A guide to find social glue

From December 9th until December 15th Manon, Julie, Daria and Simone were researching in Istanbul. Galata Sishane, the oldest lighting production district in Istanbul, was their investigation area. The center of Istanbul is changing rapidly because of economic change. Craftsman and inhabitants are being moved out of the area and are placed into other areas of the city. They wanted to find out what holds a community together: what is their social glue? Is this transportable? They explored community life, and why we humans have a sense of collectivity in our nature. According to the media, social cohesion is disappearing. Though, at the same time, community gardens and village cooperatives are popping up rapidly. Government and municipalities are more frequently organizing projects with the goal of increasing contact within the district. This book is a manifest of the unorganized social glue. The people, places or materials that unconsciously contribute to social cohesion. A book by: Julie van den Boorn Simone Wouters Daria Biyrukova Manon van Hoeckel