On Saturday night, Jefferson Hack of AnOther Magazine, Pablo Ganguli of Liberatum and Demet Muftuoglu of Istanbul ‘74 hosted The Istancool 2011 Festival Gala Dinner in the rector’s office of the Istanbul University. One of the world’s oldest institutions, the University was founded in 1453 by Mehmet the Conqueror and has played a guiding role in shaping the social and cultural landscape of Turkey. Transformed for the evening by extraordinary event designer Antony Todd, with candles lighting the sweeping stone staircases, it was an apposite setting for guests including cultural luminaries, Kirsten Dunst dressed in Chanel couture, Tilda Swinton, Terry Gilliam, Michael Stipe, Ryan McGinley, Stephen Jones, Dan Colen, Sophie Calle, Marco Mueller, Sam Taylor Wood and Haider Ackermann. After dinner, guests were transported to the after party where Courtney Love wowed the crowd with an intimate performance before DJs took over. The party continued until the early hours.
Text by Caroline Lever
