SÜMERPARK BECOMES A MEETING POINT FOR ART DURING PORSUK FESTIVAL

The International Eskişehir Porsuk Festival, organised by Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality with ETİ as the main sponsor as part of the "2026 Year of Eskişehir" events, continued across the city with a wide range of colourful activities on its third day. Sümerpark, one of the festival's key venues, hosted art, design, music and a variety of activities throughout the day, while Eskişehir Metropolitan Mayor Ayşe Ünlüce also visited the festival area, meeting with artists and young people.

Mayor Ayşe Ünlüce toured the festival area at Sümerpark, visiting the stands one by one. Speaking with artists and young people, Mayor Ünlüce said: "We have shared this wonderful atmosphere, where art, music, theatre and a wide range of colourful activities come together along the banks of the Porsuk River, with people of all ages. The energy of our children and young people, in particular, has made us very happy in our festival area, where there is another activity and another source of excitement around every corner."

YOUNG PEOPLE'S CREATIVITY COMES TOGETHER AT THE DESIGN MARKET

One of the highlights of the festival area was the Design Market, organised with the participation of students from Anadolu University, Eskişehir Technical University and Eskişehir Osmangazi University.

The stands featuring original products created by young designers through their own ideas and efforts attracted great interest from visitors. With a strong emphasis on design, creativity and originality, the market brought the young participants' creations together with art lovers while adding colour to the festival area.

The Design Market will continue to welcome visitors on Saturday and Sunday during the festival.

WASTE METAL IS TRANSFORMED INTO ART

The art workshops held as part of the festival brought together artistic expression and environmental awareness under the same roof. As part of the "Sculpture Workshop: From Waste to Art" and "Baycan Dalga Workshop", Anadolu University Department of Sculpture graduates Mücahit Diyar Ariz, Işıl Afacan, Niyazi Kerem Bengi, Üveys Kınay and Mustafa Tuğrul began shaping their works from the very first day.

Using scrap metal collected from the streets and waste areas of Eskişehir, the artists are transforming discarded materials into original sculptures through live performances.

The fact that there are only a limited number of sculpture workshops in Türkiye using waste metal materials makes the project a noteworthy and inspiring initiative from both an artistic and environmental perspective.

"POPULOUS" COMES TO LIFE THROUGH ART AT SÜMERPARK

The "Populous" exhibition, organised in collaboration with Anadolu University Faculty of Fine Arts, was another highlight of the activities at Sümerpark.

Curated under the guidance of Assist. Prof. Hasan Çimenci and created by Department of Sculpture students Selin Varol, Ergün Efe Günönü, Banu Tuğçe Öztopaç, Etem Aka Sözbilir, Deniz Aydın and Erim Can, the exhibition explores the reflections of the Porsuk River, a symbol of the city, and the natural environment along its banks on urban life through contemporary art.

The name of the exhibition also stems from a special play on words. In English, "populous" means "having a large population" or "densely populated", while its Latin root, "populus", means "poplar tree". The name thus represents the people socialising along the banks of the Porsuk, while also referring to the poplar trees along the river.

The works placed by the young sculptors at different points throughout Sümerpark reinterpret the poplar trees along the Porsuk River and the communities gathering in the area through the language of contemporary art.

RIVER EASELS": THE BANKS OF THE PORSUK TURN INTO A CANVAS

As part of the international art workshop, local and international artists began creating their works at easels set up along the banks of the Porsuk River as part of the "River Easels" event.

Andrew Smith and Simon J. Houlton from the United Kingdom, Ekaterina Dunaeva from Russia, Giulia Tosco from Italy, Maha Sabry from Egypt, Petri Hilden from Finland, Tudor Serbanescu from Romania, Ritu Aggarwal, Ritu Singh Panday, Sanju Jain, Shikha Gupta, Shilpa Kishore Patole, Shraddha Panday and Sujata Vijay Achrekar from India, as well as Barış Özyurt, Bora Uluyol, Doğa Deniz Güler, Ece Zeber, Seyit Kurban and Ülkü Usta from Türkiye, took part in the workshop.

The event, in which artists from different countries reflected the natural and urban atmosphere of the Porsuk River on their canvases, further strengthened the international art dimension of the festival.

RED BULL BRINGS EXTRA ENERGY TO SÜMERPARK

Red Bull activations also added colour to the festival experience at Sümerpark. The dynamic activities held throughout the day offered participants different opportunities for interaction and new experiences, adding to the lively atmosphere of the festival area.

A DAY FILLED WITH MUSIC

Music also accompanied the festival atmosphere at Sümerpark throughout the day. Cengohaus DJs Eren Coşan and Furkan Boran provided participants with hours of music through their performances.

Efe Yılmaz and Olgun Koçak then livened up the festival area with their mini concerts, followed by Soup Opera, who took to the stage and offered music lovers an enjoyable experience.

RIVER TALKS AND A CINEMA NIGHT AT İSKELE26

İskele26, another important meeting point of the festival, also hosted a variety of activities throughout the day.

As part of the River Talks, actor Tansu Biçer shared his memories of Eskişehir and the city with participants in an engaging conversation.

In another talk, Batuhan Bayram and Merve Özkiremitçi from the Climate Working Group of Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality discussed the importance of the Porsuk River for the city and shared their views on the climate crisis and environmental issues.

İskele26 also hosted the improvisational theatre performance "Suare", while the film "Bildiğin Gibi Değil" was screened as part of River Cinema. Following the screening, film enthusiasts enjoyed an engaging conversation with the film's director, Vuslat Saraçoğlu.

"NORA 2" TAKES THE STAGE

Meanwhile, the Art and Culture Centre (Opera) also welcomed theatre lovers as part of the festival programme. Bahçe Galata's "Nora 2" offered art lovers a memorable theatrical experience.