An Interview With PERA64: Istanbul's Newest Cultural Space

Located in the beautiful Pera neighborhood in a stunning building designed by French architect Alexandre Vallaury in the Ottoman period, PERA64 is the latest addition to Istanbul’s cultural life. Serving as a multi-purpose space, including temporary exhibitions and collaborations, we talked to the creators of PERA64 about the birth and execution of their unique project.
How did the PERA64 project come about and who are its founders?

PERA64 was initially created to produce an ‘independent, international, bi-annual’ publication by Ece Sükan and Demet Müftüoğlu. While the publication’s manifesto was being drawn up, the ideas revolving around a ‘new world,’ containing concepts and values of ‘No gender, No border, No boundaries,’ also came into life as foundational principles. The project later developed further by taking on physical form as a creative space with a purpose already intact. We advanced with an idea of a venue incapable of abiding to a single preconceived form and function, and with a deep partiality toward DIY and fanzine culture, i.e. independent publications. Independent of limitations and labels, our goal was to harbor collaborations where various disciplines and cultures intersperse.

What are the venue’s main goals and what sets it apart from other concept store/cultural spaces in Istanbul?

PERA64’s constantly changing nature is what sets it apart from other concept stores, as well as being a project space that hosts the collaboration between different creative disciplines. The venue, which defies the single-purpose function of most other local projects, creates unique projects through pop-up brand collaborations in the fields of design, publishing, photography, fashion, art, music, gastronomy, and much more. What we’re really doing is providing an alternative space where the brands, designers and artists we work with can think outside the box to create freely and with a new sense of excitement.

What can we find at PERA64 right now?

At the moment you can find a magazine collection with publications unavailable anywhere else in Turkey, including Purple, Document, EXIT, Cabana, The Gentlewoman, Fantastic Man, Toiletpaper, Double, Aperture, Apartamento, and 25 Magazine. Hard to find editions, vintage magazines and books, indie publications and book collections are also available. ‘The Newsstand’ installation (previously exhibited at MoMA) has also been adapted to PERA64 as the ‘ Gazete Bayii,’ curated by Lele Saveri, the founder of the 8-Ball Zine community. Other highlights include: posters for Dazed Media’s founder Jefferson Hack’s new book, We Can’t Do This Alone: Jefferson Hack the System; posters from Swedish artist Andrè Saraiva’s ‘Dream Concerts’ exhibition; the pop-up store of Eachxother, a fusion brand that brings together artists, stylists and designers; and Scandinavian design furniture and objects from the ’70s.

What are your plans for the future?

PERA64 will continue to live out its pop-up culture with new surprise projects in the coming season. We’ll also be hosting more brand and designer collaborations, various workshops and exhibitions.

Make sure to follow PERA64 on Facebook and Instagram to get all the latest updates and info on their upcoming events.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.