The Open Streets Day event in Istanbul will carry out some walks called WHITE NIGHTS -Women in Darkness and Cities

“The Open Streets Day event in Istanbul will carry out some walks called WHITE NIGHTS -Women in Darkness and Cities. It is the search for the right to use the city freely, not only to reach from place to place after dark, to walk to discover, to live and to share the city. This event intends to be made women visible in the city through walks and to encourage women to make walking practice without any specific reason in the city, even in the night. We’ll make the night white again. What are the women afraid to do in the city at night because they are out of sight? How do interactions differ when compared to daytime? What are the foundations of a gender-based distinction between day and night city use, even in ‘safe’ cities? What is the night meaning for women, how do women experience walk in the city? The walks will take place in parallel times in Athens and Istanbul. We'll move with up to 10 women for each walk. An activity will be practiced during walks or in breathing time. It can be singing, reading poetry, playing a participatory game and so on. One of the participants will organize each walk and be the coordinator and then the coordinator of the walk will plan the activity as well. The organizer can take us to the place where she is most afraid of walking, allowing us to explore a place where she wonders at night or tell us her favorite spot to walk in the city. The walks will begin with a meeting at a location close to the beginning of the night walk. We’ll be discussing about walk in the city and at night and we’ll talk about our route and program. Then we will move together. Sharing this experience will encourage each of us to walk in the city and about night. We’ll be facing our fear about city, walk and night as women. We’ll comment on the possibility of walking in the city. We’ll reclaim the public space again and again. We’ll support each of us to make the night easy for us. We’ll open our creativity during the walks by diverse activities. All night, we’ll be recording the walks as sound and as video. We’ll take photos and we’ll note diary of night. We’ll share them on ‘White Nights’ website to encourage other cities and women to walk in the cities and share their experiences.