A Sunday at the Borusan 'Haunted House' Museum

 

 

Istanbul (Dunya) – It isn't often that one gets to see the empty headquarters of a major international holding company and to enter all of the confidential rooms that are usually occupied on weekdays by its chairman, top executives, directors, executive secretaries and employees.

But Borusan Holding in Istanbul is neither your usual international corporation, nor is its headquarters a place that one would normally visit.

 

The head office of Borusan Holding, Europe's biggest producer and exporter of welded steel pipes and one of Turkey's biggest conglomerates, is located in an eight-story Gothic brick edifice with an odd spire -- often referred to as the 'Perili Kosk' or 'Haunted House'.

Located in Rumeli Hisari, on the European shore of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, the 103-year-old Haunted House headquarters, which has balconies with stupendous views of the Bosphorus and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, resembles "something weird out of Disneyland," said an art expert. 

 

Yusuf Ziya Pasha, an Ottoman businessman and shipping tycoon, began construction of the mansion in 1910, but had to stop when World War One broke out. The second and third stories of the building were never completed and here the northern wind blowing down the Bosphorus made screeching sounds. Hence the name 'Haunted House' was given to the site.  

Members of Yusuf Ziya Pasha's family lived there until abandoning it in the early 1990s. 

Borusan rented the derelict building in 2002 and carried out a major overhaul, and relocated its headquarters to the site from the Salıpazari port area.

 

The Borusan Group, which also has investments in automotive parts, energy, logistics and agriculture and had a 2011 net income of $326 million on a consolidated turnover of $4.3 billion, has been a major patron of contemporary art and classical music in Turkey.

The conglomerate permanently houses some 600 works of modern art and visiting exhibitions at its Istanbul headquarters. In October 2011, Borusan opened the doors of its headquarters as a museum to visitors on weekends. 

 

Initial impressions

I visited the site on a Sunday earlier this month. 

My initial impressions of the head office were the minimalist nature of the furniture of the holding company. The office of chairman and the top executives, though spacious, don't exude the kind of luxury that is present in other major corporations or government offices in Turkey. 

 

There are no armchairs or sofas in office of Ali Ahmet Kocabiyik, the youthful chairman of the group, for resting, and his workstation is Spartan in appearance. But art books line the shelves of his office and those of the top executives.

The desks, tables, chairs, book and cabinet shelves, lockers, and even pencil holders of all personnel, including the chief executive officer, are special designers' creations. 

The group is also perhaps one of the most democratic in all of Turkey. Each floor has a balcony with a Bosphorus view that all employees can step out for breath of fresh air.

 

While the offices themselves are probably excellent for a burst of creativity, the art works inside, if lit up, can easily tire out employees, who labor long hours. 

 

Last days 

I caught the last days of the exhibition of the works of Brigitte Kowanz, 56, a Viennese artist who specializes in conclave neon lighting installations, wall pieces and architectural inventions, using mirrors, high-grade steel and acrylic.

 

The exhibition was called 'Cut A Long Story Short,' and included Ms. Kowanz's acrylic glass statue known as 'Saptium,'  reminiscent of the nerve cells of the brain or of the planets. The neon forms intertwine in her works.

At the 2nd floor  gallery, was Ms. Kowanz's 'Tiefenraum,' or mirrored room with an endless mirrors, playing with the visitors' perceptions of space and its limitlessness. Ms. Kowanz's exhibition came to an end on January 20.

 

In another section of the museum, the works of numerous Turkish and European artists are displayed under the exhibition Segment #3, including the works of Francois Morellet, 87, a Frenchman who also uses neon like Ms. Kowanz. Mr. Morellet's 'After Reflection' is of interest.

The exhibition Segment #3 will continue until May 26.