Lyrics & Music: Yalcin Konuk
Arrangement: Tolga Tumozen

 

"Ay Isiginda" is a song recorded by Turkish singer-songwriter, Yalcin Konuk, from his studio album “Kusur Guzeldir” (Imperfection is Beautiful). It was written and produced by Yalcin Konuk and arranged by Tolga Tumozen. The video, directed by Bora Tarhan, was filmed in November 2013 and released on October 15, 2014 as the fourth one from “Kusur Guzeldir".

 

The video was filmed in the Saint Pierre Han, an abandoned building, located in Galata, soon to be converted into a cultural centre for Bahçeşehir University. The building was commissioned in 1771 by the Comte de Saint-Priest (French Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire) to be the ‘lodging place and bank of the French Nation’ and takes its name from the Saints Peter and Paul Church nearby. A plaque commemorating the birth (1762) of the French poet André Marie Chénier, born in the location of this building before its construction,  is a reminder of the building’s rich past and present. André Chénier was associated with the events of the French Revolution of which he was a victim.

 

“The building is a labyrinth of corridors, chambers and stairs holding memories and traces from its past. Since the very first time I saw it, I had the desire to do something with this time machine.”

 

Special Feature: Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin
The video includes a sequence of Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg’s interview taken from “Entretien Charivari”, a Marc Lobet Production - Sonuma RTBF Archive (May 5, 1973).

 

“While we were working on the texture of the arrangement the idea of infusing the song with a French Touch came naturally. We included a city atmosphere sound at the intro and outro of the song. This gave way to a kind of cinematographic feeling. A Frenchie black & white scene was obviously what we were looking for. Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin earned a reputation as an avant-garde couple for their images, lifestyle and musical works. I wanted to have a simple and very natural dialogue of the duo, more than something matching the theme of love.” And with “Ay Isiginda,” I wanted to pay tribute to this French pop and music legend.

 

I would like to thank Jane Birkin and all Gainsbourg family members for their kind permission for the use of the dialogue and the interview visual sequence of Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin in “Ay Isiginda”.

 

Director: Bora Tarhan
Editing: Yalcin Konuk (Special tanks to Elif Ayan & Aziz Imamoglu)
Producer: Yalcin Konuk

The Girl: Mina Gamze Erdoguk

Special thanks to:

Bahcesehir University for providing the Saint Pierre Han.
Yasemin Ozeri for providing the dress of Mina Gamze Erdoguk.