A Daring Funerary Chapel: The Inspiring and Unforgettable Life of Aslı Nemutlu.
This funerary chapel is build to commemorate Aslı Nemutlu and is dedicated to St. Lucy. Aslı was a daring young woman and she sought to help whomever she can. During her short life she did so many things that not even a grown woman would be able fit in her own lifetime. She liked to laugh, but she loved to make others laugh. So this funerary chapel won’t be a place to cry; this funerary chapel will be a place to show others the story of a well-lived life. She was a really good friend and a really good competitor. She will be missed very much.
Aslı was the tidiest person I have ever known. She wanted order in her room, in her hotel room and in her luggage. Therefore the overlaying theme of this funerary chapel is symmetry. The colonnade that transforms into an arcade without a hint will create a symmetrical pathway that leads up to the tomb. The pathway will be dimmer than the tomb. The visitor should be drawn towards the tomb. The light that only illuminates the area where the tomb is has two meanings. The first is that we have a saying in Turkish that says, ‟The evening sun shines on the beautiful”. If the sun is going to shine on anyone, it should be Aslı. The second meaning of the illuminated tomb is that light is commonly used as a symbol of God or the right path. After Aslı’s death many people looked back to their lives and many of who decided to change it. Her untimely death showed many of us that life is very very short.
The light will enter through the dome. This is where Brunelleschi works his magic. He is commissioned as the main architect and he will design a unique dome for this funerary chapel. The dome will have glass windows instead of coffers. This way the dome will be both lighter and more light will come in. only the glass in the center of the dome will be painted and the rest will be regular glass. Since St. Lucy the patron saint of blindness is also associated with light she will be depicted on the stained glass.
Having seen what Michelangelo is capable of doing both in frescoes and sculptures; he will be commissioned to do the frescos and the tomb. Some stories from Aslı’s life will be depicted in the fresco cycle.
The first story is the story of how Aslı fell from the top of a wall 2 meters high and was saved by a friend, but instead of our friend who caught Aslı, Hector the prince of Trojan will be depicted as the savior. This story represents all the stupid and fun things we did together. The fresco will be divided into two. The first scene depicts Aslı falling and the other depicts hector holding her.
The second fresco depicts the time right after Aslı was told that she couldn’t attend the European Youth Olympic Festivals. This fresco will be dark and despondent, but a beam of light will shine on Aslı, Zeynep and Yasemin. The source of this light beam will be St. Lucy. For this fresco only Caravaggio will be commissioned. What he has done with the light in ‘The Calling of Saint Matthew’ makes Caravaggio the perfect candidate to paint this fresco.
The third fresco will feature Aslı and St. Lucy helping others. The subjects of this fresco will wear two types of clothing: clothes from antiquity and Christian times. This fresco will be the one that Pagan and Christian figures integrate. Aslı always tried to help others and this fresco is dedicated to everyone she has helped. In this fresco since the idea of funerary chapels is Christian, the Christian people will be helping then pagans. St. Lucy lived during the time when Christianity was still practiced in the catacombs. She helped some people convert in to Christianity so this fresco also depicts a story from her lifetime.
The dome will be covered with clouds and angels. The clouds will stretch out of their frames and light will be coming out of the windows. This will create 3D image connecting with the audience. Aslı’s family refers to Aslı as a snowflake, that’s why it is going to be snowing. Snow always has a calming effect and creates a soft environment. White snow indicates beauty and purity. She will be resting on a bed of pure white snow.
The clerestory level of the colonnade and the arcade will be covered with stories from Aslı’s life from beginning to the end. The last fresco will have all her family and friends mourning after her death. Her funeral will be depicted, showing how many people she has inspired while she was alive.
To avoid having too many art forms in the funerary chapel portraiture and sculpture won’t be included and the roof will have a modest decoration. We don’t want to have too much, but we also don’t want to have too less. Therefore her tomb will not be very big or very high, but it will be decorated and it will be made out of colored marble. Purple and blue marble will be used for the tomb and it will have snowflakes carved on to it. The floors will have snowflakes too, but both the tombs and the floor’s snowflakes will be placed randomly. This will be the only thing in the funerary chapel that is out of the usual meaning of symmetry, but sometimes randomness creates symmetry. The tomb will be at eye level to suggest that she is still with us.
The main themes of this funerary chapel are symmetry and light. The colonnade and the arcade integrate Roman and classical ideas. Pagan and Christian ideas are integrated through the frescos. Brunelleschi, Michelangelo and Caravaggio will be commissioned to build this chapel. Even though pictures coming out of their frames don’t appear during Roman or Florentine renaissance, I wanted to add this feature because it looks gorgeous. The chapel is dedicated to the Patron Saint of Blindness, St. Lucy. She lived during the first periods of Christianity and is believed that she helped people see the divine light. To avoid distractions, the chapel is modestly decorated. Aslı was a brave, intelligent and dedicated young woman; I hope that she would be proud of my work with her chapel.