Three-day long art marathon: SATMER Festival opens its doors

The SATMER Culture and Art Festival organized by Istanbul Gelisim University was opened. It is aimed to make the festival, which brings together art lovers by bringing together 15 different art branches from the Ottoman Empire to the present day with technology, a tradition and to take it to the international level.

Culture and Art Festival was organized under the leadership of Istanbul Gelisim University, Art Design Application and Research Center (SATMER). The festival, which started on May 14 and will last for three days, combines traditional arts such as calligraphy, illumination and miniature with modern applications such as waste metal sculptures and digital portraits. Enriched with interviews and concerts of famous artists, the event offers a different experience to art lovers. It was also stated that the IGU Art Design Application Research Center (SATMER), which was introduced within the scope of the festival, is a first among universities in Turkey.

“We aim to be among the top eight hundred or even the top five hundred”

Speaking at the opening of the festival, Abdülkadir Gayretli, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Istanbul Gelisim University, said, "This festival is of great importance for students, academicians and the future of the country. Istanbul Gelisim University is constantly evolving. We ranked in the Times Higher Education (THE) World rankings between one thousand one and one thousand two hundred bands. With your contributions, we aim to be among the first eight hundred or even the first five hundred in the coming years."

"We will run from success to success by continuing the race"

Gayretli, stated that the university is on the way to becoming a hundred-year-old institution with an international vision, added:
This is a relay race. We will run from success to success by continuing this race with our students and future generations. Wherever one wants to see oneself, one finds value. It is very valuable for us that our students create value in unity and solidarity."

"The leading artists of our country and the world came together with our students"

Istanbul Gelisim University Rector Prof. Bahri Şahin: “We have just established SATMER. Art, social sciences and technology are the three pillars of civilization. We have created an ecosystem that combines artistic, social and technical innovation with SATMER. As a university, we strengthen this field, which has been neglected for years, by positively discriminating against art.
The activities organized within SATMER brought art together with students and industry professionals. We organized exhibitions and meetings every two weeks. Last week, we opened the exhibition of our faculty member İsmet Çavuşoğlu. The leading artists of our country and the world came together with our students. The university presented an innovative model by holding student-sector meetings with artists, academics, industrialists and social scientists."
Prof. Şahin visited the festival and was impressed by this organization where different branches of art came together. He said: Our students met with famous artists and got first-hand information about art. We were very happy with this combination. Our university continues to grow in the fields of art, social sciences and technology with 38 thousand students and 7 thousand international students. We have gained an important place in the world rankings. We are the university with the most international accreditation. We have also received institutional accreditation granted by the Higher Education Quality Board (YÖKAK). It's significant to us. Istanbul Gelisim University is an international university."

“Our goal was to create a festival concept that appealed to all segments”

SATMER Director Asst. Prof. Mustafa Günay, on the other hand, stated the followings: "The festival included innovative applications such as traditional arts such as calligraphy, illumination, miniature, waste metal conversion sculptures and digital portraits created with computer programs. This diversity was a first in Turkey."
Our goal was to create a festival concept that appealed to all segments. Taking into account the interest of young people in technology, we have combined traditional and modern art branches. Thus, we offered an attractive event for both young people and all art lovers. At the festival, environmentally friendly works such as sculptures made of waste metals also attracted great attention. We will continue to show the unifying power of art by bringing this festival to a wider audience on larger platforms.”