Camping kit on Șimian Island

Authors’ Comment

We envision Simian Island becoming an accessible place for visitors, researchers, and especially for the Turkish community. The masterplan proposal has a memorial character, both at the formal level, by incorporating the initial shape of the fortified Ada Kaleh Island, but also at the functional level, by creating an archaeological park and introducing the intangible heritage of the former island community. By studying the testimonies of those who lived on the island, we learned that the bazaar played a dominant role in their lives, as did the processing and commercialization of fruit sweets grown on the island. Therefore, we propose planting a fig orchard within the limits of the fortress and an annual commemoration of Ada Kaleh Island through an event that involves reviving the traditions of the Turkish community, related to fig jam, their specific music, and life in the midst of the bazaar. During this event, as well as throughout the year, a camping area will be open, located between the shade of the orchard and the walls of the former fortress, where our intervention, the camping kit, will be found. It consists of a fixed and a mobile part. The fixed part is a repetitive structure made of wooden planks, anchored in the ground by acacia stakes, while the mobile part is made of bench modules, either suspended from beams or supported by movable beams. Thus, while the kit serves as a dining area, washing station, and shower cabins, it can also become an exhibition area, seating for projections, or simply remain a free-standing structure. Three storage boxes, made from the same bench modules, can easily be moved, as they are supported on mobile beams. The roof of this structure collects rainwater and channels it into a foldable water reservoir placed in the washing area. By using this modularity, the intervention is literally a kit that can be assembled, transformed, and disassembled with minimal effort.