<p>DİLHAN It depends on the situation. Sometimes, when my inner voice speaks clearly, it feels right to follow it without overthinking. Other times, that voice can be shaped by habit or by the comfort of what feels familiar. When it clashes with the expectations of the industry, I try to bend the idea a little and translate it into my own language. Finding common ground feels more creative, and more enjoyable to me.</p>



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<p><strong>DUYGU What is the difference between being visible and truly being yourself? Has it become more difficult to preserve originality in the age of social media?</strong><strong></strong></p>



<p>DİLHAN Visibility is about how we appear to the outside world, whereas being yourself is a much more inward process. It doesn’t always have to be consistent or fixed; sometimes it changes, and sometimes it goes unnoticed. Today, visibility is increasingly intertwined with the pressure to perform, which means that preserving originality is shaped by that pressure as well. Originality isn’t something that exists entirely outside of external influences. Rather, it’s something that manages to survive despite them, something that can emerge from beneath that pressure and remain true to itself.</p>



<p><strong>DUYGU How would you describe that spark that makes your eyes light up and your heart race? What still drives you to create with the same excitement as day one?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </strong><strong></strong></p>



<p>DİLHAN I’m fascinated by transience, the magic of encounters, and the layered nature of humans. The fact that nothing remains fixed, that everything can transform into something else at any moment, always leaves room for new possibilities. It feels as though nothing is ever truly finished or complete; everything is constantly being rebuilt through connection and separation. And with each of those moments, I find myself changing alongside it.</p>



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<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="914" height="1280" src="https://cms.basedistanbul.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/img0033-1ab-Large.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-73642"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Dilhan wears a sweater by Miu Miu.</figcaption></figure>
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<p>“I’m fascinated by transience, the magic of encounters, and the layered nature of humans. The fact that nothing remains fixed, that everything can transform into something else at any moment, always leaves room for new possibilities. It feels as though nothing is ever truly finished or complete; everything is constantly being rebuilt through connection and separation. And with each of those moments, I find myself changing alongside it.”</p>



<p>-Dilhan Şeşen</p>
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<p><strong>DUYGU What role does imagination play in the creative process? Do you think we create our reality by imagining it first?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </strong><strong></strong></p>



<p>DİLHAN First comes imagining, and then recognizing the details that make that possibility real. In a way, everything that has yet to be lived begins by taking shape within us. A feeling, an encounter&#8230; It first forms in our inner world, and then we begin to notice the moments in the outside world that align with it. At that point, reality becomes something more fluid. Because you are no longer only seeing what is there; you begin to see more clearly the pieces that connect with the possibility you have created in your mind.</p>



<p><strong>DUYGU How has your connection to music transformed other aspects of your life?&nbsp; </strong><strong></strong></p>



<p>DİLHAN The more I engage with music, the less I feel the need to control things and the more I find myself dissolving into a collective flow. It has brought greater flexibility into my life, a stronger sense of connection, and a deeper ability to recognize the potential hidden within each moment.<br></p>



<p>From Based Istanbul N°46 ICONS, Redefined Issue.</p>



<p id="block-265919d4-7fb0-4065-9bf3-4f3f698dbd0f">&nbsp;<a href="https://shop.basedistanbul.com/">Buy your copy now!</a></p>



<p class="has-text-align-right"><strong>Creative Direction &amp; Interview by</strong> Duygu Bengi</p>



<p class="has-text-align-right"><strong>Directed by </strong>Yağız Yeşilkaya </p>



<p class="has-text-align-right"><strong>Photography by</strong> Zeynep Özkanca</p>



<p class="has-text-align-right"><strong>Styled by</strong> Emre Köklüçınar</p>



<p class="has-text-align-right"><strong>Makeup by</strong> Birce Selçik</p>



<p class="has-text-align-right"><strong>Hair by </strong>Zeynep Dombaycıoğlu</p>



<p class="has-text-align-right"><strong>Creative Production by</strong> BI Creative</p>



<p class="has-text-align-right"><strong>Content Editor</strong> Duru Ustaoğlu</p>



<p class="has-text-align-right"><strong>Creative Team</strong> Ali Aydın Ustaoğlu</p>



<p class="has-text-align-right"><strong>Gaffer</strong> Okan Ataş</p>



<p class="has-text-align-right"><strong>Photography Assistant</strong> Mustafa Berber</p>



<p class="has-text-align-right"><strong>Styling Assistant</strong> Bora Beler</p>



<p class="has-text-align-right"><strong>Makeup Assistant </strong>Rana Gülsoy</p>



<p class="has-text-align-right"><strong>Hair Assistant</strong> Valbona Shaban</p>



<p class="has-text-align-right"><strong>Lightning Assistants</strong> Arif Bilbay, Ali Şimşek, Beykan Baloğlu</p>


Her Own Blueprint w/ Dilhan Şeşen


<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong><br><strong>Inanç’s clothes follow his mood. From how he feels that day to the set he’ll be playing later that night, everything influences what he chooses to wear. You could say he dresses intuitively.For him, taking risks isn&#8217;t about chasing trends. It&#8217;s about staying true to his own style. A pinch of old-school hip-hop, plenty of denim, a sneaker with character, and subtle vintage references as a cherry on top&#8230; This is İnanç.</strong></strong></h2>



<p><strong>What’s an item that you keep returning to?</strong></p>



<p>My yellow Timberland boots. To me, they&#8217;re more than just a pair of shoes&#8230; They&#8217;re one of the most iconic pieces of hip-hop culture. I&#8217;ve worn hundreds of sneakers over the years, but these boots have always held a special place for me. The more worn they get, the more character they gain, and they somehow add their own story to almost every outfit.</p>



<p><strong>Did you choose that item or did it choose you?</strong></p>



<p>At first, I chose it, but over time, I&#8217;d say it chose me. I&#8217;ve felt connected to hip-hop culture since I was a kid. The artists I listened to, the music videos I watched, and the culture I grew up in naturally shaped the way I dress. Today, when I look at a piece of clothing, the first thing I notice isn&#8217;t whether it&#8217;s trendy, it&#8217;s the story it represents.</p>



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<p><strong>Do you build an outfit around one piece, or start from a mood?</strong></p>



<p>I always start with the mood. How I&#8217;m feeling that day, what I&#8217;m listening to, or the kind of set I&#8217;ll be playing that night. These all influence what I wear. Then I bring together the pieces that match that state of mind.</p>



<p><strong>What’s your favorite spot in Istanbul?</strong></p>



<p>I live in Nişantaşı and spend most of my time in the Teşvikiye neighborhood. DAMA, which recently opened in the area, has become one of my go-to spots. It has a different rhythm during the day and at night. It&#8217;s one of the places where I feel most connected to music, my friends, and the work I create, which is why it constantly inspires me.</p>



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<p><strong>If that spot was a person, what do you think they would wear?</strong></p>



<p>For me, it would be wearing baggy denim, an old cropped vintage band T-shirt, Converse Chuck 70s, and a well-worn trucker hat. It would be someone who isn&#8217;t trying to stand out, but whose tattoos, cool attitude, and character are immediately apparent.</p>



<p><strong>Describe your style like a recipe.</strong></p>



<p>A pinch of &#8217;90s hip-hop, a little Houston and New York influence, plenty of denim, a solid pair of sneakers, and vintage references layered on top. Finished with accessories that carry a story of their own.</p>



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<p><strong>You have to wear the same outfit every day. Only one item can change. Which one is it?</strong></p>



<p>The top. One day it could be a vintage jersey, the next a graphic streetwear T-shirt. My hats could change too. Even with the same pants and the same black sneakers, simply changing the top can tell a completely different story.</p>



<p><strong>When it comes to your style, do you take risks or stay in your comfort zone?</strong></p>



<p>I don&#8217;t chase trends. If taking risks means staying true to your own style, then yes, I take risks. But dressing just to attract attention isn&#8217;t for me. Pieces that stand the test of time and carry cultural significance will always be more valuable to me: like wearing vintage jerseys while I&#8217;m playing my sets.</p>
