Istanbul hosted the Global Design Forum Istanbul for the first time from May 13 to 16, 2026, adding a new international event to the city’s cultural calendar. The four-day program was supported by the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency, among other international stakeholders, and positioned the city as a meeting point for the global design community. Istanbul’s infrastructure includes 41 congress centres, 225 art galleries, and design programs across 27 universities. That ecosystem enables the city to host an average of more than 20 international arts and design events each year.
The Global Design Forum has been hosted by the Victoria and Albert Museum as part of the London Design Festival for more than 15 years and is regarded as a leading international thought-leadership platform in design. The Istanbul edition aims to spotlight Türkiye’s creative-industry potential globally and position the city as a dynamic hub on the design stage. Curatorial approach for the Istanbul event was shaped by Melek Zeynep Bulut and grounded in “site-specificity.” The forum is conceived not merely as an event program but as “a performance within the city,” unfolding through four distinct layers of experience across four days.
Placemaking Installations
In the first leg of the program, titled “Placemaking,” a series of temporary design installations were placed across the Topkapı Palace complex and unique corners of the Historic Peninsula. Produced through collaborations between universities and both local and international design studios, these installations transformed the city into an open-air laboratory for design research. The works engaged directly with the urban fabric, inviting visitors to interact with historic sites through contemporary design interventions.
Rethinking Competition
Under the theme “Rethinking,” the forum held an international design competition to reimagine Istanbul’s garden culture. The competition drew entries from global practitioners and students, focusing on how traditional landscape practices can be reinterpreted for contemporary urban contexts. Proposals addressed water, shade, public use, and biodiversity, linking historic Ottoman garden principles with current climate and density challenges in Istanbul.
The “Istanbullar” program was implemented through a narrative approach, building an interactive network in which the city’s creatives could contribute visually, audibly, and editorially. The initiative mapped personal and collective stories of Istanbul’s design culture, creating a living archive fed by designers, artists, writers, and residents. Contributions ranged from sound recordings of neighborhoods to visual essays on craft traditions, forming a participatory layer of the forum.
Worlds in Contact
At the heart of the program, the forum was framed around the theme “Worlds in Contact.” Exploring what design means in an era of interconnected crises, the forum featured a two-day lineup of sessions, presentations, and discussions. International and local designers, thinkers, and artists addressed topics including climate adaptation, migration, material scarcity, and digital culture. The sessions examined how design practice can respond to overlapping social, environmental, and technological pressures.
Istanbul has long inspired artists and designers with its energy, shaped by the many civilizations and cultures it has hosted throughout history. The city stands as a place where history, craftsmanship, and contemporary design converge. Renowned for its historic architecture, Istanbul is also home to a new generation of designers and artists, as well as established cultural institutions. Its creative scene is enriched by international events including the Istanbul Biennial, Contemporary Istanbul, Istanbul Music Festival, CI Bloom, and Istanbul Film Festival. Para 8 City Discovery The city’s creative landscape requires slow discovery, revealing a wide range of things to explore, from architectural landmarks that shape Istanbul’s creative rhythm to neighborhoods where tradition and innovation meet. The metropolis’s dynamic arts scene continues this year with many planned events, ensuring varied cultural experiences. With the Global Design Forum Istanbul now part of its annual calendar, the city expands its role as a hub for design dialogue and production. For more on the program, visit the London Design Festival official site and the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency portal.
