Istanbul to welcome first design biennial

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Emre Arolat, a Turkish architect, and Joseph Grima will curate the design biennial.

The Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) is planning to organize the first Istanbul Design Biennial next year with the aim of highlighting the importance of design in production, economics, cultural interaction and quality of life.

The biennial, whose events will be organized around a certain theme, aims to emphasize the importance of the design concept in business life and will include national and international design exhibitions, thematic presentations, workshops, seminars and other specific projects.

Imperfection is the theme of the first Istanbul Design Biennial. Istanbul is particularly conducive to exploring imperfection because, while far from perfect, is one of the most exhilarating and dynamic centers in the world. The city has infinite layers that are charged with the vitality that comes from engaging with rapid urban, social and cultural change.

Istanbul’s quality is that it gains so much from the imperfect, the inexact and the provisional, according to organizers. As a theme, imperfection both celebrates Istanbul’s distinctive creative qualities and encapsulates a wider discussion about the nature of design in the contemporary world. The theme is also set to tell the world something about Istanbul and offer the world a sharp insight into the nature of contemporary design.

Among the biennial’s primary objectives is to celebrate creative potential and share it with an international audience in the belief that the diverse viewpoints and distinctive design discourse in Istanbul will enrich the global design culture, organizers said. The design biennial also aims to create a platform to support the development of design and innovation policies, as well as a design archive on national and international scale.

Emre Asaorlat, a Turkish architect, and Joseph Grima will curate the biennial, which will be open to all disciplines of the creative industries in major fields such as urban design, architecture, interior design, industrial design, graphic design, new media design and fashion design and their related subfields