Space, memory and social relations: Transformation of movie theaters in İzmir

This study focuses on the interaction and relations established between space and social life and examines the process of social memory together with the changes in urban spaces. Spaces are not only physical but also elements of social memory that carry the traces of the past to the present and contain meaning and values. The restructuring of cities, which have become investment areas for capital, causes social spaces to lose their historical and cultural values and social memory to be lost. In this context, the study aims to investigate how the historical transformations of movie theaters, which are places of memory in Izmir, such as demolition, relocation and change of function, affect social relations and practices. In the research, the transformation of movie theaters in Izmir examined with the mapping method and evaluations were made together with the findings of previous research. It has been observed that historical movie theaters located in the neighborhoods and streets of Izmir are a part of public life, provide the development of social and cultural relations, and have a place in individual and social memory. In the process of urban restructuring, movie theaters that were demolished or moved to shopping malls have lost their direct relationship with daily urban life, and their permanence in individual and social memory has not been ensured.