Big Brother’s watching us

 

 

Gümüşyaka Bay - Halfeti

 

Yazı/Text: TANSEL TÜZEL

 

Alp Alper combined his love of the skies and his passion for photography during his many years of service at THY as a flight coordinator. He has scanned every foot of Turkey from above to reveal a huge transformation. 

 

Farmers working in a farm near Aydın

 

Someone’s been above for a few years, someone who knows for a fact that well-irrigated lands are disappearing fast and that historical works are being ruined beyond salvage under the pretence of restoration. He documents, frame by frame, how we are losing so many assets. He’s as vociferous as the rare pink flamingos about the destruction of the Salt Lake for rentable property. He continues on his mission, undeterred, despite being shaken to the core with each loss.

Until Alp Alper joined THY, flying was not a passion for him. It was his job that gave him the millimetric knowledge he now has of the skies. His job required him to fly for between 30 and 40 hours each month, sitting with the captains. Flying was good. Rendering the crowded traffic aloft, equally so... Photography had been a hobby since his years at university. Then came the earthquake. That colossal trauma and annihilation... He set out, together with some friends, volunteers every man jack of them. He pictured the land from above to create his first book. This book comprises photographs, each and every one a historic document, and is published in Greek. The book went into the bestseller list in Greece which he visited for work. The Turkish-English version of the book was exported to Turkey. THY and TAV cooperated on his exhibition of a selection of photographs held at the Istanbul Atatürk Airport. Alp Alper continues to document Turkey in all its faces. He has many projects on the go. He’s not planning to leave his children property or cars; his dreams lie in his books.

Alp Alper, who didn’t hesitate to sacrifice every penny he earned in 15 years of working for the passion he undertook as a mission, explains it all:

“I planned this project in 1999 and we formed five separate teams; I took my place in one. You can’t do it by maps. We scanned on land and created a database. I may go some place after a church, only to find that church has long gone, yet I may end up finding an unrecorded church elsewhere. Then came the earthquake and we took a decision to move as swiftly as we could. We believed we had limited time. Every single frame we can shoot is a document for us. So then I speeded it up. It’s been five and a half years. There still are places I haven’t managed to shoot a single frame. Sivas Divriği, for example, as it’s a World Heritage Site. We have to leave all this for our children. While we may not be able to claim ownership of the Aya Sofia, we are obliged to preserve someone else’s cultural heritage. We have to preserve everything on these lands. I don’t necessarily view the Acropolis in Athens as Greek culture alone because the Ottomans also ruled over those lands. World heritage matters... Whoever comes to our country should be able to witness how we preserve the İshak Paşa Palace. It’s important that he perceive that magnificent, massive building in the context of its time. This, for me, is somewhat contradictory. I had always shot abroad until 1998; the National Geographic was responsible for lifting the scales over my eyes. I started working in Athens in 1999 as the THY Station Manager. I took my whole portfolio to the National Geographic; there were pictures from over 30 countries. They asked, “So where is Turkey? We have photographers on every corner of the globe who shoot all these scenes; what we need from you is photographs of Turkey.” I returned home and realised I had been doing my country an injustice. I began shooting, focusing on history and archaeology. There are undiscovered locations. They may be known by name but no one shines a light. There are three thousand known ancient towns in Turkey. I’m convinced there is so much yet to be discovered. It may be people who’ll do the unearthing, it may be another earthquake.” Alper is of the view that it’s the mind and the accumulation in the mind that take the photos; he believes that looking down from above allows you to see all the detail, “First and foremost, it’s the brain that does the shooting, you can’t do it if totally ignorant. The photos I took when I started paragliding were amazing. I loved the adrenaline too. You’re like a bird; it’s so thrilling. This was my project: I sold the house and the car and used up what little I had managed to save abroad. But, if you’re convinced, then there is a price for everything. Go, follow your path, whatever it might cost you. I was hoping to find a sponsor, but it wasn’t to be.”

 

Apolyond Lake – Bursa

 

Flamingos - Tuz Lake

 

Ancient Hitite capital Hattusa - Çorum

 

Katha River

 

Şanlıurfa

 

Hüsrev Pasha Mosque - Van

 

Sides of mountain Ağrı - Ağrı