istanbul design biennial 2012: international design symposium

istanbul design biennial 2012: international design symposium the symposium program

istanbul is the 2010 european capital of culture, and with the first istanbul design biennial set for 2012, turkey is currently undergoing an interesting cultural development. designboom believes that because of its unique geographical location and largely young population, the country is establishing itself as a lively and fertile site in which a new type of design language is bound to emerge. drawing from both asia and europe, istanbul is set to become a fresh contender within the international design community. istanbul kültür sanat vakfı organized a pre-event under the title – why a design biennial?

some of the international speakers (clockwise from top left) : birgit lohmann, designboom editor-in-chief; deyan sudjic, director, design museum in london; thomas lockwood, president of design management institute, massachusetts; john heskett, school of design of the hong kong polytechnic university, former chair professor photos by ali guler

as a pre-event to the biennale, the istanbul foundation for culture and arts (IKSV) organized a two day symposium, where speakers from turkey, as well as from across the globe, came together to discuss such topics as: integrating design and business, lifestyles of the future, how materials are driving design in the 21st century, designing in istanbul, the language of things…

designboom editor-in-chief birgit lohmann spoke at the international istanbul design symposium entitled ‘why design, why biennial?’, which aimed to create means for a productive debate on the interaction of design and diverse fields such as environment, culture, politics, economy, education, technology and science.

turkish speakers (clockwise from top left): gökhan avcioğlu, GAD architects; defne koz, industrial designer, defne koz studio; seyhan özdemir, architect, autoban; eray makal, visual communication designer, istanbul gilgi university photos by ali guler

as turkey’s largest city, with a long history of culture, istanbul is quickly becoming an important hub for both international congress and development. the symposium was a wonderful opportunity to experience and engage in a cultural discussion of both the history and future direction of the design industry. the varied topics touched on four major themes: design and its micro-components, design and its genetics, design and its macro-components, design and the city.

view of the symposium stage, with defne koz speaking

director of the first istanbul design biennale, özlem yalım (left), and chairman of the istanbul foundation for culture and arts (IKSV) bülent eczacıbaşı (right) photo by mahmut ceylan

the organizing team of the istanbul design symposium

’99 names’, 2002 by turkish artist kutluğ ataman on view at the istanbul modern gallery image © designboom

impressions of istanbul (clockwise from top left): a view of istanbul;  hagia sophia church ; pebble table by autoban; a men’s pant shop product display near the grand bazaar

impressions of istanbul (clockwise from top left): besiktas fish market by GAD architects; spice market; harem of topkapi palace; ‘hand in hand’ by defne koz for lipton

about the international istanbul design biennial: the istanbul foundation for culture and arts is expanding its activities in the field of design with a series of events that will culminate in the launch of the first international istanbul design biennial in 2012.

turkey’s growing role as an economic, political and cultural center has highlighted the importance of innovation and design and spurred the development of creative industries, particularly in the multicultural metropolis of istanbul. one of the biennial’s primary objectives, therefore, is to celebrate this creative potential and share it with international audiences; in belief that the diverse viewpoints and distinctive design discourse of istanbul will enrich the global design culture.

istanbul design biennial and its pre-events will embrace design globally with the goal of highlighting its contribution to industry, the economy, and quality of life; promoting cultural interaction and economic development; and contributing to the growth of design-thinking in the business community.

the call for applications will be announced in the first half of 2011 after the announcement of the biennial theme by the curator and proposals will be accepted internationally and interdisciplinary from all fields of design, from individuals as well as corporations, companies or any other figures acting in creative industries.