A place to look at the sky

"Sky Spotting Stop" is the first project from the Istanbul Modern YAP: Young Architects Program, in collaboration with The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and MoMA PS1 and co-sponsored by Garanti Bank, Polimeks and Vitra. 

It is a temporary site-specific installation designed and built by SO? Architecture and Ideas, that welcomes visitors of all ages free of charge in Istanbul Modern’s courtyard until 20 October 2013. This area is also used as a venue for events programmed by Istanbul Modern especially for younger audiences.

The aim of the YAP: Young Architects Program is to encourage architects to address environmental issues such as sustainability, re-use, and re-cycling, and to explore innovative design ideas providing elements of shade, water, and seating that increase the possibilities of use of open-air spaces. Providing a popular urban venue for the summer, these designs are expected to host diverse events and create intimate social spaces for city-dwellers―all through solutions that are architecturally and financially feasible. 

The "Sky Spotting Stop" takes its name from the title of a poem by "Goge Bakma Durağı" (Stop to look at the sky). This new lounge urban space seems to float gently over the waters of the Bosphorus, projecting lights and shadows in the courtyard of Istanbul Modern, reflecting the light and wave motion on the ground and on the facades of the museum. The patio becomes part of the horizon through this vibrant installation, which is visible both from the Bosphorus and the highest points of the city.

The courtyard invites visitors to relax and enjoy this space through elements made from re-used materials: re-used vehicle tires covered with fishnets become lightweight, sturdy, portable units, or shading elements supported by buoys floating in the water right beneath the courtyard. A space that temporarily transforms the landscape with shadow elements that provide reflections in constant motion, a courtyard in the city waterfront for visiting, resting, gathering, playing, or simply “sky spotting.”

Find out more at: http://www.skyspottingstop.com/