City of Lights

City of Lights is a meditative installation composed of seven whirling towers of light, paying homage to Istanbul, the city of seven hills. Each light structure is mounted on a turntable, gently spinning like a Mevlevi dervish in a ritual of movement and illumination. Constructed from simple materials such as sticks and LED lights, the sculptures come alive as they rotate, casting ever-shifting patterns into the surrounding space.

The installation draws from both geographic and spiritual layers of Istanbul. The number seven becomes both a structural and symbolic anchor: referencing the city’s iconic topography and the mystical significance of the Mevlevi turning ritual.

Captured through slow-shutter photography, the light trails form ethereal halos of each hill, spinning endlessly in space and time. The result is both kinetic and contemplative, inviting viewers to consider Istanbul as an emotional and cultural rhythm.

City of Lights is a portrait of the city as memory, movement, and light.