PASSAGE

The Bosphorus has long served as a conduit between East and West, a vital passage shaped by centuries of migration, trade, and cultural exchange. These flows of movement have imprinted themselves onto the strait’s geography, making time not just a measure but a force that governs how people navigate both space and memory.

PASSAGE becomes a part of The Peninsula Hotel’s clock tower. The building was once home to Çinili Han—the former passenger hall where travelers awaited transit. This space was deeply embedded in the rhythms of migration, serving as a site that regulated human flow. By reactivating this location through light, Amorós highlights how built environments retain collective histories, even as their functions evolve.

The 1910s clock tower, once a practical anchor for those in transit, has become symbolic.

The work extends from the uppermost point of the building, the first terrace, where travelers once stood to wave goodbye or hello to loved ones. Walking through the lobby of The Peninsula echoes the physical and trajectories of those who passed through. The work speaks to the dualities of passage: inside and outside, departure and arrival, memory and presence.

Red is drawn from Turkey’s cultural and historical glossary and becomes a bridge across time. It speaks of the city’s imperial legacy, revolutionary fervor, and contemporary dynamism.

Red is the pulse of Istanbul, from the Turkish flag to the tiled interiors of mosques and the vibrant markets that continue to welcome newcomers.

In PASSAGE, red becomes a visual carrier of remembrance, transformation, and continuity. It is a beacon for those who have moved through this place and for the cultural heritage they carry with them.

PASSAGE is a meditation on migration and the preservation of cultural heritage that illuminates how cities absorb and reflect the countless crossings that shape them.

A Wave of Time, 2025
The Peninsula Hotel, Istanbul
The Bosphorus strait has long been a connector between East and West—developed by centuries of migration, trade, and cultural exchange. Time controls the waters ebbs and flows, structuring how people move through a space and reflects memory—is carried across generations.

In A Wave of Time, Grimanesa Amorós explores Istanbul’s layered histories through two site-specific installations: PASSAGE and MARITIME. Installed in The Peninsula’s historic clock tower, PASSAGE reflects on time, migration, and cultural heritage. Inside the hotel’s lobby hangs, MARITIME, evoking the rhythms of the Bosphorus emphasizing the strong tides and seafoam—bringing the outside currents within.

Together, these works form a single narrative: light as a vessel connecting people, place, and memory.