Rhizome 7 - Field of Possibilities / July 2017

Work Life, Architecture, Culture and Art

FIELD OF POSSIBILITIES FIELD OF POSSIBILITIES / PROCESS OF IMPOSSIBILITIES Cem Sorguç HOW DOES ART SURVIVE IN THE CITY, AND THE CITY IN ART? Merve Ünsal TWO MODES: PLAYING DARZANÂ Avşar Gürpınar

www.koleksiyoninternational.com

July 2017 - 02

1 CITY 3 PROJECTS

Allianz Tower, İstanbul

Havas Media, İstanbul Netlog Lojistik, İstanbul

Contents

Prologue Hülya Ertaş Editor / Architect

8

TWO MODES: PLAYING DARZANÂ

36

EVENT CALENDAR

Avşar Gürpınar

12

4

FIELD OF POSSIBILITIES / PROCESS OF IMPOSSIBILITIES Cem Sorguç

DESIGN FOUNDATION AT MILAN DESIGN WEEK

16

POEMA

Modular Seating Systems

6

HOW DOES ART SURVIVE IN THE CITY, AND THE CITY IN ART? Merve Ünsal

20

A NEW WORLD FOR YOUR PROJECTS

28

WORKS & NOTES

SOLIS

KG Architecture Kurtul Erkmen

ELEA

32

Modular Seating Systems Waiting Lounge Seating Units

RECENT STEPS

July - August - September Events

37

INSPIRATIONS #OfficeMoodsRhizome Architect’s Playlist Bilge Kalfa

38

KOLEKSIYON AROUND THE WORLD

We are actively engaged in some type of production throughout most of our time on earth. We all produce something, irrespective of our professional lives, whether it be a piece of machinery, a sculpture, beans, buildings, health, or law…

And regardless of the work we put into these productions, we have very little impact on how they are perceived.

Umberto Eco’s Open Work presents a nice pathway to make this feat, which appears impossible at first, a possibility.

What if we accept the plurality of perception, which we have no control over from the start, and construct our production so as to multiply it?

What if we design the “thing” that we produced by freeing ourselves from the rigid molds of individuality, and in such a way that it can be transformed, adapted, or to use a more contemporary word, “hacked” by others? This would then mean that instead of arriving at a conclusion, we would contribute to the flow of time with this process.

In the midst of all the crises and challenges, we often question what flow, time and sustainability are.

Eco too reminds us of the question that probably lies beneath it all: If we can strip off our own piece of individualism and prioritize the whole world, would we be able to shape our productions in this manner?

A quarterly magazine by Koleksiyon containing opinions and remarks on business life, architecture, design, culture & arts.

This issue can be found online at: www.koleksiyoninternational.com/Rhizome-2017-02-ENG

Publisher Koleksiyon Mobilya San. A.Ş.

Editor in Chief & Director in Charge Ayşe Malhan Makbuloğlu Editor Hülya Ertaş Illustrations Kaan Bağcı

Graphic Design İrem Mangıtlı Photographs Emre Dörter Gürkan Akay Onur Kolkır Ufuk Serim Arslan Thomas Mayer Contributors Canan Bozkurt Necmi Çıran

All publishing rights belong to Koleksiyon Mobilya San. A.Ş. In accordance with the Law on Protection of Intellectual and Art Works. Short quotations, texts or images for promotional purposes cannot be reproduced without the prior approval of the publisher.

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Headquarters Koleksiyon Mobilya San. A.Ş.

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Reference No: 31000033916

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Field of possibilities / process of impossibilities Cem Sorguç Architect, CM Architecture

How do we act within the field of possibilities in the design process?

The dialectic between text-reader and creator-work is open to interpretation. What the author / creator, or the text / work says constitutes another dialectic. Can the process of interpretation, which is pertinent in plastic and visual arts and writing, also be applied to architecture?

Architecture is a series of processes whose stages often overlap each other. In addition to both design and manufacturing processes involving different dynamics and manifestations, the use and the wear and tear processes inherently contain a new layer of possibilities / impossibilities.

The open interpretation of the audience / receiver may not happen simultaneously with the creation of the work, whose development depends on the physical means.

Architecture distinguishes itself from art forms in having possibilities during the design process and the multiple parameters of these possibilities. Another difference is that architecture can only allow a limited physical interpretation, since the construct/space is inspired by its user’s practical needs and architecture’s own realities. Therefore, the “reading” or “interpretation” of space is always limited.

No other design / creative work is threatened with the reality of getting old or of disappearing as much as architectural work.

When a work is displayed by its creator, designer or maker and then transferred to its audience or receiver, this is the beginning point for its interpretation and its sustainable and open-ended understanding. Whereas the transfer of architectural work, in other words, a building, means the beginning point for its pre-conceived expiration time for the practical use of that space. However, this time is not clearly defined or predicted here.

Within its limited lifetime, it is possible for an architectural work to change its users or function, or to go through various physical misfortunes.

This is where the architectural field of possibilities comes into play. If a structure is designed within the field of possibilities, whereby possible future transformations are predicted, it can be open for multiple interpretations and have a long lifetime in terms of its functionality.

Architecture’s dependence on the urban, sociological, political or environmental factors is not optional.

It either needs to maintain its infinite functionality with a perfect construct or transform itself, while a perfect and prescient architectural construct may not be the only predictor.

No text or painting has the same dramatic relationship between its design and lifetime. With the exception of rare or experimental examples, the moment the created / designed work is out of its the creator’s hands, it’s transferred into interpretations, explanations, internalizations, in other words, to its audience and receiver. “A work of art…is a form, in other words, a complete act, or an infinity within a finity; its completeness is born out of its end…” (Umberto Eco, Open Work) Different interpretations or internalizations are possible. The work is not alone, but rather stands on the tripod of creator-workaudience, where the new “meaning” encompasses all three, and this timeless and sole indicator can be descriptive or misleading.

In his “Open Work”, Eco talks about the “incomplete work” that the creator intentionally leaves open-ended for its interpreters (e.g. when referring to composers such as Stockhausen). The work “completes itself”, both by the performer and its audience.

Architecture is not a concept that requires explanations in this context, as they are limited. Architecture’s description or error is not coincidental, and its potential to provide infinite possibilities to the user is, although covertly, prescribed.

Caracas University’s Faculty of Architecture, described in the 50s as “the school that is recreated every day” is one of the first structures that was designed to allow functional transformations depending on the needs of the time. Here an identified program is open to a flexible use, but this flexibility doesn’t mean making of an architectural interpretation.

Therefore, the field of possibilities in architecture has more to do with functional adaptation depending on the program rathen than the interpretation. Economic or human flow can determine the degree that a structure is considered an “open work”, and the possibilities of negative events render the work open to interpretation.

In addition to all these, there are architectural interpretations that arise from the additions, subtractions or changes due to geographical and cultural differences. Some examples include organising a space for desire or needs, or the reinterpretation of empty spaces or the façade following the functional changes in a structure. These and other similar examples describe the changeability of values in time and according to different conditions, parallel with a design process that accounts for many possibilities. As a determinant and with the goal of creating new functional possibilities the aesthetic value is another dialectic interpretation that is open to new dynamics with altering priorities.

I would like to mention a personal experience: transformation of a shopping mall into a school building as the mall was not functioning any more. In this project, for me the field of possibilities occurred through considering the main structure of the building as an abstract completeness. This is not the classical rejection of singledirection forms Eco describes when talking about visual arts, nor the abandonment of form that is the basis of comunication, but a more flexible version of the concept of form, where “form is perceived as a possibility”. Building is not complete without its finalized form or finishings. It stands in the middle of the field of possibilities. * This article was related to Umberto Eco’s “Open Work” in its theme and contents.

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How does art survive in the city, and the city in art?

Documenta 14: Notes on Athens

Thomas Love Working, Siren Call Irena Haiduk, Tomas Lov Radi, Zov Sirena, 2017 Documenta 14, Athens Photo: David Bornscheuer

Untitled Apostolos Georgiou, 2013 Athens Concert Hall, Documenta 14, Athens Photo: Angelos Giotopoulos

Merve Ünsal Artist, M-est Founding Editor

How do we utilize space as a field of opportunities, and how does art relate itself with the space in this context?

In the interview sessions with Ayşe Erkmen and Fulya Erdemci on 29th

April 2017 in Dirimart Dolapdere, something I heard will resonate with me for a long time. When Erkmen was asked about her artistic sensitivity and artistic understanding, she replied that she perceived herself mainly as a sculptor, and she had taken seriously one of her professors’ words at the academy on sculpture, that it always needs to hide something within. As an artist who is known for her public jests and interesting situations she creates, to describe her work as open-ended and mysterious provides an entry point to a critique

of the relationship between “public” areas and artistic work.

The Documenta exhibit, which is displayed every five years, attempts to show the relationship between artistic objects or situations and their relationship, or the lack of it, with the space they are placed at, and to map out contemporary art in the city. Documenta 14, which includes two cities for the first time in the history of Documenta, being featured in Athens, as well as in Kassel, brought a layer of transient artistic touches to the cities.

Big scale art events and exhibitions and their relationships to the cities in which they are held are going through rapid evolution in our time, especially as the question of to whom do public spaces belong becomes more prominent. The monumental and visually monolithic scenery gives way to artistic jests and artistically created situations, and the collaboration of art with different channels adds depth to the relationship felt with the city itself.

Founded in 1955 in Kassel following WWII, in an effort to “heal” Germany, Documenta’s choice of Athens for their first sattelite location for the exhibitions and art events brings a whole new dimension to interEuropean dynamics. The diffusion of the show in different parts of Kassel under the title “Learning from Athens” and the inclusion of information on the history of the locations in the exhibition booklets, all point to things learned not through the works of art but also through the connection between the works of art and the city itself.

And at the bottom of this connection is the secrecy Erkmen mentions, that some parts are completed by the audience, a secrecy which hints at an anti-monolithic stance.

William Pope. L’s Whispering Campaign, 2016-17 is a work of action, including its description.

The list of materials used includes nation, people, sentiment, language and time. The total time for the performance is 9.438 hours.

I came across this work in Athens in the EMST, National Museum of Contemporary Art.

When I first couldn’t find the text or the explanation for the whispering male voices in Greek that were coming out of a wall, I thought this was a guerilla work. Maybe the fact that I didn’t even think of the possibility that something I couldn’t understand could be a part of the exhibition tells me something about the ways I’ve experienced things.

But when I realized that the goal of this work was to focus on inexperiencibility, non-understandibility and on activating things we can not see or feel, I became an aly of Pope.L. It was possible to come across these whispers in the rusty pole at Polytechnion University, as well as at the first cemetery in Athens.

We don’t know how accurately the sounds diffused in the city echoed the real whispers of Athens, but this fictive situation is a very impressive and resistant artistic jest.

The Syrian maestro’s announcement to play a piece from Syrian music as a gift to their Athenian colleagues at the end of the concert was a moment that proved how hope and sorrow could be experienced at the same time.

I came across Irena Haiduk’s Yugoexport Copies of In-Corporation Documents, 2017, on a store window label inside a passageway that reminded me of those in Paris, a space where you detect modern absurdities only when it’s vacated.

Exploring West-Eastern relations and how cultural capital can be used and exploited, the Yugoexport show constitutes a text that cannot be transported, and therefore prevents the very things it is talking about. Haiduk’s work, which succeeded in reminding us of the possibility of not becoming a part of the system while being physically a part of it, and taking a political stance by letting go and being molded into it, was definitely one of the breath taking parts of Documenta.

The work by Ross Birrell and David Harding, who played Henryk Gorecki’s Symphony No.3, Op. 36 at Athen’s Concert Hall, Megaron, in collaboration with the Athens State Orchestra, was definitely a witness to the transformative power of art incorporated by Documenta.

The orchestra, which consists of Syrian musicians living in Greece, and the Athens State Orchestra played Gorecki’s most famous work, Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, at the state concert hall (while we remember the abandoned AKM hall in Istanbul), reminding us of how powerful contemporary art can be when it is constructed in jests.

When people are brought together and situations are generated via refinedly detailed acts, we witness how people unite through opening up to different fields, such as bowing to the audience or standing in a moment of silence.

Following the concert, as the audience stumbled through the hallways, the large scale paintings by artist Apostolos Georgiou that leaned against the floor were lit up with spot lights from the floor, allowing our own shadows to fall on the paintings and to make our own selves feel represented in them. Seeing the painted figures intertwined with our own, the use of stage lights outside of the stage and the musical performance we had just experıenced made us feel as if the anonymous figures pulled us into their lives and made us realize how much of our inner world remained unrepresented.

As I was busy trying to remember which public transportation options remained available on Labor Day, May 1, I was thinking of how in today’s world, where the discussion on the use of public space is turning more into a dictation than a discussion, art still can affect this discussion while retreating from it, and how it can support activism and labor rights without stealing their effect. As long as art is not being valued only for uniqueness and preciousness, and exists by molding itself into societal structures, it has that constant potential, and an especially vital potential for today’s Turkey.

Whispering Campaign Pope.L, 2016-17 Cantina Social, Documenta 14, Athens Photo: Freddie Faulkenberry

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Two modes: playing Darzanâ

Figure 2a: Cosmic Thing Damián Ortega, 2002 Disassembled 1989 model Volkswagen Beetle, 673.1x701x751.8 cm The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, USA.

Avşar Gürpınar Asst. Professor Dr., Department of Industrial Design, Bilgi University

When it comes to the interpretation of a work, what are the boundaries of the field of possibilities? Where is the line between being open to interpretation and post-truth?

Much was said on art since Adam and Eve, Much praises were laid by Greenberg and Eco, O’hara and Barthes, And also much criticism, Like those by Ruskin and Popper, Zizek and Marinetti All full of sorrow, seperation, pain and tears Darkening our world like a nightmare But today brother Avşar will sing us a new song As he has seen that the biggest truth in life is Sons of Adam are a hot oven, and daughters of Eve lentils.1 Figure 1: Fish Mobile Alexander Calder, 1944 Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Metal, paint, wire, plastic, wood, glass and ceramic, 41x120x11cm.

Aesthetic theorists, for example, often have recourse to the notions of “completeness” and “openness” in connection with a given work of art. These two expressions refer to a standard situation of which we are all aware in our reception of a work of art: we see it as the end product of an author’s effort to arrange a sequence of communicative effects in such a way that each individual addressee can refashion the original composition devised by the author.

On the other hand, each consumer also responds to the stimulations of this defined work and tries to find connections between them and adds their own prejudiced view based on their own personal sensitivity, cultural background, taste, tendency and a unique way of looking at art, which then shapes the pleasure received from it.

A work of art, therefore, is a cornpiece and closed form in its uniqueness as a balanced organic whole. while at the same time constituting an open product on account of its susceptibility to countless different interpretations which do not impinge on its unadulterable specificity.” 2 (Eco, 1992) Using a very technical description, Darzana was a ship reproduction on the second floor of a architectural biennial, using ship and dockyard remains. Before it was displayed in public and was physically complete, much was said of it. And none focused on the nature of the work.

I have read both undeserved praise and criticism of the work. The discussion mainly revolved around why this project was selected among a dozen others and the ethical dilemma created by the project’s authors responsible for the transformation of the dockyard, with regards to access to the area.

The curators’ description also did not give much clues on the context and by not being direct about the relationship of the work to the biennial, it was biting its own tail.3

It is hard to hear your own voice in the loudness of others’ critique. Then when you add the ambiguousness of the reality itself, things get even more complicated 4. If one cannot succeed in a sincere interpretation of the work after stripping themselves of a crowd of dialectic praise and criticism, maybe the best option is to play the work for the audience 5. Since possibilities are infinite, interpretations limitless and reality ambiguous, then it is possible for the same commentator to have two opposing views -with legitimate reasons- on the same work. Now, I will attempt to read / play for you the same work 6 using two different melodic modes.7

Figure 2b: Cosmic Thing Damián Ortega, 2002

Poem on Groundlessness - I Almost all works of art gain meaning within its location and its context.

Experiencing Darzana in its own location and context was first a huge excitement and then a series of disillusionments for me.8 The

exciting part was to observe such a poetically inspiring work in its own location and context. The reason for my disillusionments was my own expectations- which of course the project authors had no responsibility to fulfill. The first disillusionment was caused by seeing that the pieces of the boat were not where they were supposed to be. To be more specific, a piece found on the bow was an object used in the workshop of the dockyard. Or a piece that was supposed to be placed on the stern was on the side of the deck.

I don’t know why I had the expectation that the pieces were supposed to refer to the correct places and vice versa. I am not sure, but I might have at least expected to see some sort of a relationship between parts and their locations as opposed to a random configuration of objects that seemed to be chosen at random from the dockyard.

From the moment the work began to take its shape, that is, before I had seen it at all, my mind began referencing Calder’s mobiles (Fig. 1) in its remote corners and Ortega’s Cosmic Thing ( Fig. 2) in the frontlines 9 (Fig. 2). My expectation was to see at least a ship hanging in the air like the Flying Dutchman 10 to fulfill the seeing of the poetic aspect of the work, if not exactly the kinetic or abstract figures of Calder’s work, or the completeness of the work emphasized in Ortega’s work in its relation of pieces belonging to a specific location.

Therefore, while walking around Darzana, it was a second disillusionment to see many of its pieces anchored to the ground.

It can be discussed at length if a work should stand alone at a specific location without any explanations or should co-exist with additional productions and descriptions around it. Should the labour be invested in the work and design only, or be invested for other works created to surround the main work that will help clarify the intended meaning, as opposed to multiplying interpretation? In Darzana, they took the second option. However, neither the video accompanying it nor the text explaining its assembly expands the space of possibilities or add depth to its understanding.

The text strictly describes its physical installation and the video portrays a highly subjective narrative of the abandoned dockyard. In this dreamlike state I stumbled into, the images and texts surrounding the vessel kept on calling me back, and led me to stay there longer.

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Figure 4: Flying Dutchman Charles Temple Dix, 1860’s

Figure 6: Darzanà İstanbul Modern, 2017 Photo: Avşar Gürpınar

Poem of Groundlessness-II There is a unique, ancient and invisible connection between arsenal and vessel, Venice and Istanbul, Italy and Turkey, not measurable by our short lives.

Figure 3: Darzanà Venice Architecture Biennial, 2016 Photo: Avşar Gürpınar

When the Venetian Architectural Biennial was finished, Darzana came back to the lands it was created from and took its place in the yard of the Istanbul Modern Art Museum.

Seeing the vessel in an open space, next to the sea it would originally have been floating on, I found Darzana in a better space, not just reporting from the frontlines, but having actually moved to the front, accompanied by nothing else but the sounds of the sea, vehicles and construction, as it was softly blowing in the wind, humble, calm and poetic. (Fig. 3)

Figure 5: A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte Georges Seurat, 1884-6 208x308cm, Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, USA

For centuries, both Venice and Istanbul served as the commercial and cultural fronts of the countries -if not the continents- they represent.

Although being at front changed its meaning from time to time and sometimes involved the commercial, and sometimes artistic or cultural representation, these cities carried the burden of the land behind them and opened it up to the outside world and allowed its transformation.

In this context, Darzana emphasizes the invisible connection between these two fronts, dockyards, cities and countries.

Pieces taking off the ground from one of these fronts, Istanbul’s Halic Dockyard, floats in space, just like the Flying Dutchman, and meets those on the other front, in Venice Dockyard. They combine in a metaphysical composition without touching each other, like subatomic particles. When looked at this way, it wouldn’t have been possible to symbolize the ‘reporting from the front’ better than this composition.

(Fig. 4) While watching Darzana, my mind goes back and forth between Calder’s mobiles, Damian Ortega’s Cosmic Thing and the works of post-impressionist painters such as Seurat and Signac. I can see how this work has no direction and therefore allows multiple perspectives like Calder does in his work, how it points out to something bigger than its parts and makes cultural / historical references to this object like Ortega does, and how it hints at an invisible net so smartly woven to allow for an analysis and an experience on a macro and a micro level like Seurat, Signac and others did. (Fig. 5)

There is tension on the pieces of the work; some hang from the ceiling, some are anchored to the ground, and they all consist of different sizes, colors and shapes. In this world of oppositions, the parallax-driven mind finds it impossible to stabilize itself, and observes maybe a thousand works of art. The other works surrounding the work help create the conceptual framework.

The text accompanying the work renders the production process transparent, and the video taking you on a tour of the abandoned Halic dockyard connects the ship to the conceptual framework.

When the Venetian Architectural Biennial was finished, Darzana came back to the lands it was created from and took its place in the yard of the Istanbul Modern Art Museum.

Seeing the vessel in an open space, next to the sea it would originally have been floating on, I found Darzana in a better space, not just reporting from the frontlines, but having actually moved to the front, accompanied by nothing else but the sounds of the sea, vehicles and construction, as it was softly blowing in the wind, humble, calm and poetic. (Fig. 6)

Notes: 1-Those who find the introduction not serious enough can read the essays in the book Misreadings by Umberto Eco, “Regretfully, we are returning your…”, “The Discovery of America”, “Make Your Own Movie”.

2-Eco, U. The Poetics of Open Work, p.13 3-“Central to the concept behind Darzana is the emphasis on frontier infringement and hybridity.

Travelling between Istanbul and Venice, the project aims to mirror the Mediterranean itself.

It is related to the theme of `Reporting from the Front` of the 15th International Architecture Exhibition, as it is literally reporting from the front.

Challenging the sanctification of identities based on religion, language, race, nationality and gender, and the description of borders based on these identities, as well as the conflicts that arise due to them, the main message behind Darzana is that `You cannot make borders on water nor put a wire fence between words`.

The project should be interpreted as a homage to border infringement and hybridity.” The text is from the description for the work.

4-Reality has never completely existed or been considered to be one and only, I acknowledge that, however I also doubt that in the recent past, it has never been as absent as in today’s world.

5-Interpretations.

6-The reasons why I chose Darzana is first due to the surprisingly large amount of discussion that has surrounded it, second that its structure allowed for multiple interpretations, and last, the inability of me to be able to personally take a position on the work.

7- It is not a coincidence that in Open Work, 1992, Eco begins his discussion on “openness” within the context of musical works and their performance/interpretation. As a matter of fact, any interpretation is a performance, a way of playing. And the tone of the performance determines the mood of the interpretation.

8-Here I specifically choose the word disillusionment as opposed to disappointment because it was my imagination that was let down, not my expectations.

9-Damian Ortega, Cosmic Thing, 2002.

Disassembled1989 model Volkswagen Beetle (673.1 x 701 x 751.8 cm), The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, US 10-De Vliegende Hollander, a legendary ghost ship that can never make port due to the curse it’s under after exploiting the riches of the East and is doomed to sail forever in the ocean.

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Design Foundation at Milan Design Week

Various jewelry and fashion projects created by using ceramics, glass, felt, papier-mache as part of the design workshops held by Design Foundation Istanbul, were displayed in Milan for an international audience of grand scale.

Design Foundation, sponsored by Koleksiyon, presented its exhibition titled “Entangled” in Triennale di Milano, as part of Milan Design Week, during April 4-9, 2017. 80 selected works from 40 designers from the design workshops held by Design Foundation were featured.

Sharma Tabletop Lamp Faruk Malhan

designfoundationistanbul.org

“Entangled” Exhibition Triennale di Milano, Milan Design Week

In the 56th Design Week held in Milan, one of the most prominent cities in design, many architecture, design and art events that determine the upcoming trends, were held.

Various jewelry and fashion projects created using ceramics, glass, felt, papier-mache as part of the design workshops held by Design Foundation Istanbul, were displayed in Milan for an international audience of grand scale.

Triennale di Milano Museum for contemporary arts hosts a small number of selective works each year during the design week. Mentioning the importance of hosting an exhibition at this museum for Turkish history of design, architect Faruk Malhan emphasized the values he wanted to convey with his work and continued “We are now at an important milestone for our dream which began three to four years ago.

As we all know, Milan is the heart of design. It is very exciting to be displayed at this distinguished museum in this important city”.

Malhan then expressed his happiness to be able to exhibit works that were created during the workshops held by the Design Foundation.

The Design Workshops are organised and curated by Design Foundation, in Istanbul and Bodrum since 2013 with the participation of designers, artists, makers and design students.

Covering the fields of design, architecture, urbanism, product design, ceramics, glass, textile, fashion and much more, the Design Workshops are led by international figures from all over the world including ceramic artist Mehmet Tüzüm Kızılcan, kilim rug artist Belkıs Balpınar, fashion designer Arzu Kaprol, felt artist Mehmet Girgiç, ceramic designer Marek Cecula, glass artist Gabriele Küstner, glass designer Anu Penttinen, ceramic artist Vilma Villaverde, paper artists Uta-Tuna Çiner.

Artists and designers whose works are displayed in the exhibit include: Atilla Cengiz Kılıç, Ayça Canan, Ayşe Türker, Ayşen Mehtap Kurbanzade, Bağdagül Demirtürk, Banu Konyalı, Başak Uysal, Burcu Sülek, Derviş Ergün, Ece Pınar Demirel, Elif Gültekin, Errin Kancal, Müjde Gökbel, Fırat Neziroğlu, Fidan Levent Balaban, Funda Seçal, Gamze Nur Yanık, Gökçe Kömürcü, Gökhan Eryaman, Gözde Pınar Akpınar, Gül Gündüz, Gülşen Doğan, Kaan Gözüm, Kerem Ariş, Mehmet Girgiç, Melike Burcu Soysal, Monika Tymicka, Nagehan Süzgün, Nilüfer Çubukçu, Nur Eryılmaz, Onur Hastürk, Ozanhan Kayaoğlu, Selen Ülbağ, Serap Kayhan, Seyhan Yılmaz, Studio Kairos, Şenay Takuş, Tektaş Ağaoğlu, Tevif Türen, Theresa May O’Brien, Yıldız Parlakyiğit.

Triennale di Milano Milan Design Week

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“Are We Human?”

3rd Istanbul Design Biennial Koleksiyon Tarabya

With the goal of emphasizing design’s positive effects on production, economic growth, community development and individuals’ quality of life, the 3rd Design Biennial of Istanbul was held last year under the theme: “Are we human? -Design of our Species: 2 seconds, 2 days, 2 years, 200 years, 200.000 years”.

Faruk Malhan: “We are now at a milestone for our dream which began three to four years ago.

And now we are in Milan, the heart of design.”

Conference and Exhibition of Koleksiyon and Design Foundation Takes Place at the 3rd Istanbul Design Biennial, as Part of the Creative Neighborhoods Program Koleksiyon and Design Foundation hosted a conference and exhibition as part of the Creative Neighborhoods Program of Istanbul’s 3rd Design Biennial, which explored the relationship between “human” and “design” under the theme of “Are we human?” Hosted at the Tarabya Campus on November 2, 2016, founder of Koleksiyon and Design Foundation, architect Faruk Malhan and Prof. Murat Güvenç participated as speakers. Following the conference, titled “Humans, Science and Talent against all Endowments”, a collaborative exhibition of Koleksiyon & Design Foundation was displayed.

In the gala of the Biennial, Faruk Malhan made a speech titled “Human Against all Endowments” where he talked about the aftermath of humanism, history of humanity and anthropocentricism.

After exploring the theme of the biennial, “Are we human?”, Malhan emphasized that design should focus away from the object and become more of an intrinsic, experimental, conceptual and trans-disciplinarian kind of field.

Known for his significant projects in city and regional planning, urban geography, architectural design and sociology, Prof. Murat Güvenç shared his approach to the biennial’s theme with his speech titled “Humans, Science and Talent”.

Defining humans as a beings that relate to the world through objects, he explored the concept of design from its etymological roots to its historical reflections.

Another important part of the event was the Collaborative Exhibition of Koleksiyon & Design Foundation.

Innovative ideas that inspire design in furniture, fashion and textiles were displayed at the Tarabya Campus through works such as lighting, accessories, complementary décor, rugs and textiles created by over 20 designers from Turkey and all over the world.

Volver Pots Studio Kairos

Derin Floor Lamp Derviş Ergün

Gezgin Pen Stand Faruk Malhan

Gabriele Kustner

Atilla Cengiz Kılıç (top) Seyhan Yılmaz (left) Pare Candle Holder Set Faruk Malhan

Kybele Burcu Sülek

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Poema

Solis

Design Studio Kairos, 2016

Design Studio Kairos, 2016

Functional solutions for spontaneous meetings or creative teamwork sessions.

Solis brings along a variety of seating solutions to workspaces, common areas and living spaces.

Designed by Italian design office Studio Kairos, Poema is a modular seating system developed for common spaces and living areas such as workplaces and waiting rooms. Creating spatial richness in the office environment with its lower seats and desk, Poema is

designed for spontaneous meetings or creative team work sessions.

The modular elements of the seat and plant units provide an open system wherein a rich variety of compositions serve to meet the ever-changing needs.

Self-watering pots The pots are equipped with a special hydrosystem where the excess water obtained after each watering can be reused later.

Simple geometric form Poema’s modular geometric form allows easy transformation into the desired combination.

Ergonomic form Solis is suitable for long-period use with its ergonomic structure and wide ottoman base.

Poema consists of a corner-seating unit, a mid-section seat, an ottoman and a plant unit. As each unit has the same side lining, it allows for many combinations anytime.

Poema can be used a single chair, or a couch with two, three or more seats, and L-couch or a square shaped arrangement. Poema’s textile-covered ottoman, plant unit, corner unit and the mid-section unit each consist of 78 cm of width.

The back cushions of the corner and mid-section seats are curved, and the seat cushions are straight.

Each unit can be upholstered in a different color textile to create a visual variety. Poema can be paired with the desk designed for it. The desk made of natural material is 220 cm long and can be placed in front, behind or between the seating units.

Customized solutions to common areas With its oval shape and special design, Solis has a modular structure that offers various combinations for common areas.

Designed by Studio Kairos, Solis is a seating system that brings along a variety of seating solutions to workplaces, common areas and living spaces. Consisting of the ottoman chair as its main element Solis consists of two models, ottomans with or without backrest.

Both models can be used alone or together to create a myriad of combinations.

Solis ottomans can feature either one or two sided dents to allow more units to be combined to them and to create the desired composition.

These compositions can even be more varied by choosing ottomans of different colors.

The backrest addition, that enfolds the user on both sides, has an iconic design. Providing a comfortable seating experience with its back support, Solis can be considered an alternative unit for working or resting. The backrest can be of the same or different colored textile or mesh as the ottomans they sit on.

Due to the ease with which it can be transported, Solis adapts quickly to changes in the space it’s used in.

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Elea Design Koleksiyon Studio, 2015 Individual solutions to waiting lounges Chairs that are specifically designed for disabled users are available.

Elea, an ergonomic seating experience for waiting through long durations at transportation hubs.

Elea consists of backrest and seats that can be manufactured from a variety of materials, metal armrests and the connecting piece for the seats. The seating and backrest is one piece and it can consist of polyurethane or fabric over polyurethane. The unique looking chairs which can be chosen from a wide range colors and materials, are complemented by the original armrests.

Technology supported waiting lounges Elea allows placing sockets below or above the coffee table, or in between two backrests.

Designed by Koleksiyon Studio, Elea is a chair designed specifically for the waiting lounges of transportation hubs such as airports.

Elea’s ergonomic design ensures comfort during short or long waiting durations. It adapts easily to waiting lounges of different arrangements with its variety of fabrics and fonts covering the polyurethane and a wide range of colors and textures.

The main body of the product consists of horizontally laying triangles of metal profiles and aluminum injected legs and armrests, which all contribute to the robustness of the body. The epoxy-coated lower pieces that connect the chairs to the main body have been created with special care to complement the rest of the design. The legs are coated with oven-cured electrostatic epoxy powder, and the feet are polished shiny with aluminum injection, and have a plastic protective pads underneath.

To ensure convenience and comfortable seating for people with disabilities, structures with appropriate measurements were used. Thanks to the power sockets that can be installed below or above the attached coffee table or between two backrests, charging mass communication devices, indispensable need of our age, from the seat is made possible.

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A new world for your projects

NETLOG LOGISTICS, Udesign Architects, Ä°stanbul, 2016

The understanding of our daily life in three divisions as work, home and leisure has evolved into a more hybrid system. While work and living spaces begin to look more like each other, activities that are considered leisurely are being more incorporated into office spaces.

This new situation calls for a new design approach that is more flexible and easily transformable, and brings in the possibility of variations in the part-whole relationships in spatial organisations.

A workplace designed and structured as a field of possibilities, turns into a place where users can contribute to the space with their own experiences and imagination, and adapt to ever-changing conditions.

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In meeting rooms, two different styles were adopted. The general meeting rooms were kept simple to prevent people from any distractions, whereas the general board meeting room was more elaborately designed.

Operating internationally with more than 2700 vehicles and 6700 personnel since 2003, Netlog Logistics has its Istanbul Dolapdere office at DLP Plaza, No. 01. The design of the office contains objects that give references to logistics, but without overwhelming the personnel, who are all too familiar with the objects in the industry.

To support this concept, Nickel Pig Iron (NPI) profiling, workshop hoists, ratchet straps and jack trucks, which are used for dividing office spaces, and written directions in the office, similar to those you would find in warehouses, are used.

Departments within the office are separated through the use of these visuals, allowing for greater mobility within the office. After the separation of departments, the space for open offices was determined and the managerial offices were then separated from the rest of the department using glass windows

to allow maximum sunlight penetration from each direction.

With this transparent setting, the whole office space, all 1.650m2 of it, is able to benefit from natural sunlight.

When you continue straight from the office entrance, the hallway that connects meeting rooms leads to a kitchen-cafeteria area. In contrast to the rest of the space, the warmth of wood used here creates a home-office feeling. The goal is to provide a space where colleagues and visitors can share some leisure time, spend time outside of office hours and organise office events.

In the open-office space, to maximize ceiling height, the mechanical, electrical and fire systems were left visible, after being painted. This high-tech look created by the exposed ceiling was complemented with different types of rugs and PVC used together on the floor.

In its details, custom-made furniture was combined with ready-made.

To fulfill the needs of different teams with altering needs, a detailed analysis was performed to help select certain customized and ready-made manufacture storage systems. As for modular furniture, Koleksiyon products were preferred.

PROJECT Netlog Logistics ARCHITECT Udesign Architects PHOTOGRAPHY GĂźrkan Akay YEAR 2016 LOCATION Ä°stanbul PRODUCTS Borges desk systems Atos desk systems Partita desk systems Gala office chairs Dastan office chairs Ruba storage systems Cantata chairs Suri poufs Ray coffee tables

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Designed as an A+ office tower, Allianz Tower is located at the intersection of two main transportation lines, in a business district on the Asian side of Istanbul.

Designed with the priority to create a flexible, productive and sustainable office space that would reduce work stress, allow employees to feel proud of their company, be in open communication with colleagues and have recreational spaces, the workspaces were created as open-offices to maximize social communication and information flow between employees, without any hierarchies.

PROJECT Allianz Tower Allianz Turkey Headquarters Building Project ARCHITECT Swanke Hayden Connell Architects PHOTOGRAPHY Ufuk Serim Arslan YEAR 2015

Open and closed meeting rooms of different sizes, project rooms and private meeting rooms for one to two people, all provide different options for work spaces. Also, these spaces are surrounded by other “surprising” spaces to create a new-generation, happy office. Open and closed meeting rooms of different sizes, project rooms and private meeting rooms for one to two people, all provide different options for work spaces. Also, these spaces are surrounded by other “surprising” spaces to create a new-generation, happy office.

Each floor represents Allianz’s past with a different color and theme.

The inner garden areas constitute the common rooms, where the theme is emphasized most, and they are created to satisfy the need for work, rest, gatherings and leisure time.

In addition, there are texts and graphic panels which explain the themes in depth, on the horizontal and vertical surfaces of each floor.

These panels serve as informational panels on Allianz’s corporate identity or on events during gatherings for employees and guests.

The colorful, energizing rest areas stimulate creativity and collaboration.

These technology-integrated spaces allow for both individual and group work. Focus rooms, copy rooms and coat rooms surround the open-office space, in order to maximize sunlight use and optimize use of lighting elements. Motion sensors and other selected electronic systems enable 30% less energy use, and similarly chosen HVAC control systems helped earn the company a LEED Gold certification.

LOCATION İstanbul PRODUCTS Quo Vadis desk systems Partita desk systems Gazel executive systems Rarum storage systems Ruba pedestals Ikaros sofas Tellasmar sofas Halia armchairs Kardinal armchairs Miranda armchairs Halia bergers Suri poufs Montis Beanie poufs Virasana newspaper racks Narcissus coffee tables Plinth coffee tables Terna coffee tables

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PROJECT Havas Media ARCHITECT AR-D Studio PHOTOGRAPHY Ufuk Serim Arslan YEAR 2016 LOCATION İstanbul

Our starting point in the design process was the analysis of the needs. The departments within the company, number of people in them and the relationship between the departments were all examined and optimal planning was developed.

Fittings were then selected on the basis of securing comfort for each staff member.

Leaving the service elevators, stairs and wet areas aside, the 750 m2

office space emphasizes comfort and ease of access. Havas Media’s inner organization consists of five or six departments, all of which are not too isolated from each other.

In the architectural planning, the purpose was to enable the departments to have close communication, while maintaining their privacies.

The new design, which was developed after examining the former office space and organizational scheme used by Havas Media, is very different than the former.

The former office failed to create synergy due to the divisions inherent in the previous building. This is why the architectural team was even involved in choosing the new building for the new office. Among four or five options available, the most suitable was the one at Link Plaza.

AR-D Studio’s office design aimed to soften the hard lines between home and workspaces for the employees, who spend long hours at work. The space was designed to generate a sincere connection to the workplace, in accordance with the recent trends in architecture.

The colors and materials selected aim to neutralize the effects of office on those who produce work here.

PRODUCTS Atos desk systems Partita desk systems Calvino desk systems Akkadian desk systems Calvino desk systems Lean desk systems Guamba desks Gala office chairs Halia office chairs Dastan office chairs Tristan office chairs Miranda office chairs Kind office chairs Path storage systems Adia storage systems Dilim sofas Babil Serdivan sofas Sambia sofas Botero armchairs Halia bergers Helen chairs Suri poufs Bongo poufs Ray coffee tables Terna coffee tables Guamba coffee tables

The variety provided by Koleksiyon, in terms of color and materials, contributed much to the ambience intended to be created. The brand’s focus on developing and producing innovative designs provided the architectural team more space to be creative.

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Works & notes

income per capita. Therefore, humans, on a personal or national level, and at least partially, associate the concept of development with getting wealthier.

KG Architecture Kurtul Erkmen Master Architect

Since the foundation of KG Architecture in the 90s, much has changed in Turkey and in the world. Has any aspect of KG remained stable in the midst of all these changes?

Of course, as I’m sure all institutions have things that remain the same.

One of our qualities that doesn’t change is our commitment to create an environment that finds solutions to the needs of the time, using the resources of the time. This could even be considered the definition of architecture. From the past to the present, it is not only technology or structural techniques that change, but also desires, ideas, needs and functions. Therefore, as designers, we are responsible for keeping up with these changes and transferring what we’ve observed into the spaces we construct. Therefore, one of KG Architecture’s main mottos, to respond to the needs of the time with the resources of the time, is still very valid.

Do you think it is possible to draw a timeline of changes in offices and workplaces?

We love working on office and workplace projects. The amount of time people spend in these places constitutes a major amount of their daily life. In architectural education, we are taught people spend a third of their time relaxing, a third sleeping and a third, working. Although the work seems to take up only eight hours, the reality is, it tends to take

up more than that. I do not imagine that someone who works at the office for eight hours also relaxes for another eight. Especially in a city like Istanbul, where traveling between home and work takes about two hours, this commute should not be considered part of relaxing; that is, time spent in the car, metro or the bus cannot be considered relaxing, as your mind is in work-mode during these periods. This 8-hour working period has definitely been exceeded for everyone, and since we cannot make the day any longer, we are forced to go for other things.

in order to create environments that facilitate relaxation or self-charging.

That is what the mind needs anyway.

You cannot sit through meetings from morning to evening, for about the third hour your brain would short-circuit. You want to take a break and do or think of something different. We have to create times and suitable spaces to renew ourselves.

The other big change concerns speed, an expectation characterizing our age. If the project you are working on is going slow, you have to face your client, and things can get tense. Transportation also needs to be fast, if you ride a car that drives slowly, you get tense again because everyone else is traveling faster than you. Even if the athletes on a team you support are slow, you get upset and yell “Play faster, run!”

What I’ve observed and read about the world has shown me that from the past to the future, the world is getting richer. Leaders and politicians strive to increase the

So, within the current flow of things, do you suppose the increasing need for relaxation will continue into the future?

Therefore, I believe people will similarly realize the error in the obsession with speed and over-working, and begin creating more leisure spaces, and this will be reflected in both daily life and office life.

Some people even dream of a completely automated world.

Has the world gathered enough riches and wealth so we can live without working as much?

Yes, transportation is faster and production is made by machines.

Actually, in Europe, there is a factory governed by robots, where only four people are employed on a space of 10.000 m2, whereas maybe in the past they needed 144 people.

But what really matters is the fair distribution of this accumulated capital to people. Otherwise, societal problems will arise. These are serious sociological challenges to which many people are trying to find solutions. To come back to your question, yes, of course, the goal of automation should be to create more free time for people.

During the Industrial Revolution, particularly at the end of 19th century,

coal extraction, the use of coal in steam engine trains, the acceleration in transportation, and the emergence of new industries, etc. required more manpower than ever before, increased working hours, and even

BKM Express Office

As a matter of fact, you are right to think so. After computer technology, the world is now taking solid steps in mechatronics, robotics and android technologies. Right now, machines may appear to replace the work humans do, but when you look at it, the Industrial Revolution had also transformed work and required less muscle power, but this did not slow down the pace of human labor.

So, we must add the expectation of speed to the longer hours of work, and office spaces need to reflect this feeling of constraint. But how?

We don’t necessarily need to increase this constraint, but can help to release it.

The tendency in the world and with us who follow the changes that are taking place throughout the world, is to make work life more animated

Then, what is the difference between the rich and the not-rich?

Just money? I feel that the biggest difference is that the rich have time.

This is only in theory, of course, otherwise when you look at bosses or CEOs at big companies, you would see that they do little else besides working constantly. But honestly, the rich need even more free time because that is when one can renew oneself and be creative.

Therefore, I believe that in this progressive development of time, humans will try to allocate their time to make room for leisure both inside and outside of work life.

led to child labor. However, people said to themselves, “We need to make a few changes here” and so they did.

BKM Express Office

However, as I just mentioned, this isn’t what happened in the 20th century; on the contrary, things got faster. To find an example from architecture, my father who also is an architect, mostly used a ruler while designing, and was able to complete, say, three projects per year.

Now, compared to my father, I use computer technology and can almost complete three projects per month. Do I go somewhere and rest for the remaining 11 months?

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No, with the technology, only the amount of work produced is more.

Would we get more free time with the returns from the increased production by robot technology?

I honestly don’t know, but this might be an utopia to think about.

Coming back to KG Architecture, is it a conscious choice to rely heavier on corporate design work, compared to housing projects?

Photos: Büşra Yeltekin

For offices like ours, these kinds of choices are determined with the works that come your way during the first few years of your business.

Chance plays a role here, too. Later you are able to make choices and your choices can become more rigid. However, your past work acts as a reference, and similar works continue to be part of your portfolio. We have always preferred to work with corporate clients, because communication is more systemized, which makes things

Koluman Mercedes Levent

easier for us. So maybe we made a choice to work in an environment free from personal whims. This is one of the biggest differences between office projects and others.

As a matter of fact, you don’t know the final users when you take on office projects. It’s true for housing projects, too, but in a housing project, people may reside there for 10 or 20 years, or maybe a lifetime.

So it’s more difficult and risky to let go of differences and find common ground with the users in housing projects.

If you observe the world around you well as a designer, scan it and feel responsible for detecting new trends, it is easier for you to create office spaces that users like, feel attached to and are happy with, because there is less personalization in the process. What we are doing, along with other architects around the world, is to help personalize and customize a space that has entered our lives at the end of the 19th century and has remained impersonal until recently.

How is a company’s corporate identity reflected in the space?

How does design translate this identity? For example, when we look at photos of offices from 1970s, we see much more uniformly designed spaces.

True, and today, after the emergence of avant-garde examples in design, all offices are imitating this style and becoming uniform again. When something different is loved, it quickly becomes in demand, more and more offices adopt it and then you realize that suddenly all offices look like leading companies’ offices spaces, like those of Google or Microsoft. It is important not to fall into this error. An important step is guiding the employer. In today’s business world, there exists a concept that has become a predictor of success, a concept that didn’t exist in the 70s: employee satisfaction. What does this mean?

In the past, it was sufficient for an employee to have a desk, a chair, and if it was slightly ergonomically designed, nobody thought there was any reason to ask for more.

Especially on the higher levels of hierarchy, a room to call his / her own, a phone to make calls at your will and a little game of darts to chase away boredom, was the description of privilege.

However, in today’s world, employee satisfaction is not limited to these factors. People, especially the young adults in their 20-30s who constitute a significant amount of the workforce take pictures of their workplaces and share them on social media, sometimes just in order to make their friends envious.

Now, even CEOs are at the risk of losing their jobs if they cannot obtain high scores in employee satisfaction.

This is becoming a new point of pressure, but I find it to be a positive development, because hearing everyone’s opinion is a way to democratize businesses. Also, when we look at generations X, Y and Z, we realize they are not the same as us when we were in our 20s or 30s. They refuse to work in environments they are not happy with; they are brave about changing jobs, even if it means being unemployed for a while. If they can’t switch, their productivity falls and this is not a situation that companies or employers want to deal with.

Therefore, they feel responsible for creating physical spaces that increase satisfaction and productivity.

Otherwise, they can’t retain highly qualified employees for the long term, as those employees prefer to switch to a physically more competent place.

Within all these parameters, does the increase in the options for interior design materials make it easier to translate abstract concepts into spaces?

It is hard to answer this question.

Well, you have less responsibility with less materials. It is easy when you have one material only.

We still cheer when we see buildings made of single materials.

For example, we admire the wooden houses all around Finland, as wood is the cheapest material there, or Tadao Ando’s exposed concrete buildings. We don’t perceive it as a deprivation, we feel the contrary.

So, the simplicity of material makes things easy, but the increase in our options also helps problem solving.

Due to physical differences in structures, every material doesn’t fit every application. A certain material may be the right one for interior use, but may be problematic for outside use. Or sometimes it can be good for vertical use, but not horizontal.

Our current problem with the variety of materials is finding a way to know about all of them? Let me give an example for interior design. Say you are about to do hardwood floors.

There is a great variety in color, pattern, thickness and quality. And if used correctly, each material has its own niche, and those who cannot find theirs get excluded from the market.

What is the reason you prefer Koleksiyon, when you do, in your office design projects?

There is not a single reason; I can name a few. First of all, Koleksiyon is a well-established and serious company on its way to becoming institutionalized. I believe for a company to become an institution, one generation is not enough, you

need at least two. That’s why I believe Mr. Faruk Malhan is so lucky, because his children are involved in the work and they are great in their fields. Koleksiyon is not a brand that only we trust, but one that our clients do as well. It is easier to recommend a brand that has already established trust in the market, knowing it had a past and will have a future.

Secondly, we like and have an affinity with Koleksiyon’s designs and concepts. They are one of our favorites, and we use them often in office projects. For instance, they have a series called Ikaros, which I’ve always admired. They also create new designs, which is great because it gives us the opportunity to create original spaces. Another reason we prefer their products is their great service. When you work with an institutionalized company like Koleksiyon, you don’t have a problem providing even when you want to have their services abroad.

Therefore, it is not only the only the design that constitutes overall quality, but also durability, ergonomics, service and affordability. That’s why we are happy to work with Koleksiyon often as a partner in problem solving.

KG Architecture is entering its 27th year, while I am entering my 35th year in profession. In this timeline, the market has turned from heavily relying on imported products to domestic ones. Why? Did we get less wealthy? No, the clients can still afford imported ones, but there is no need any more.

Koleksiyon is a domestic company, and there are other good domestic companies. How are they “good” and who are they competing against?

With each other and against foreign

Proplan Office

companies. And they are on par with most foreign companies, if not further along. When I visit fairs in Cologne or Milan, I never miss the opportunity to visit the Koleksiyon stand. Koray Malhan always gives me a tour, tells me about what’s new and how much attention they are receiving from international guests. This always pleases me a great deal.

I agree with you, as I was also able to observe that we have great international recognition in terms of office furniture.

They say Turkey doesn’t create good brands. Of course, everyone opposes your success when creating a brand because no one wants a new competitor in their field. When it comes to brand names, Western brands are still more prominent in every industry, but when the conditions are right and a brand earns trust in its own market first- because I believe that’s a pre-requisite to open to new markets-things can change. I believe that Koleksiyon is a really decent brand in our industry.

When you create a brand that is well recognized in Europe, it is not a coincidence but the culmination of very hard work.

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Recent steps

Koray Malhan Brand and Design Director

Koleksiyon, Düsseldorf

In the first quarter of 2017, Koleksiyon had an exciting time of changes and new developments. Let’s take a quick look at this period, which involved new showroom openings, exhibitions, conferences and prestigious awards.

Orgatec 2016, Cologne

Koleksiyon introduced its Self-Organised Workplace in Istanbul after Orgatec Koleksiyon’s new office design collection under the theme “Self-Organised Workplace”, created by many prominent designers from Turkey and abroad, was introduced first at the Orgatec trade fair in Cologne, and then at the brand headquarters in Istanbul.

Presenting customized designs that will shape the future of work culture for industries, including finance, health and education, Koleksiyon has now introduced its new theme “Self-Organised Workplace”. The new designs, which view the creation of workplaces not only as a matter of décor, but as an effort to understand a new age, to pose unorthodox questions and to aim at starting interdisciplinary dialogues, gained admiration from international visitors at the Orgatec fair and the Istanbul event.

Many new items, such as the seating and desk units, modular desk systems and dividing panels, allow for new combinations according to their users’ needs and imagination, breaking the rules of traditional workspaces.

Along with Faruk Malhan and Koray Malhan, Andreas Krob, David Fox Design, Koz Susani Design, Métrica and Studio Kairos contributed to collection with their designs.

At the Istanbul event co-hosted by the founder of Koleksiyon and Design Foundation, architect Faruk Malhan, Doruk Malhan, Koray Malhan, Ayşe Malhan Makbuloğlu

Koray Malhan elaborated on this approach: “The collaborative method of creating workplaces encourages us to ask questions that were never asked before with regards to the human body and mind, taking us on an interesting journey.”

Another interesting subject that comes out of these interdisciplinary dialogues is the contribution the audience makes in the modern age.

Now when a work is exposed, it is not closed anymore; the onlookers, the audience can also contribute.

In many arts, such as music and visual arts, this is already the case.”

and many designers, architects, artists, academicians, and column writers gathered together.

headquarters in Europe, where it will develop and conduct its commercial and branding operations.

Violin artist Édua Zádory and performance artist Beatrix Simko performed a special performance, and DJ Murat Uncuoğlu entertained the guests for the rest of the night.

On the opening night of May 18, 2017, Brand and Design Director Koray Malhan made the keynote address, “Design & Pathos”, where he mentioned the significance of questions, such as “What, why and how are we manufacturing? And what is the interaction between our products and the environment?”.

He continued, “We need to consider functionality and the way we live, work and interact with others. And this is not possible only through manufacturing furniture. Therefore, we cannot only explore design but should also study other disciplines that interact with design and enter into interdisciplinary dialogues. In my speech, I will combine and study theories from music, semiotics, linguistics and architecture, trying to see the journey of the human mind throughout history, as well as where we stand now and how design relates to all this.

Koleksiyon’s European headquarters, Düsseldorf showroom opens Opening its doors in May 2017 in Germany, the Düsseldorf showroom will be providing many design solutions in education, finance, office and common spaces.

Increasing market presence through investments, not only domestically, but also internationally, Koleksiyon opened its showroom in the Medienhafen district of Düsseldorf, Germany. Spread out on 800 m2, this store will serve as Koleksiyon’s

After mentioning Koleksiyon’s new office design theme “Self-Organised Workplace” also allowed users to contribute and participate in the design process, Malhan continued, “Our new designs explore how flexible the workplaces and their formations have become, and how design interacts with other art disciplines on the level of humans, time and space. Our goal is to view the creation of workplaces not only as a matter of decoration, but as an effort to understand our new era, to ask unorthodox questions and to engage in interdisciplinary dialogues.”

Koleksiyon’s Chairman of the Board Doruk Malhan explained that it excited him to have opened a new showroom and stated, “Since our establishment in the early 70s, we have been a brand that constantly renews and re-develops itself.

Koleksiyon, İstanbul

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We now conduct our business operations in 121 domestic and 32 international locations. Our international expansion continues, for which the Düsseldorf showroom is an indicator. During the last five years, we grew 20%. We completed 2016 with a turnover of 150 million TL. Our Düsseldorf location will also serve as a service point where we can make business connections and communicate with, as well as manage the expectations of our clients in Germany and those in France, Netherlands and Poland.”

The new showroom is located next to the Rhine river, in an important architectural district of Medienhafen.

Having served as a shipping port and warehouse zone in the past, Medianhafen went through an urban transformation and was converted into an business, shopping and culture district. Located in a warehouse restorated in 1997 by German architectural firm Ingenhoven Architects, Koleksiyon Düsseldorf is just a stone’s throw away from Frank Gehry’s famous work, Der Neue Zollhof, and is adjacent to

Rhizome Talks, İstanbul

Therefore, we don’t see our German showroom only as being an exportation point, but rather, our position here holds the potential to have a corporate structure, for which manufacturing investment has been planned. In other words, our German presence is not only a commercial presence, but more of an investment in branding. It is essential for us to have dialogue with architects in the European market and serve in this capacity.”

buildings designed by Steven Holl and David Chipperfield.

Designed by Koray Malhan, the showroom welcomes visitors with a spectacular view of the Rhine through the approximately 50-meter-long glass window front.

Many award-winning designs, including the ‘Self-Organised Workplace’ can be viewed under the right light conditions.

The first “Rhizome Talks” were held The talks around last issue’s theme of `Belonging`, was held on May 8 at the Taşkışla Campus of Istanbul Technical University, with Asst. Prof. İpek Akpınar as moderator and Merve Akdağ Öner and Gürhan Bakırküre as panelists.

Following İpek Akpınar’s introduction to the concept of belonging and its spatial understanding in her presentation titled “Migrant Urban”, Merve Akdağ Öner explored a number of questions, such as “In today’s world where borders are flexible, science is global and information is accessed within a couple of seconds, can prescribed definitions of belonging carry us to the future?” Questioning if sense of belonging is something felt in people’s natural settings or a feeling that can be consumed, Öner shared some findings from the studies she conducted in different parts of Turkey on the sense of belonging felt by people in relation to settlements.

Gürhan Bakırküre, in his talk titled “Freedom to Choose and Belonging”, discussed the relationship between sense of belonging and productivity at work, as well as the changes in today’s work culture.

Explaining that productivity and continuity are possible only through a sense of belonging felt by employees, Bakırküre talked about the transformation that began since generation Y entered the workforce.

He stated that researches showed that members of generation Y would often prefer a happier working environment to a higher-paying one.

The panelists then answered questions from the audience, which consisted of university students and academicians, and enjoyed a pleasant talk. The Rhizome talks will repeat every three months and discuss the theme featured in the quarterly magazine.

We are in the Top 100 in Germany One of the colorful designs created as part of the “Self-Organised Workplace” theme, Boccaporto, was selected as one of the top 100 designs by one of Germany’s most prominent publications, Dasbüro.

Providing unique designs that will shape the future of work culture for a wide variety of industries, including finance and education, Koleksiyon continues to expand and succeed internationally with its products under the theme “Self-Organised Workplace”.

Having earned the “Innovation Award” by AIT in 2016, the seating and work unit, Boccaporto, was highlighted again by being selected as one of the top 100 designs by Dasbüro. Sharing the honor with many brands in electronic devices, tools and furniture for office use, Koleksiyon was unique in also being the only Turkish brand that made it to the list.

We were featured in Domus Magazine Italy’s global quarterly magazine Domus featured Koleksiyon’s “Self-Organised Workplace” in detail in its January 2017 issue.

Describing Koleksiyon’s latest design approach as “forward-looking”, the magazine mentioned the role of such designs in attracting high-energy and talented individuals to companies.

Stating how these designs represented Koleksiyon’s innovative approach, it also emphasized how the company has come a long way in the last 45 years since its inception in 1972 by architect Faruk Malhan. Explaining how the concept of design permeated each department of the brand, the magazine stated that the passion felt in the institution is the result of desire to shape the work culture of the future, and respect shown to the colors, shapes and meanings of designs from the past.

Being not only limited to furniture but touching each object that forms living and workspaces, and presenting these as a whole, Koleksiyon was praised in Domus also for its support of creative disciplines, such as architecture and design. Organising many creative events with its Design Foundation since 2013, Koleksiyon conducts business with its showrooms located in creative cities such as New York, Chicago, Dallas, London and Düsseldorf. The brand focuses more on what it can contribute to the lives and experiences of people in these areas and not only what it can gain from them.

The article in Domus also quotes from Koleksiyon Design and Brand Director Koray Malhan, as he talked about Koleksiyon’s yearly participation at international furniture and decor fairs, such as NeoCon and Orgatec. Malhan also mentioned that Koleksiyon has been able to reach out to over 20,000 architects and designers from seven continents of the world with the exhibitions and conferences they have hosted.

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Event calendar

Inspirations

July - August - September

#OfisMoodsRhizome Every office has a different energy.

The most pleasant moments of each day are shared on social media.

Workshop

Biennial

EASA Denmark 21 July - 6 August

Venue: Frederica, Denmark www.easadenmark.dk

Exhibition

İstanbul, Berlin, Rome: City Textures … - 30 September

National Architecture Students Reunion (UMÖB) 31 July - 8 August

Durable City: Getting Stronger with Design 18 August - 17 November

Venue: Victoria & Albert Museum, London www.vam.ac.uk

Festival

Venue: Bursa, Turkey www.betonart.com.tr

Venue: Haugesund, Norway www.filmfestivalen.no/en

16. Betonart Architecture Summer School 20 - 29 July

Chicago Architecture Biennial 16 September - 7 January 2018

ice.

Fair

Canan: Solo Exhibition 11 September - 24 December

%100 Design London 20 - 23 September

Venue: Arter, Beyoğlu, İstanbul www.arter.org.tr

@ozle mdulg er Some green, s ome su and so n, me wo rk...

Venue: Olympia London www.100percentdesign.co.uk

Fair

Congress

Venue: National Exposition and Congress Center, Shangai www.ciff-sh.com

Venue: Karadeniz Tecnical University, Trabzon www.livenarch.org

China International Furniture Fair - CIFF 11 - 14 September

Norway Architecture Films Festival 21 - 23 August

@nec micira n My sh elter in the off

@cualala Happy world Star Wars day.

Venue: Chicago, USA chicagoarchitecturebiennial.org

Exhibition

Venue: Chamber of Architects of America, San Francisco, USA www.aiasf.org

Workshop

Biennial

Venue: Lütfi Kırdar Congress Center, İstanbul www.contemporaryistanbul.com

Venue: Nord Villepinte, Paris www.maison-objet.com

Exhibition

Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains … - 1 October

Fair

Contemporary İstanbul 14 - 17 September

Maison & Objet Paris 8 - 12 September

Venue: Samsun, Turkey www.facebook.com/umob17

Exhibition

Fair

Venue: Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), Seoul www.seoulbiennale.org/en

Reunion

Venue: Berlin Chamber of Architects, Berlin www.ak-berlin.de

Seoul Architecture and Urbanism Biennial 1 Eylül - 5 November

vuz eerya weet. @best smell s offices e m o S

Livenarch V-2017: Rejecting/ Reversing Architecture 28 - 30 September

@zeynepkologlu Fi TV series crew having an exhausting and fun day in the set.

Architect’s Playlist Bilge Kalfa

1. Günther Lause / Spiralkiemer 2. Colleen / Geometria del Universo 3. Kollektiv Turmstrasse / Grillen im Garten - Gerberie Version 4. Ibrahim Maalouf / Douce (feat. Oxmo Puccino) 5. Moderat / Eating Hooks 6. Nils Petter Molvaer / Intrusion III 7. Sibylle Baiber / Tonight 8. Yamasuki Singers / Yama Yama %100 Design London

Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains

EASA Denmark

9. Selda Bağcan / Sivas Ellerinde Sazım Çalınır

Maison & Objet Paris

10. Polo & Pan / Plage Isolée

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Koleksiyon around the world UNITED KINGDOM Koleksiyon Furniture Limited 9 Brewhouse Yard London EC1V 4JR United Kingdom Tel: +44 20 3405 1885 info@koleksiyon.co.uk

NEW YORK Koleksiyon New York 228 East 58th New York, NY 10022, USA Tel: +1 212 486 7500 info@koleksiyon.us

TURKEY Koleksiyon Cumhuriyet Mahallesi Hacı Osman Bayırı Cad. No: 25 Sarıyer 34457 Istanbul, Turkey Tel: +90 212 363 63 63 info@koleksiyon.com.tr GERMANY Koleksiyon Möbel GmbH Kaistrasse 16a, 40221 Düsseldorf, Germany Tel: +49 177 545 6562 info@koleksiyon.de

NETHERLANDS DingsDesign B.V. G. Van Nijenrodestraat 151 3621 GJ Breukelen, The Netherlands Tel: +31 63195 1872 info@loading-ddesign.com

AUSTRIA Buerofreunde GmbH Börsegase 9, A-1010 Vienna, Austria Tel: +43 1 532 0287 office@buerofreunde.at

POLAND R19 Sp. Z.o.o Sp.k ul. Rydygiera 19/U8 01-793 Warsaw, Poland Tel: +48 662 505 075 office@r19.com.pl

DALLAS Koleksiyon Dallas 211 North Ervay, Suite 130 Dallas, TX 75201, USA Tel: +1 214 577 6070 info@koleksiyon.us

FRANCE Silvera Kléber 58, avenue Kléber 75116 Paris, France Tel: +33 153 65 78 78 contact@silvera.fr

CYPRUS Ciddi Home Center Ltd. Ortaköy 1 Sk. Ali Rıza Efendi Cad. Ortaköy, Nicosia, Cyprus info@ciddihome.com Tel: +90 392 223 4331

COLOMBIA Schaller Group Cra 11 No:93 A-20 Bogota, Colombia Tel: +57 1 743 560 mariam@schallertech.com

SPAIN Artis Entença 242, 08029 Barcelona, Spain Tel: +34 973 25 78 00 artis@artis.es

RUSSIA Workplace Interiors Russia 16, Raketnyi Boulevard 129164 Moscow, Russian Federation Tel: +7 985 761 25 53 andrey.efimov@workplace.group

CHICAGO Koleksiyon Chicago 222 Merchandise Mart Plaza 11th Floor No: 132 Chicago, IL 60654, USA Tel: +1 214 577 6070 info@koleksiyon.us

KAZAKHSTAN Workplace Interiors Kazakhstan 77A Samal-2 District 050059, Almaty, Kazakhstan Tel: +7 701 722 55 77 dina.kanapyanova@workplace.group

AZERBAIJAN Workplace Interiors Ltd. Marine Plaza, 62 Uzeyir Hajibeyli Street Baku, Azerbaijan Tel: +99 412 599 05 82 ilham.behbudov@workplace.az Olive Interiors Neftchiler Ave. 151 Baku, Azerbaijan Tel: +99 412 464 06 01 jamila.afandiyeva@workplace.az

EGYPT Koleksiyon Egypt The 47th Building 90th Street North 5th Settlement, New Cairo, Egypt Tel: +20 2266 87 01 info@koleksiyonegypt.com UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Palmon Group Junction 5, road 621 P.O. Box 16753 Jebel Ali Free Zone Dubai, United Arab Emirates Tel: +9714 8817000 fnashed@palmongroup.com

JORDAN Trilogy Furniture Company Iritiria Str. Um Uthienah Vista P.O. Box 630-11118 Amman, Jordan Tel: +962 6 5563778 salah@trilogyfurniture.com SAUDI ARABIA Technolight - Jeddah P.O. Box 12679 Jeddah 21483, Saudi Arabia Tel: +966 2 669 3241 hazemalazem@technolight-ksa.com

QATAR Darwish Trading Co. Office Furniture & Interiors Div. P.O. Box: 92 Doha, Qatar Tel : +974 4 469 24 59 s.raouf@darwish-tdg.qa

Technolight - Riyadh P.O. Box 17420 Riyadh 11484, Saudi Arabia Tel: +966 11 46211 50 riyadhbranch@technolight-ksa.com

IRAN A1 Design Unit 91, No:1/2, Tavazoei St. Qetariyeh Blvd, Tehran, Iran Tel: +98 21 22 80 7280 info@a1.design

BAHRAIN Builders Depot SPC Office 53, entrance 50, road 3403 Karbabad 0434 Capital Governorate, Kingdom of Bahrain Tel: +973 39 195599 chairman@buildersdepot.biz

AUSTRALIA Jeb Interior Solutions Pty Ltd. Level 3 80 Wentworth Ave Surry Hills NSW 2010 Sydney, Australia Tel: +61 477 174 632 australia@jebgroup.com

SINGAPORE Vanguard Interiors 3 Kallang Junction Vanguard Campus Singapore 339265 Tel: +65 6538 4688 vanguard@vanguard.com.sg CHINA Jeb International Ltd. 5A Cheung Wah Industrial Bldg 10-12 Shipyard Lane Quarry Bay, Hong Kong, China Tel: +852 2520 2839 hongkong@jebgroup.com

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BOCCAPORTO Seating and Working Unit | Metrica

www.koleksiyoninternational.com New York / Chicago / Dallas / London / İstanbul / Düsseldorf / Vienna Paris / Barcelona / Bogota / Moscow / Breukelen / Warsaw / Sydney Singapore / Hong Kong / Dubai / Cairo / Baku / Almaty / Nicosia / Amman Jeddah / Riyadh / Bahrain / Doha / Tehran