Street View is a collaborative design project curated by In-Between Design Platform as part of the Equal Spaces project. Initiated by the Swedish Institute and The Consulate General of Sweden in Istanbul, Equal Spaces aims to explore creative, smart and inclu-sive cities.
Street View brings together four Swedish designers with four Turkish designers and four local artisans in Istanbul in order to collaboratively develop a number of design projects based on the artisans workshops, their histories and knowledge of production.
The main objectives of Street View are to contribute to discussion on global design, en-rich the design process through intercultural exchanges, celebrate artisanal and local production and - most importantly – support building empathy in the society by inclusive processes and collaborations.
The idea was developed by In-Between Design Platform in dialogue with the Swedish institute and the Consulate General of Sweden in Istanbul as part of Equal Spaces pro-ject. In-Between Design Space is located in Beyoğlu; a district of Istanbul hosting various artisans. Most of these artisans work on the street level and contribute to the cultural life in Istanbul. With this as a reference point, Street View is aiming to co-create in the context of intercultural design exchange.
PROCESS
After selecting artisan workshops in Tomtom and Perşembe Pazarı neighbourhoods in Beyoğlu, four Swedish and four Turkish designers were invited to join the project. The research fields and previous experiences of the designers were the main criteria of the selection process. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, each designer duo were introduced to each other via video calls. Following this, the artisans and their workshops were intro-duced to the designers. Ideas and design concepts evolved along various video calls. Parallel to this, material and production research has been conducted.
CREATIVE TEAMS
Metal Workshop
Jenny Nordberg, Buşra Tunç, Kadir, Ulaş Bayar
Jenny Nordberg’s practice is driven by a search for alternatives and counter-strategies to irresponsible mass production. Her work is characterised by brutalism and minimalism cleverly combined, often leaning on chance as an important element
Büşra Tunç is an architect/artist whose work focuses on perception and experience in the fields of architecture, art and design, working with industrial and everyday materials, optical units and analog instruments.
The common points of the designers are meeting on searching for new material and pro-duction methods and experimental design processes.
Metal artisans Kadir and Ulaş’s workshops are located in Perşembe Pazarı. Perşembe Pazarı is one the most important areas for the collective production in Istanbul. As a port area, Perşembe Pazarı has been a witness to the history of Istanbul. Today, this area is merging cultural legacy with production tradition.
The Metal Workshop Team designed a plant pot family with different shapes and colours, proposing a structural system where plants can reside and become a living architectural element. Taking reference from biophilic design, the plant pot family builds on the idea of accommodating plant life-forms in contemporary interiors. A joint system was developed especially for the pieces’ surface connections. The process of painting the surfaces was an experimental and performative one; it was ideated and accomplished uniquely for every piece in the dyehouse using the powder-coating technique.
Quilt Workshop
Susanne Bescow, Pınar Akkurt, Beşir Bostan
Pınar Akkurt is an artist and designer transforming daily life objects and leftovers with an authentic design language.
Susanne Bescow is a fashion designer transforming leftover cloths with pleating craft which is dating back to hundreds of years.
The common points of the designers are meeting on researching and producing about up-cycling and working on sustainable design processes.
The quilt artisan Beşir Bostan has been producing handmade quilts, pillows and mattres-ses in his atelier for almost 30 years in Boğazkesen Street. His archive consisting of handmade quilt patterns is a valuable reference for design culture.
The Quilt Workshop Team designed wall quilts using leftover silk materials. The desig-ners praised the extinct and endangered animals and plants by using their drawings and documenting the carbon foot print left by human. Thereby digital drawings developed by the designers are transformed into silk handmade quilts.
Simit Workshop
Josefin Vargö, Mesut Öztürk, Tarihi Boğazkesen Simit Fırını
Josefin Vargö is a food / experience designer and independent curator, exploring con-nections between the different senses, offering moments to consider diverse ways of be-ing.
Mesut Öztürk is an architect, academician and designer, taking ceramic as an expressive tool to experiment authentic handmade productions.
The common points of the designers are meeting on performative experiments where the design process can be seen on the product.
The historical bakery located in Boğazkesen Street in Beyoğlu, is a second generation bakery, continuing its production since 1977. The bakery is in constant relationship with the neighbourhood and the street, giving the leftovers to the people in need.
The Simit Workshop Team presents an installation called “Askıda Simit” located at Tarihi Boğazkesen Simit Fırını, based on the Turkish custom of giving bread to people in need. The installation takes reference from the street food culture of Istanbul, triggering the act of sharing, using the commons for socialising and other daily life interactions. Alongside the installation, the team has designed a table tray and a side table. The objects reinter-pret the traditional simit tray used by street food sellers, which has been a strong cultural urban item since Ottoman times.
Wood Workshop
Maire-Louise Hellgren, Deniz Üner, Hacı Bayram Ege
Maire-Louise Hellgren is focusing on sustainability, up-cycling and bringing mindfulness to our daily lives through design.
Deniz Üner is focusing on the concepts of modularity and diversity while targeting mini-mal, environmentally-friendly and long-lasting solutions to make human life better quality.
The common points of the designers are meeting on sustainability, being environmental-friendly and hands on making processes.
Wood artisan Hacı Bayram Ege, has been creating wood work both in the form of objects, furniture and architectural elements. His workshop is located on the ground floor of a building in Tomtom Neighbourhood.
The Wood Workshop Team designed a low seating furniture family consisting of 3 diffe-rent products with different shapes, showing the importance of moving the body into crea-tive and different ways of sitting. The idea aims to create a connection between body, na-ture and soul through the usage of wood which can bring healing to the every day lives of people.
For more information: in-between.online/gallery-blog/street-view