Istanbul
Istanbul indirim season
Happy New Year or Mutlu Yillar as they say here in Turkey! We took the decision to relocate my design business to Istanbul.
January 6, 2020
This weekend we crossed off our first cultural experience since relocating to Istanbul. My wife brought our 2 year old daughter tickets to her first ever live theatre show. Yes, we really immersed ourselves deep into the local culture!
The production in question was children’s show ‘Sevimli Dostlar’ which played to a packed house of wired children and tired parents. I won’t be reviewing the acting, production values, musical arrangement or indeed critiquing the duck’s costume which closely resembled a chicken! I was hoping to use this post to discuss the concept of ‘shared experience’.
Attending this live experience with my daughter got me thinking. As the cheerful catchy tunes washed over me and along with the ‘complex’ lyrics due to the language barrier – it dawned on me that I was attending my first ever theatre show in a foreign language.
My daughter, my wife and all I thoroughly enjoyed the show for totally different reasons. It was both familiar and unfamiliar territory for our senses. The simple parenting stories being told through this cartoon adaptation have played out in homes all over the world. Through one of the songs I learnt the word ‘share’ or ‘paylaş’ in Turkish. The scenario of toddlers tantrums over the concept of sharing toys is all too familiar. I also learnt the Turkish words for both the main characters fish (balik) and duck (ördek), luckily this wasn’t Shakespeare!
The stage show is based upon the popular Turkish TV programme for kids streamed from YouTube since 2013 with over 4 million subscribers. In terms of the country’s media consumption it sits in 8th place overall, impressive statistics for a poorly animated talking walking orange fish, a duck and the two children!
I am sure the audience all took something away with them and I am not just talking about the branded merchandise on sale in the foyer. Although the 24 piece puzzle was an excellent purchase! This shared experience (paylaşılan deneyim) was a real treat for all all the family despite my initial scepticism. I experienced first hand, how live theatre can transcend generations and crash through language barriers.
John Dewey an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer said: “Things gain meaning by being used in a shared experience or joint action.”
In contrast to a world in which we are all guilty of being overly reliant on our mobiles (which were switched to airplane mode for the duration of the show), I genuinely ‘liked’ the interaction. We were all learning as part of the wider audience experience. It offered me a real alternative to learning words in isolation using mobile platforms like Duolingo or on CleverDeck (think FlashCards on steroids), it provided an all-important visual context. In this cultural backdrop, I guess I felt more involved than I do with my scratch-resistant multi-layered glass screen.
Learning a new language is difficult. Like sharing your favourite toy! Stay patient. One word at a time, one phrase at a time, someone wise once told me…
Happy New Year or Mutlu Yillar as they say here in Turkey! We took the decision to relocate my design business to Istanbul.
Spending time complementing your celebratory meal with the right wine is like matching your well planned marketing campaign with the right design.