Global and Local Design Identities: East Meets West
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54 LOCAL IDENTITIES GLOBAL CHALLENGES Global And Local Design Identities: East Meets West FILIZ OZEL Arizona State University “… We cannot ever be conscious of our culture, our ing way to dual (or multiple) identities everywhere background, unless we are a person of the present, where there are no longer clear cut distinctions in of the contemporary times. personal and cultural identities. Globally, design Go look, even Hagia Sophia’s purple is not the seems to be coming to a new type of synthesis, re- purple of thousand years ago. If you are a person of flecting such multiplicities. I also bring the argument this century, even Sultanahmet’s blue [i.e. the Blue that in a sense what critical regionalism4 seems to Mosque’s blue] is [looks] different in the second half of the twentieth century….” (translated by author be pointing towards is the ability of a designed arti- from “Yuva mi, Mal mi?”, p.122, Cengiz Bektas, fact to appeal to a world populace that increasingly (Turkish architect/thinker/ writer)1) embraces dual or at times multiple identities. Probably nowhere else in the world can one see In this article, examples of designs are given to a stronger melding of global and local identities demonstrate the ideas discussed here. It is by no through design than in Turkey, especially in Istanbul means meant to be an exhaustive list. where literally and metaphorically the East meets the West. From the plans to build a canal paral- Some of the forces that are transforming architec- lel to the beautiful Bosphorus to move ship traffic ture, interior design and industrial design in Turkey away from the straits to new buildings that seem are global and are not any different than the forces to have been designed in computer modeling soft- that affect contemporary design in other places ware, curving and spiraling (e.g. DAP Burgu Kule (such as digital design tools, global design practice, highrise to be built on the Anatolian side of Istan- global economy, etc.) (e.g. Sapphire Istanbul5, bul2) to imported building materials, globalization’s Fig.1, by Tabanlioglu Architects), while others origi- effects on architecture and design are everywhere in nate from the recent economic and cultural shifts Turkey. Many urban planning projects such as the in Turkey. Designs that reflect a range of lines of one proposed by Zaha Hadid for Istanbul suburb of thought from vernacular to regionalism to critical Kartal3 are truly global and may very well have been regionalism, from modernism to post-modernism designed for elsewhere in the world. as well as digital architecture represent the wide swath of current design thinking in Turkey. Today, Among the most difficult aspects of bringing local there is no doubt a much stronger trend to incor- and global design identities together is no doubt the porate the rich cultural heritage of the country into issue of creating a coherent, unique identity that not design, partially as a reaction to the internation- only reflects the world view of the designer but also ally uniforming effects of global forces on design of the users. In this article, I bring the argument (where there is genuine concern regarding the loss that successful examples of such designs are not of cultural identity), but also partially due to the necessarily those with a singular identity, but are sincere belief that traditional Turkish culture, art, those that reflect dual/multiple identities in a coher- architecture and design have a lot to offer to de- ent and unique way. Globalization’s forces are giv- signers in their effort to create unique artifacts. GLOBAL AND LOCAL DESIGN IDENTITIES 55 overlapped with the rise of modernist trends in art and design elsewhere, interest in the highly decora- tive Turkish art and design subsided in the coun- try. The new Turkish Republic embraced the clean lines and minimalist approach of modernist design movement as a visual symbol of the new republic. Decorative arts of the Ottomans were no longer seen as symbols of national identity in Turkey. In fact, Sibel Bozdogan6 (2001) very aptly describes and chronicles how modernism was used by the new republic in nation building and in the forma- tion of a national identity, especially reflected in the architecture of the government buildings in the new capital city, Ankara. Many of the modernist Ger- man architects were commissioned to design gov- ernment buildings, leading to a modernist style that has later come to be known as “Ankara cubic”. In the following decades, the search for a national design identity is reflected in the works of many Turkish ar- chitects including Sedat Hakki Eldem7, Turgut Can- sever, Cengiz Bektas, etc. as chronicled elsewhere8. The concern for conservation and restoration of Turkish architecture spearheaded by the progres- sive intellectuals of 1970’s and the early 1980’s led the way to a strong interest in Turkish architec- ture, art and design, eventually giving way to the Fig. 1 Sapphire Highrise residential and commercial, cultural revivalist movement of the present day. Istanbul, Tabanlioglu Architects, 2008 (photo credit: This is no doubt also being fueled by the desire author) to maintain local identity in an increasingly global CONTEXT world. Binary way of thinking regarding design and architecture that existed in the early days of Although Turkish and Ottoman architecture, art the Turkish Republic, the old (Ottoman) verses the and design constituted the basis of art and design new (the Republic period) or the traditional verses identity for centuries in Turkey, in the 19t century the modern as depicted by Bozdogan (2001, p. 21) styles adapted from abroad such Baroque and Art has long been softening especially after the 1950’s. Nouveau appeared in the Turkish design landscape, Globalization and the incredible rise of the free particularly in the design of secular buildings, but market economy in Turkey since the year 2000 left also of some mosques, especially in Istanbul. The no room for such binary thinking. Changing societal identity shift following the Tanzimat reforms of the expectations that value the old more than ever can 1830’s was quite striking in especially painting and be seen as the source of this trend, which takes a architecture. The multicultural nature of Ottoman range of forms from a renewed “Ottoman revival- subjects has no doubt also led to designs that were ism” to “orientalist revivalism” to “Turkish revival- equally varied in identity. ism”. At the other end of the spectrum however are designs that are a true synthesis of the global Images of Ottoman times have always fascinated and the local reflected in the work of many young the West as reflected in the orientalist movement architects and designers in Turkey. of the 19th century in European art/painting in con- trast to the contemporaneous shift in art and design In short, designers in Turkey similar to designers identities in Turkey as part of the modernization ef- elsewhere are clearly struggling with the idea of forts in the country. With the demise of the Ottoman balancing the traditional/local with the global in a Empire in the early 20th century which coincidentally country where the east have always met the west, 56 LOCAL IDENTITIES GLOBAL CHALLENGES sometimes on its own terms, sometimes shifting which started its activities under the name Sise- the balance in one direction or another. The strug- cam Sanayii in 1935 producing glass tableware for gle is now how to come to a synthesis that uniquely daily use as well as lead crystal13. As the company reflects both sides of the equation. moved towards a global market from 1980’s to 2000’s, its designs started to be geared towards a IDENTITIES IN PRODUCT DESIGN more global taste. Some of their products are now sold in the US, at Target stores, Home Goods etc. Among the designers who achieved such a well- The company also developed product lines clear- balanced synthesis in his designs is the product ly inspired by Turkish and Ottoman designs that 9 designer Erdem Akan . For example, his “Takeaway range from recreations of the works of old masters Istanbul” series focuses on giftware and clothing such as the 18th century miniaturist Levni’s work where the tee-shirt “Istanbul the Big Shish” puts (originally on paper) on glass to recasts of com- major Istanbul landmarks on a traditional Kebap mon designs such as that of the tulip shaped tea- skewer, alluding to the complexities that manage glass as candle holders to modern designs with a to “live and roast” side by side in Istanbul. His hint of local identity, such as the use of intertwined designs come closest to what is characterized as two color glass (typically blue and clear glass us- critical regionalism10 in architecture, where mod- ing the traditional Cesmibulbul method) in modern ern discourse in design is primarily pursued, but glassware. These represent efforts to re-claim the cultural and regional elements and line of thinking past in a contemporary format, some with more are utilized to bring coherence, unity and at times local, others with more global identity; however whimsy to the designed artifact. Akan’s “morphing those with dual identities such as the candle hold- tea glasses” from a rectilinear glass (global) to a ers described above come closest to capturing an tulip shaped traditional Turkish tea cup (local) very integrated local/global design identity. much demonstrates his approach where process is an essential component of his designs11. His dou- With the increasing number of industrial design ble-walled tea glass which epitomizes the synthesis programs in Turkish universities, Turkish design of local and global identities into one design, act- landscape is driven by young graduates who are ing in unison, is currently available through MOMA’s conversant both in a global/modern design lan- gift store.