Noticing through Walking

Let’s Get to Know Our Neighborhood Closely: Nature and Animals in the City

Although cities are mostly created by and for humans, they are areas that host many living things. In this workshop, we focus on one of these living groups, animals living on the streets, and ask: How aware are we of the animals we live within cities? How aware are we of where and how animals spend their time?

In the walkshop, which was first held in partnership with Nilüfer City Council and Koç University HAT events, we aimed to get to know and notice more carefully the various animals we live with by visiting the neighbourhoods around Tamirhane as a group. Afterwards, we tried to notice the relationships around us by walking twice in the walkshops we held with different participants. We thought that capturing relationships that we had perhaps never noticed before in the places we planned to walk could be a guide for more fair and inclusive urban designs that are far from anthropocentric. Using the tools we call “sensory frames” that accompany the walk, we recorded the animals we noticed around us by taking photos and videos. See below to see some photos from the workshops!