Kirlangic – Old Factory Building

In Ayvalik, there are many, maybe too many, old buildings mostly left to decay and fall. I tried to visit several of these as individual photography assignments, without fully understanding the real reason for their appeal to me.

Their condition of neglect, or what they once were drew me to them. It may even be an “age” thing where I feel some kind of kinship to these buildings because they are old, and frankly in much worse shape than I am! Whatever the reason, I took great care in treating them photographically, without sentimentalism but with sensitivity to what they were and had been.

The Old Kirlangic Olive Oil Factory

One large complex I visited, with special permission from the municipality, was the old Kırlangıç* (Swallow) Olive Oil Factory. I remember their logo on the oil cans my mother used to purchase, a black swallow with wings spread against the greenish-yellow background of the oil can. Apparently, still the same. The buildings reflected a function-based design and separated into several structures. Some of them connected, while others stood alone. They lost their identity with the rest of the buildings and the entire complex. As I walked slowly from one building to the next, sometimes through the rubble and avoiding certain dangerous-looking paths, the true master of the mostly abandoned complex walked by, a large dog who totally ignored me.

On a pleasant note, I heard that the municipality was planning to convert the complex into a large cultural center. Good news indeed. I truly hope that the project materializes, and the dilapidated complex turns into a vibrant cultural center. That will change the future of Ayvalık in significant and profound ways. Best of luck to all involved.

Here is a small collection of photographs to provide a sense of what I experienced. I hope you experience the place through my photography and my eyes. More to come in part 2 and part 3.

(* Pronounce Kırlangıç as kehr-lung-itch)