Pre-Events

• Notes on the Roundtable
• ‘Why Biennial?’ – Round Table Discussion
• ‘Why Biennial?’ – Round Table Discussion
• Workshop Program
• Workshop Program
• ‘Why Design?’ Q&A with International Designers
• ‘Why Design, Why Biennial?’: Istanbul Design Symposium

Academic Program

Istanbul Design Biennial theme “Imperfection” was interpreted by students and leaders from various design fields in academia as a part of the biennial’s academic program.

Parallel Participants

Parallel Participants” programme was organized for design focused companies and architectural design studios within the framework of the first Istanbul Design Biennial. During the programme, these companies, as one of the important agents of the design world, shared their own institutional cultures with the biennial’s visitors. Companies that participate in the programme organized activities in their own venues, within the scope of biennial theme, “Imperfection” in order to present their own approaches to the biennial audience.

Design Walks

Design walks of Istanbul Design Biennial including visits to several design offices, stores, ateliers, manufacturing sites and architectural buildings in different parts of the city, offered a brand new vision of Istanbul. The Design walks sponsored by o.d.m watches, created the opportunity for participants to observe and get information on several disciplines and stages of design. The walks were organised in November 2012 for 8 different routes that are Kuzguncuk, Beyoğlu-Cihangir-Galatasaray, Şişhane-Galata, Nişantaşı-Teşvikiye, Sultanahmet, Fener-Balat and Karaköy and Design Walk with TasaPlatform.

Film Screenings

Regarding design as something much more than a process is certainly an inevitable reality for cinema and video, especially when we remember that both these disciplines and preparation processes and their living circles comprise design… The first Istanbul Design Biennial had a program that consists of video works and creative documentaries that focus sometimes on the idea of design, sometimes on the designer, and sometimes on theobject of design. With this program, the Biennial provided an opportunity for its audience to see from the eye of the camera and get up close with big names from different locations and different design disciplines.

Seminar Program

As part of the Istanbul Design Biennial’s program, a series of discussions, panels and conferences—mainly centering on the themes of the curators’ exhibitions—were held with the participation of various institutes and organizations from the world of architecture, design and business. Taking place at the Istanbul Metropolitan Branch of the Turkish Chamber of Architects and Engineers, Hasköy Spinning Factory, Akbank Sanat, Istanbul Modern and Galata Greek Primary School, the seminars focused on various points of view on subjects such as design, architecture, city, society, and social and public space.