where

Jan 18, 2012 | Bostanci

Found their photos scattered around a busy traffic intersection in the district of Bostanci. There were hundreds of them, and I started imagining scenarios for what might've happened: an accident, a family quarrel, an estate clearance. Dodged traffic for 10 minutes trying to salvage the most interesting shots. A few other passersby started picking them up, too, and we looked for clues on the back of each photo. Years were handwritten on most, but not many names. These people look kind. I want to know more about the baby bath, the beach picnic, the Xmas toast, the statue. I hope the family won't mind if I give them another shot at immortality. (Thanks to Andy for the scans, and to Eva for showing me how to appreciate other people's pictures.)


Dec 22, 2011 | Beirut

If Beirut had an anthem, it would be performed with only two instruments—the car horn and the jackhammer. The city seems to be in a mad rush, trying to make up for all the years lost to civil war, occupation, and stagnation. Today's skyline is beyond the imagining of anyone who watched TV news in the 1970s and '80s. But despite all the outward signs of repair and renewal, Beirut is still a city on edge. Photo cameras invite warnings, and during Christmas weekend, every church was guarded by heavily armed soldiers. On Christmas Day, I hopscotched from service to service—first Greek Orthodox, then Maronite Christian, then Latin Catholic. The Beirut on display was wealthy, chic, multilingual, and confident. But the Beirut I saw later on the way to the airport was an entirely different matter: grindingly poor, controlled by Hezbollah, and presumably empty of Christmas worshippers and foreign visitors.


Oct 9, 2011 | Bendeyar

Answered an ad looking for someone who could play an evil American CIA director in an independent film. After meeting me in person, however, the filmmakers decided I didn't have the bearing of a CIA director, so they cast me as an underling instead. Story of my life. The film is called "Bendeyar," and it's the life's work of Hasim Akten, a religious leader who dreamed up a Muslim superhero who has the telepathic gift of the mevlana and thwarts gun-toting bad guys with the power of his thoughts. Production was in August, and my very brief scenes were shot in a studio on the outskirts of Istanbul. The day was long and hot, but it was fun to watch a Turkish film crew in action. "Bendeyar" premiered on Sunday before an appreciative audience, and Akten hauled the production team onstage to graciously thank everyone for helping with his project. He asked me to say a few words, and I blurted out that being in "Bendeyar" was one of the most random experiences of my life. Mahir, the project supervisor, wisely changed "random" to "interesting" when he translated for the audience.


Sep 19, 2011 | House of Terror | Memento Park

The 20th century wasn't kind to Hungary. The country lost a lot of territory in World War I, then allied itself with the Nazis, who lost to the Soviets, who imposed 45 years of socialism. Like other nations that have gone through similar traumas (Cambodia, Bosnia, Vietnam, Laos), Hungary has packaged its dark history and invited tourists to spend heavily learning about it. The House of Terror is a museum located in a former headquarters of both the fascist and socialist secret police. Long on concept but a bit short on specifics (at least for English-only visitors), it's a haunted site that's been turned into an art piece. Memento Park, on the other hand, is a collection of art pieces that have been turned into a haunted site. The statuary stand like lonesome sentinels of socialist glory, now relegated to a shadeless field on the outskirts of Budapest. If there's any doubt about which system—capitalist or communist—won the fight, it can be settled in the gift shops.


| More