The pre-events for the Istanbul Design Biennial will continue with a roundtable discussion titled “Why Biennial?”, that will take place on May 26, 2012 at Milli Reasürans Conference Hall.

The preparations for Istanbul Design Biennial that will be organized by İKSV, has begun in 2010. Various pre-events held in the preparatory process targeted to improve the public perception of design. In this regard, Istanbul Design Biennial organized a series of comprehensive meetings, the International Design Symposium (2010 / Why design? Why biennial?), Question – Answer with International Designers, (2011 / Why design?), as well as 11 different international Workshops for university students in creative fields between 22-27 March 2012. There was a great interest shown in all the activities during the preparatory process.

The Istanbul Design Biennial that will open its doors on 13 Octorber 2012, will host a roundtable meeting titled “Why Biennial?” as its last pre-event, on Saturday, 26 May. Nine directors from leading international biennial and triennials in architecture and design fields will participate to the meeting. Participants will present detailed information about their activities and discuss the aims and effects of the increasing number of design organisations.

Giovanna Massoni, Director of Liege International Design Biennial; Matevž Čelik, Director of Ljubljana Bio-Biennial of Industrial Design; Elsa Francés, Director of St. Etienne Cite du Design; Guta Moura Guedes, Director of Experimenta Lisbon; Serge Serov, Director of Moscow International Graphic Design Biennial; George Brugmans, Director of Rotterdam Architecture Biennial; Weiwen Huang, Director of Shenzhen-HongKong Bi-City Urbanism/Architecture Biennial Brendan McGetrick, Co-artistic Director of Gwangju Design Biennial 2011 and Beatrice Galilee Chief Curator of Lisbon Architecture Triennale 2013 will participate to the meeting. the all-day sessions will be moderated by Istanbul Design Biennial Director Özlem Yalım Özkararoğlu.

“Why Biennial?” Roundtable meeting will be held between 09:30 and 18:30 at Milli Reasürans Conference Hall. Admissions will be free of charge and open to public. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in Turkish-English.

The workshops held as part of the pre-events programme of the Istanbul Design Biennial reached completion.

The Istanbul Design Biennial organized a series of workshops between 22- 27 March with an aim towards creating a platform where various organizations, institutions, students and individuals representing the sector could meet, interact and learn from each other. Activities based on the Biennial’s theme of “Imperfection” provided opportunities for local and international professionals in creative industries and different brands to meet with university students and share experiences of thought and production processes.

Over a period of 6 days, in 11 different workshops taking place concurrently in 9 different locations, a total of 201 university students had the chance to work closely with approximately 30 international designers.

The international designers who came to Istanbul to participate in the Istanbul Design Biennial workshops included Max Lamb, winner of the Designer of the Future Award; Marc Bretillot, a leading name in food design; Luis Urculo, the renowned architect; Anon Pairot, the product designer especially renowned for her work with leading brands such as Hermes and Fendi; and Amina Agueznay, the jewellery designer known for her innovative designs using natural and everyday materials.

Sponsored by the co-sponsors of the Istanbul Design Biennial; Koray Group of Companies, Vestel, VitrA, Coca Cola, Matraş, Nef and ROMAN Hazır Giyim, the outcome of the Workshops encompassing all the works, ideas, products and the entire process itself will be exhibited in the venues/locations designated for the Biennial’s events programme. The information regarding the venues and events can be found in the Istanbul Design Biennial’s programme booklet and map.

The activities led by premier institutions and teams such as Design Quartier Ehrenfeld, Domaine de Boisbuchet, Made in Şişhane, SALON Amsterdam/Istanbul, Design and Innovation Initiative for Sustainable Life abd TAG Platform were realized in locations designated in consultation with the partner company.

All the participants came together at the Beyoğlu Gençlik Merkezi on Tuesday, March 27 to present the outcome of the workshops.

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The Istanbul Design Biennial will organise a series of Workshops between 22 and 27 March in order to bring institutions, students, and industrial representatives together with designers to feature design training and enable mutual learning and interaction. The events within the framework of the biennial theme “Imperfection” will provide an opportunity to participants by bringing professionals in local and international creative industries and different brands together with university students and co-experience the thinking and producing processes.

200 university students will have the opportunity to work with approximately 30 international designers in 11 different workshops in different venues for five days. Clay designer Max Lamb with the Designer of the Future Award, chef Marc Bretillot, an important name for culinary designs, Luis Urculo known to the architectural sector, Anon Pairot who made a name with his product designs and his works with important brands like Hermes and Fendi, and Amina Agueznay who designs jewellery with natural and daily materials are among the 30 designers who will come to Istanbul in order to participate to workshops within the Istanbul Design Biennial.

The Istanbul Design Biennial will be held with the support of Coca-Cola, Matraş, Nef and Roman Ready-to-wear as well as the co-sponsors Koray Group of Companies, Vestel and VitrA. Works, ideas, products and the process itself, after the Workshops, will be exhibited in venues/places where works during the Istanbul Design Biennial will be created. The information with regard to venues of workshop exhibitions and events will be in the Istanbul Design Biennial programme booklet and map.

The Workshops will be carried out under the leadership of successful institutions and teams such as Domaine de Boisbuchet, Made in Şişhane&Design Quartier Ehrenfeld (More Than Design), SALON/Amsterdam-Istanbul, Design and Innovation Initiative for Sustainable Life and TAG Platform. The works will be carried out at venues determined together with the partner company with the participation of 20 university student.

After the Workshops which will begin on Thursday, 22 March and continue for five days, there will be a general presentation, which will bring all contributors together, at Beyoğlu Youth Centre on Tuesday, 27 March. Presentation will be free of charge and open to general public and workshop leaders will sum their works and present selected examples. General presentation with the participation of the designers will be preview for the workshop exhibitions in the Istanbul Design Biennial.

Participation to the workshops

The Istanbul Design Biennial Workshops will be open to all undergraduate and graduate students in urban design, urban and regional planning, environmental design architecture, interior architecture, industrial design, graphic design, fashion design, fine arts, and new media design departments of relevant universities and will be free of charge.

Participant students suggested by the head of departments of the universities and students applied to the Istanbul Design Biennial will be placed on space-availability basis and in accordance with the order of precedence.

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