During the COVID-19 pandemic, Turkey became one of the few countries where people from all over the world could meet, transit, fall in love, get married, and go on dates. Istanbul became a place that brought people together—just as it had in ancient times, once again becoming a crossroads of cultures.

On its streets, one could still feel the freedom and open air that so many longed for while in isolation.

“Shadows of Istanbul” is a project about the impressions the city left on those who passed through—whether for a day or a lifetime. It is a collective memory of a city, stripped of details, seen through the eyes of those who found themselves there by fate, by circumstance, and by the restrictions and laws that dictated their movements.