The Istanbul Cow parade at Tepe Nautilus

NPP were invited to join the Cow Parade event in Istanbul by painting 3 cows for the Tepe Nautilus shopping mall in Acibadem on the Asian side of the Bosphorus. It's a project intended to highlight the environment and raise money money for under privileged kids.
See http://www.cowparade.com. 3 painted cows were produced.......

1) Möö Gaz/Moo Gaz - Moo Gas: Gaza Gelen Inek: A cow-fart power cow - highlighting air pollution and sustainable energy.

2) Çocukların İneği/Cocuklarin Inegi - The Children's Cow: a hand-painted cow highlighting land pollution as kids demand us to stop damaging their future.

3) Dalgıç İnek/Dalgic Inek - Diver Cow: an underwater cow highlighting sea pollution.
How it happened...
01.08.2007 The beginning
08.08.2007 Another day in the making
11.08.2007 And another...
15.08.2007 A long night and the vandalised cow
17.08.2007 Kids, camera & paint
18.08.2007 Final touches - job done
07.09.2007 A couple of weeks later
24.11.2007 Istanbul Cow Parade Auction at ICEC

This is the Istanbul Cow Parade leafet and do we see a rainbow...
Indeed we do - just there on the right hand side...The cover the otherside...

Istanbul Cow Parade Auction at ICEC

Continued from 07.09.2007 A couple of weeks later...

Saturday 24 November 2007 - Nihat and the crew from Tepe Nautilus arrived at 7am to re-construct Moo Gaz at Lutfi Kirdar ICEC for the Istanbul Cow Parade auction. Proceeds due to go to TEMA; I believe they plant trees and a foundation for good works. Here's myself with Moo Gaz and Nihat...
Moo Gaz was placed very close to my Ataturk Gulumsuyor painting; there's a Buddha Cow behind me...
Up the steps and look back down...
View from the first floor...
Rear view; note the red and blue recycling gas connections from cow rear up to the balloon...
The auction with a couple of naked white cows on stage either side of the auctioneer's podium...
I take a snap shot of Beste and Serin sitting behind...
Inek Gaz sells for $8K. You can just make out Inek Gaz pictured up on the big screen. Forgive the blurred shot; painting is more my forte...

Go to 01.08.2007 The beginning...

07.09.2007 A couple of weeks later

Continued from 18.08.2007 Final touches - job done

Friday 07 September 2007 - The main pedestrian street in central Istanbul, Istiklal Caddesi and some of the Istanbul Cow Parade exhibits on public display...
The fibre glass cows are intended for charity auction in November, yet they are being damaged through general public wear and tear. You can see below the outer paint surface of the dark blue cow has apparently been chipped away below...
Another the cow has been scribbled on leaving felt tip pen graffiti...
Here is another with most of the cartoon left one side...
...yet severely worn away on the side. Of course, when you have kids sitting on the cows damage is probably going to occur. There appears to be a lack of awareness by many who touch the artworks - that they are art works at all; rather they are playground objects to be played with. One wonders if the same damage is occurring in other international cities? We hope the Tepe Nautilus cows maintain a better condition.
There is certainly seems to be a lack of understanding or appreciation for the aesthetic among some members of the Turkish public. However, I was later told cows in other cities in other countires were even more badly treated.

Monday 10 September 2007 - Met Ayse Zorlu and Sima Gandur from the Istanbul Cow Parade organisation at Tepe Nautilus. They looked at our 3 cows and we discussed future plans to promote the Tepe Nautilus contribution.

Go to 24.11.2007 Istanbul Cow Parade Auction at ICEC

18.08.2007 Final touches - job done.

Continued from 17.08. 2007 Kids, camera & paint

Saturday 18 August 2007 - The final touches: having photographed the whole process, Nilay adds her own paw mark...Adding a few last details...
Some additional signatures have found their way onto the Children's Cow...
Nihat helps me turn the cow around for varnishing...

Meanwhile, Nihat has readjusted the basket bindings on the Moo Gaz cow...
The sustainable energy mechanism...
More varnishing...
...and back over she goes.

Nihat stands back and looks...

This was the initial sketch on the board of the Tepe Nautilus office... This was the result...
Damaris from The Turkish Daily News came to see us...
Saturday 25 August 2007 - The Turkish Daily News publishes its article...
Foreigner cows join Turkey's 'moo' parade:
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/cat.php?webcat=features
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=81641

Sunday 26 August 2007 - Gazete Kadikoy publishes a report: Inek heykelleri Nautilus'da - A cow parade at Nautilus...
http://www.gazetekadikoy.com/home.asp?id=2&yazi_id=1639

Go to 07.09.2007 A couple of weeks later

17.08. 2007 Kids, camera & paint

Continued from 15.08.2007 A long night and the vandalised cow

Friday 17 August 2007 - Kids day!Fehmican and the camera are ready.A queue has formed. Errr.......we'll just repeat that again. We're in Turkey and a queue has formed!!
Another angle of the queue - because you don't see such an orderly queue so often. Try the Metro for a start!
Hadi gidelim! Let's start! I'm probably trying to say something in Turkish for the camera as I prepare for the onslaught of parents, children and paint.
The view with Moo Gaz in the background.
This is why we are here: hands go into paint and then you put your hands on the white cow.
Then we write your name. The kids in the background hold banners proclaiming we look after our future. And this fellow down here doesn't seem to have a care in the world.
She won't look this white for too much longer longer.
I direct a young lady in pink with wet coloured hands to make her mark upon Cocukların Inegi - the Children's Cow.
Painting a fibre glass cow seems to be popular and putting your painted hands upon it really popular.
Hands on painting.
Signing the name to the hand print.Oi! Not there! Stop picking her nose!

This young man knows exactly which colour he wants.
Hands on direction.
Now what might you be demonstrating about?
That's enough painted hand prints on the underneath as we turn over the Cocukların Inegi - Children's Cow.

Her sign says, "We want to grow up healthy!"
Kids by the Moo Gaz cow.
Looking down on another mini demo by Dalgic Inek - Diver Cow.
"Look after our future!"

Blue. Green. Name. Done!
Now young lady, how do you spell your name?
You want a green hand eh? Problem yok!
C'mon, make a decision! Which colour do you want?
That one? You sure? Iyi gidelim!

Above, a glow in the dark hand!

A welcome coffee at the end of the afternoon. The artist looks like he's been fighting. Sometimes, it feels like it.
Rainbow paint and and a rainbow balloon.......
Celebrating the end of the gig.
Nihat serves up just the right medicine. Serefe! (sounds like sheref-air; means cheers)

Go to...18.08.2007 Final touches - job done.