Witness

Istanbul Streets: I Hear Music (2016x49)

: 22, 2016

Istanbul's street vendors chant their last songs amid the city's gentrification. I Hear Music is an intimate portrait of the cultural shift in Istanbul from traditional to modern, told through the stories of three street vendors when their work suddenly becomes illegal. Halit has been selling home-made stuffed mussels for 20 years; Ismet has been coming and going through the same neighbourhood since the 50s with his freshly-made pastries; and Yasemin walks the streets with her bundle full of bedspreads and curtains. All three face relocation and competition from modern shopping centres and commercial brands in the midst of gentrification. As they face uncertain futures, the street vendors are invited to sing their lyrical sales chants at an event organised by local musicians to commemorate the traditional, fast-disappearing sounds of the streets of Istanbul.