team
NADAS was founded by Ahu Toksöz and Jessica Sim. Its development is supported by a wider team and community, including resident artists and team members, Gabrielle Reeves and Nora Byrne.
Ahu Toksöz
Ahu is a plant expert and student of philosophy. She is dedicated to finding ways of living in the city that are sustainable and in harmony with nature. Her work revolves around the idea that we are intrinsically bound to nature, on a deep and biological level, ‘even for those of us who have never set foot on grass with bare feet’. Ahu aims to share simple ways to live in unison with nature and the city. She does this by giving workshops and consultations about how to grow and live alongside plants within urban environments.
Ahu is a co-founder and co-director of NADAS Istanbul, and the founder of greensquaremeter.
Jessica Sim
Jess is passionate about ecology, and committed to developing creative communication methods to address climate change and inspire more mindful living. Jess holds an MA in International Performance Research from the University of Warwick and University of Amsterdam, and a BA in contemporary dance from the London Contemporary Dance School. She is also a Creative Climate Leader. Jess is a co-founder of CIRCUIT, and was co-director between 2016 - 2018. She also works as a curator and artist, including projects Museum of Garbage by FLYING roots and Şehir Ezmesi / City Paste.
Jess is a co-founder of NADAS Istanbul and was co-director until Spring 2021, at which time she went on to pursue further training in nature education and organic farming.
Gabrielle Reeves
Gabrielle Reeves is a visual artist from Casper, Wyoming. She has exhibited her work in solo exhibitions, group shows, and permanent collections in the US, Turkey, and Europe. Gabrielle currently lives in Istanbul, where she has worked as a freelance artist since 2014.
Gabrielle is a resident artist and team member of NADAS Istanbul, where she has her private studio. She also conducts regular classes and workshops in art and yoga, and is a co-coordinator of Nadas’a Bırak Artist Residency Programme.
Nora Byrne
Nora Byrne is a visual artist and designer focused on illustration, paper arts and collage. She focuses on cities in her artwork, wandering through streets and drawing on random corners, then collecting paper trash from the sidewalk to bring back to the studio. Her work combines a fascination with urban studies, a love of exploration and an issue with hoarding, creating three-dimensional cityscape collages that reflect on different authorities found within the city they depict. She found her way to Istanbul through Doha, Qatar, and is especially interested in exploring the relationships of megacities to their residents, and the potential for sustainable artmaking. She is currently working to develop a way to recycle waste paper for a larger series of Istanbul collages.
Nora is a resident artist and team member of NADAS Istanbul, where she has her private studio. She is also NADAS’s lead designer, a regular curator of exhibitions, and a co-coordinator of Nadas’a Bırak Artist Residency Programme.
volunteers & extended team
Volunteers and extended team members have been integral to the foundation and life of NADAS. The organization has been supported by countless individuals, both during its initiation and as it has grown and evolved. We are immensely grateful to each and every one of you!
yoga teachers
Jessica Sim
Jess completed her 200-hour teacher training in April 2015 with Chris Chavez, and an additional 100-hours with Mathieu Boldron in August 2018. She has been teaching group and private classes since receiving her certificate. Jess began studying movement in 2007 and practicing yoga in 2012.
Gabrielle Reeves
Gabrielle completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training in 2015 with Chris Chavez in Cihangir Yoga, Istanbul. She began practicing yoga in 2006 and has been teaching privately since receiving her certificate.
Tanja Völker
Tanja studied Social Work in Germany, graduated from the Trauma expert program at Bilgi University in 2012 and has been active and volunteering in solidarity with women survivors of domestic violence at The Purple Roof Women Shelter Foundation for many years. She completed teacher trainings with Zeynep Aksoy (200-hr), Mey Elbi (150-hr Vinyasa), Banu Çadırıcı (100-hr Yoga Therapy), as well as a 50-hr internship at Cihangir yoga. Tanja approaches yoga as a combination of body therapy, empowerment and liberation from social discrimination.
Berivan Cansu Polat
Berivan began practicing yoga in 2008. Between 2015-2016, she completed her 200-hour vinyasa teacher training with Sinem Er and 50-hour advanced teacher training with Zeynep Celen. Afterwards she worked as an assistant teacher in these trainings. In 2019, she completed 100-hour Yoga Therapy training with Banu Çadırcı. Since 2016, she has been studying with various teachers on different yoga topics and teaching private and studio classes.