What Remains – “by” Julius Constantine Motal
“What Remains” is a visual exploration of the Prinkipo Greek Orphanage on the island of Büyükada off the coast of Istanbul. The orphanage closed its doors in 1964, and for the past 50 years, it has been in the care of Erol Baytaş.
See transcript
Transcript :What Remains – transcript
My dad had been the head cook at Robert College, Boğaziçi University.
Babam daha once Robert Kolei’de – Boğaziçi Üniversitesi’nde, babam başaşçiydi.
Since he was incapable of holding onto a job, he came here out of necessity.
Hayata dikişte tuturemiyince mecburen buraya geliyor.
Then he passed away and I came in.
Ve vefat ediyor ondan sonar işte ben tekrar devre alıyorum.
So for 30 years, I’ve been the caretaker.
Otuz senedir ben burda görevliyim.
To me, this is my home, but long before, it was a haven for the orphans, who are spread around the world, some of whom come to visit.
Diyorum, bu benim de evim, ama ayna zamanda burdaki daha oncedeki yaşamış olan çocukları, yetim çocukları eviyde, barınağeydi.
A lot of those old people come and point out, “That was my bedroom.”
Işte o yaşamışlı yani şimdi geliyor kişi diyor ki bu benim yatak odam vardır diyor.
And they know exactly where it is. Maybe they only spent five years there in their childhoods, but they know where their bedroom is in this gargantuan building.
Yani ve biliyor. Yani, çocuklukta belki beş sene kalmış ama neresi yatak odası koskoca binada bir yabanci girse kayboliyor.
Can you imagine it?
Duşunuyor musun?
These are very emotional moments, but unfortunately I didn’t write them down, any of them.
Yani, çok duygulu anlar ama maalasef, yazamadım.
Now they’re lost to the wind, but if I had written them down, or taken pictures, it would be quite different.
Şimdi belki havada kalıyor ama keşke yazılmış olsaydı keşke resmi olsaydı çok farklı olacaktır.
I say this to everyone: I protect the building from people.
Ben işte herkeze doğru söyluyorum.
I’m not a guard. I’m protecting my own home, is how I feel.
Görev değil. Benim evimi koruyorum gibi geliyor bana.
It’s dying.
Ölüyor.
The building is crying. It’s living through its last days. It wants to live as it did in the past.
Bina ağlıyor artık. Ve, son yaklaştı bitiriyor bu bina. Bu bina kurtarmak gerekiyor ve eskiki canlığını istiyor.
Honestly, I don’t want anyone to be a caretaker of this place. I want it to be alive again.
Valla bence…kimse bekci olması istemiyorum. Burası canlansın ve eski hayatına kavuşu isterim.
My dad had been the head cook at Robert College, Boğaziçi University.
Babam daha once Robert Kolei’de – Boğaziçi Üniversitesi’nde, babam başaşçiydi.
Since he was incapable of holding onto a job, he came here out of necessity.
Hayata dikişte tuturemiyince mecburen buraya geliyor.
Then he passed away and I came in.
Ve vefat ediyor ondan sonar işte ben tekrar devre alıyorum.
So for 30 years, I’ve been the caretaker.
Otuz senedir ben burda görevliyim.
To me, this is my home, but long before, it was a haven for the orphans, who are spread around the world, some of whom come to visit.
Diyorum, bu benim de evim, ama ayna zamanda burdaki daha oncedeki yaşamış olan çocukları, yetim çocukları eviyde, barınağeydi.
A lot of those old people come and point out, “That was my bedroom.”
Işte o yaşamışlı yani şimdi geliyor kişi diyor ki bu benim yatak odam vardır diyor.
And they know exactly where it is. Maybe they only spent five years there in their childhoods, but they know where their bedroom is in this gargantuan building.
Yani ve biliyor. Yani, çocuklukta belki beş sene kalmış ama neresi yatak odası koskoca binada bir yabanci girse kayboliyor.
Can you imagine it?
Duşunuyor musun?
These are very emotional moments, but unfortunately I didn’t write them down, any of them.
Yani, çok duygulu anlar ama maalasef, yazamadım.
Now they’re lost to the wind, but if I had written them down, or taken pictures, it would be quite different.
Şimdi belki havada kalıyor ama keşke yazılmış olsaydı keşke resmi olsaydı çok farklı olacaktır.
I say this to everyone: I protect the building from people.
Ben işte herkeze doğru söyluyorum.
I’m not a guard. I’m protecting my own home, is how I feel.
Görev değil. Benim evimi koruyorum gibi geliyor bana.
It’s dying.
Ölüyor.
The building is crying. It’s living through its last days. It wants to live as it did in the past.
Bina ağlıyor artık. Ve, son yaklaştı bitiriyor bu bina. Bu bina kurtarmak gerekiyor ve eskiki canlığını istiyor.
Honestly, I don’t want anyone to be a caretaker of this place. I want it to be alive again.
Valla bence…kimse bekci olması istemiyorum. Burası canlansın ve eski hayatına kavuşu isterim.
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more info:In 1964, the Prinkipo Greek Orphanage closed its doors and shuttled children to a nearby church. Overlooking the sea from high on the island of Büyükada off the coast of Istanbul, the orphanage has been decaying for the past 50 years. What was once a haven for orphans is now a crumbling building with remnants of its previous life.
It was acquired by the Patriarchate in 2010, and in 2012 it was announced that it would be converted into an international environmental center. That project was given a two-year timeline, and now it still sits in a state of structurally unsound disrepair.
For the past 30 years, Erol Baytaş has been the caretaker, a career he began after the death of his father, who was the original caretaker. Baytaş was born on the grounds of the orphanage, and has developed a deep connection with the orphanage to the point where he doesn’t want anyone to carry on his line of work. He wants the building to be alive again in a way that would benefit people.
The building will not, however, be restored as an orphanage, and it’s unclear when the process will begin to convert it into an environmental center. The path towards new life for it is a gradual one, and each footstep is vital.
It was acquired by the Patriarchate in 2010, and in 2012 it was announced that it would be converted into an international environmental center. That project was given a two-year timeline, and now it still sits in a state of structurally unsound disrepair.
For the past 30 years, Erol Baytaş has been the caretaker, a career he began after the death of his father, who was the original caretaker. Baytaş was born on the grounds of the orphanage, and has developed a deep connection with the orphanage to the point where he doesn’t want anyone to carry on his line of work. He wants the building to be alive again in a way that would benefit people.
The building will not, however, be restored as an orphanage, and it’s unclear when the process will begin to convert it into an environmental center. The path towards new life for it is a gradual one, and each footstep is vital.
