From the outside looking in, the anniversary of a bank would hardly be worth a second mention. However, in the case of Türkiye İş Bankası – commonly known as İşbank – the company represents so much more than simply a place to deposit money. “It’s not just a bank; the fortunes of İşbank are intertwined with those of the Turkish Republic,” stated Cem Görk, founder of event agencyCPMistanbul. “It’s much more than simply a financial institution; it supports the arts, sports, charities and plays a major role in the development of the country.”
With such an important institution marking its 100-year anniversary, CPMistanbul was entrusted with producing a grand celebration befitting the occasion, and as soon as Görk got the green light for the project, his first call was to his close friends and long-time collaborators, the husband-and-wife team behind Imagina Productions, Işıl Evgin Gündüz and Sedat Gündüz.
“This was an extremely emotional project for us, because everyone in the country has grown up with İşbank and benefitted from its support,” commented Evgin Gündüz, who oversaw content direction and creation. “There’s a huge amount of public respect for the bank, and the fact that it is so connected with the arts meant that the show was very artistic in its nature.”
Taking inspiration from Pink Floyd’s iconic 1989 A Concert for Europe performance in Venice, Director Görk envisioned a floating stage set on Istanbul’s very own iconic waterway, the Golden Horn. “The minimum requirement was that the show would be unique and spectacular,” he explained. “Aside from the artistic reasons, building the stage on the water also allowed us more space on the land for a larger audience capacity.”
As well as the performance stage, the floating platform also encompassed a huge backstage area, complete with bathroom and catering facilities as well as dressing rooms for each of the 15 famous singers, as well as the Duende Global Symphony Orchestra and Dance Company, who performed throughout the night.
“Looking back, this was always a crazy idea,” laughed Production Director Gündüz, recalling the extensive calculations required to ensure that the platform would be fit for purpose. “The open-air floating stage brought all kinds of challenges, from the need to check the weather constantly to monitoring the boat traffic. I’m not sure if we’d do it like this again, but it was all worth it in the end.”
With a marine-grade structure the build upon, the production didn’t hold back when it came to technology, utilising 600 sq m of LED screen, an extensive lighting rig and a comprehensive audio system fit for any large-scale concert. “We didn’t have to worry about weight – the only real challenge was ensuring that the barge remained balanced as we built,” Gündüz recalled. “If we built something on one corner of the barge, we had to add counterweights to the other side to ensure the load was distributed evenly. We took it step by step, which meant the build took around two weeks to complete.”
The video deployment comprised 600 sq m of 3.9mm outdoor LED supplied by EMN Technologies, with a large central backdrop flanked by three screens either side, plus IMAGs left and right. Content was handled through four Dataton WATCHPAX 60 servers with an Analog Way Aquilon Cmax screen management system, supplied by SK Pro.
Lighting Designer Çetin Tükmenli of Timecode Mafia, as well as Operators Burhan Sezer, Umut Şahin, oversaw an impressive lighting rig, which was supplied by Dark Technical Production. It included: Martin MAC Viper Performance and Profile fixtures, Robe iFORTE, CHAUVET Professional Rogue Outcast 2 Beam, Acme NEOZONE LED Wash and Gemini, FOS Technologies Cyclone PRO D2, ADJ Jolt Panel FX, with control coming via MA Lighting grandMA3 Full Size and light consoles.
Automation was utilised extensively, with Bolt Stage Automation providing a Kinesys system that Automation Operator Fatih Köroğlu used to move two custom made chandelier set pieces designed by Architect Sait Aktay, and two circular trusses equipped with Elation SŌL I blinders with custom bowls/domes and Astera Titan Tubes. These custom set pieces were designed by architect Sait Aktay and lighting fixtures were supplied by Bolt Lites.
The PA of choice meanwhile was a d&b audiotechnik KSL system – also supplied by Dark Technical Production – with 48 KSL8s, eight KSL12s and 24 KSL-GSUBs, all controlled by Audio Engineer, Erim Arkman through a Yamaha CL5 with Rio 32/24 stage box.
Alarga was the maritime logistics coordinator, DETEK provided docking and vessel management, the stage and structures were managed by Giga Solutions, while scenic production was handled by Karizma Reklam. LND Energy provided power generators, F5 Production oversaw the broadcast, and Cyberdrone delivered the spectacular closing drone show.
The wider team included: Executive Producers, Emrah Ersoy, Doğuş Bitecik, Duygu Tekin, and Zafer Çeçen; Production Managers, Kemal Özdemir, and Mert Şahin; Musical Director, Begüm Başbuğ; Assistant Musical Directors, Edin Lozana, and Onur Kadıoğlu; Composers and Arrangers, Serdar Yalçın, and Murat Cem Orhan; Musical Conductor, Serdar Yalçın; and Orchestra Director, Damla Varnalı.
Also playing a key role were: Content Art Director, Nila Dedeoğlu; Content Creators, Motioncraft Studio; Scenic Production Managers, Murat Sezer, and Sait Aktay; Stage Manager, Basri Gamsız; Stylist, Tuğçe Ülkümen; Sea Operations Manager, Okan Avcı; Backstage Manager, Fahranaz Bozkurt; Backstage Coordinators, Yağmur Gökçelik, and İlknur Ateş; and Artist Liaisons, Ahsen Çamlıca, Ayşe Ege Su Kısaoğlu, Neşe Deniz Demirdöven, Aysu Elif Genç, and Şevval Öztay.
Looking back on the achievement, Görk reflected on the scale of the feat, assembling 15 of the country’s biggest stars on stage during a 90-minute show. “It was a huge achievement and very difficult to pull off, because each of these artists is used to being the main attraction,” he concluded. “I’ve been in the business for more than 25 years as a creator and stage manager, and this production is my life’s work. I’m extremely grateful to all the amazing people who came together to make this a reality.”
Photos: Emre Dörter
