In the 5th Istanbul Design Biennial, curated by Mariana Pestana and titled 'Back to Empathy: Design for More than One', atlas harran focuses on the impact of geography on the design process and the migration of production knowledge as well as displacement.
atlas Harran is a design collection based on social, adaptive and collaborative design methodology, translating Mesopotamian knowledge and culture to today’s world through the handmade production by local and refugee women in Harran.
Harran is a district in southeastern Turkey, close to the Syrian border. The area has an ancient history, and Harran has been the gateway of many civilizations. Dating back to 10.000 years, these civilisations' contribution in the fields of architecture, astronomy, mathematics, geometry and societal interactions created through daily life rituals, were taken as references in the project. Designers translated these references into a collection addressing today’s langauge.
atlas Harran is an evolving project constantly adapting its process to the chang-ing sociological and political conditions in Turkey and the world. While the local and ref-ugee women are changing places, the knowledge/information of the production is con-stantly migrating.
For the 5th Istanbul Design Biennial, Aslı Smith designed a series of paper weaves titled as Ephemeral and Incomplit designed a textile installation titled as Public Dreams. Creat-ed with natural dyes and pigments, Ephemeral takes inspiration from colors, textures and mythology of Harran. It is a meditation on nature and time transforming the physical. Pub-lic Dreams is inspired by the myths of Asyrian, Babylonian and Greek civilizations settled in the area of Harran, reflecting the repeating story arc of ‘the myth’. The project under-lines the role of myths on gender norms. Specifically, with its colors in transition and the spiralling circular patterns, it highlights the need to supersede the strong asymmetrical stratifications between genders towards a world of multiplicity as well as interwoven nar-ratives and identities.
atlas design collection is curated by Bilgen Coşkun and Dilek Öztürk, founders of In-Between Design Platform, designed by Aslı Smith, Barış Gün, Begüm Cana Özgür, DAY Studio, INCOMPLIT and Şule Koç who are based in Istanbul, Turkey. The project is initi-ated by the District Governor of Harran, and realized with ADEM (Family Support Centre) within the Governorship of Harran, dedicated to support women empowerment.
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