Pianist Büşra Kayıkçı interprets Istanbul’s architectural memory through five works

Pianist Büşra Kayıkçı brings together five original works inspired by Sirkeci Post Office, the Grand Bazaar, the Atik Valide Complex, the Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar Museum Library and the Ottoman Bank/SALT Galata, combining acoustic piano, electronic textures and field recordings.

Pianist Büşra Kayıkçı brings together five original works in her Beyond Walls-Istanbul project, inspired by different structures in Istanbul and their sonic worlds. The project uses acoustic piano, electronic textures and field recordings made in different locations.

The project features works inspired by Sirkeci Post Office, the Grand Bazaar, the Atik Valide Complex, the Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar Museum Library and the Ottoman Bank/SALT Galata. During the project’s development, Kayıkçı focused not only on the buildings’ architectural features but also on the sounds they contain and the differences between their former functions and present-day uses.

Architectural training shaped her approach to music

Kayıkçı said her architectural training directly influences the way she views spaces, explaining that when she enters a building, she notices not only its sounds but also its entrance, design and circulation. The pianist said elements such as gardens, water and fountains create different sonic worlds in each space, adding that these sounds define the character of the buildings.

Kayıkçı described the difference between the former functions of spaces and their present-day uses as “Sonic After Lives.” She said the difference between a building’s sonic world during its initial period of use and its sounds today gives that building two separate lives.

Pianist and composer Büşra Kayıkçı

She wants to preserve the freedom of her early period

Kayıkçı said her musical approach has changed since her work in 2019. The pianist said agreements in the music industry and audience expectations have added more factors to her compositional decisions, explaining that questions such as the length of a song’s introduction and how to sustain listeners’ interest affect the creative process.

Looking back at the work from the early period of her career, Kayıkçı said she sees a braver musician and wants to return to that period’s amateur spirit and less-filtered approach to production. In the artist’s view, although she produces more today, she continues to seek ways to strengthen the free approach she had in her early period.

The project’s international chapter is expanding

Kayıkçı said bringing her works together with dance, fashion, visual arts and different stage productions has changed the way she creates. The pianist said there is a difference between composing entirely freely and writing music for a specific image, adding that composing by following visuals requires a different mathematics and a new skill.

Piyanist Büşra Kayıkçı, İstanbul’un mimari hafızasını beş eserle yorumluyor

Kayıkçı said she has been working in Tokyo, Berlin and New York for the international chapter of the Beyond Walls project, adding that she plans to move on to other regions such as Syria and Uzbekistan. The artist said she plans to complete the album’s international chapter this year and next year.

A tour of the United States is a goal

Kayıkçı also discussed her admission as a voting member of the Recording Academy, which organizes the Grammy Awards, saying she received the news while on a plane traveling to Canada. The pianist said her concert in Canada was her first concert trip to the Americas and shared her dream of touring the United States in the future.

Kayıkçı said the membership gave her hope for future projects and prompted her to consider the possibility of planning a tour in the coming period.

An art book has been published for “Sketches”

Alongside Kayıkçı’s musical work, a book containing the sheet music for her Sketches album and pieces from her personal archive was recently published. The artist said the work was prepared not merely as a book of sheet music but as an art book.

In addition to the scores of 13 works, the book includes pieces from the Sketches album and the scores of several singles, such as Madde 42 and Tuna. The work also includes Kayıkçı’s handwritten notes, photographs and graphics, presenting her musical output together with her visual archive.

Kayıkçı said she has also begun devoting more attention to drawing while continuing to work to complete the international chapter of the Beyond Walls project. The artist said she may pursue different collaborations and new works in the future.