monday 02/07 - location, lecture calligraphy, social structure

The introductions were ofcourse a bit cliche but it did contribute to get an idea of what people are doing and which direction they are in. From the beginning I felt a free atmosphere which creates a healthy working atmosphere.

Compared to our faculty this university is a huuuuuge building, I feel like they don't know what to do with the space so it is just filled with some art, an un-used exposition place, empty hallways enz ;) The building is feels very industrial, it still has this fabriq vibe.

The lecture broadened and deepened my knowledge about calligraphy most in a theorectical way. When there were more visuals and examples it would have been clearer, but ofcourse that is were the museum trip will be about. I was very happy the statement I figured together in my head was acceptable:

"Ottoman Calligraphy is like an extraordinary form of typography."

I was amazed how much disciplines are covered by those curved lines:
- poetry / proza
- religious expression
- visual expressions
- performance
- art
- meditation

At night we went out for some food and drinks with the group. The places the turkish took us felt like everyone just was having a good time out on the streets. What catched my eye the buildings are all 7 or 8 floors, thats double the height as most citybuildings in the Netherlands. So it is not only like 15 times as big as our main capital, is also twice as high!!

I had some conversations with the turkish guys, what stroke me most was that its the idea you just stay living at your parents until you get married. And when you marry you find your own place and start a family again. So it is really a family-orientated social structure or basis. Where as I find that the social structure in the Netherlands is more like based on friends, room-mates and people from school or work. The tendensy in the Netherlands is more to move out the parental house at the age of twenty, figuring out how to handle the sudden freedom ;)

Maybe that could be an explanation the Turkish culture has more fundamental, traditional values compared to the Dutch culture, because the growing up person in question is living in the environnement which ventilates these values constantly.