crazy murat

I've been wanting to post this story for a while.

In 2007 I spent a week in ISTANBUL, TURKEY, doing a project/exhibition sponsored by LEE JEANS EUROPE ... I shot for 3 days, and then we put up a big show in the GARAGE ISTANBUL space.
On the first day, while roaming the city streets, I noticed a guy walking around reading from a book. Of course, I snapped a shot and moved on. Later when we were editing for the show, we really liked the shot. A couple of days later, I did an interview for a local daily paper, HURIYET, talking about how I started shooting to basically PRESERVE MY SANITY during the madness that was going on in my country in 1993. Among others, they chose this image to accompany the interview ....


At the opening of the show, I noticed a familiar face in the crowd, and realized it was the reading guy ... he approached me, very excited to be in the show; his friend had seen the article and told him about it. His name was MURAT KOCAK, and he gave me the book he was reading from as a present. The guy had amazing energy.



The day after the opening I stopped by the gallery, and they told me that Murat had stopped by to give me something. It was his personal handmade diary.





On the last several pages of the diary he wrote me a note ....







Here is the translation by my Turkish friend ....


I was DEEPLY, DEEPLY touched, almost to the point of tears.

These are the things that make this life worth living.