Nur Horsanalı | Aalto University (original) (raw)
Papers by Nur Horsanalı
Diid. Disegno industriale industrial design, May 14, 2022
Design and Culture, 2021
On the streets of Istanbul, inhabitants generate situated solutions to their daily problems with ... more On the streets of Istanbul, inhabitants generate situated solutions to their daily problems with the limited means they have ready at hand. Objects are repaired, adapted, or modified, and everyday life brings palliative articulations and situated solutions to seemingly complex problems. With the conviction that design, especially the field of product design, can benefit from paying closer attention to such production, we have developed a growing inventory of situated and transformed products and materials, focusing on the surrounding culture we have labeled as halletmek. Conducting this research from within the design field was crucial for us. This, we believe, is the way to incorporate these
products into the discourse of design, and thus to position the sample of sixty-seven objects, out of the many we examined, as design products. Through this inventory, we discuss how to position and make visible these site-specific design/production practices and the culture from which such situated products emerge.
Design Unlimited: Tradition in Design, 2020
In this dossier, I try to explore the relationship between tradition and design through my visits... more In this dossier, I try to explore the relationship between tradition and design through my visits to the workshops of artisans who carry out a production that is traditional -or relates to traditions- in Istanbul. This was a discovery on artisans’ ideas on the notion of tradition, rather than the traditional production itself. What is tradition in production? If tradition is about cultural habits, how will traditions of production be affected as these habits change today? How can we interpret and apply traditions according to the necessities of the day? What can traditional production teach the designer about local culture, consumption, and ecology?
International Association of Societies of Design Research Conference, 2019
Designers tend to follow long processes that may include research, analysis, mind maps, sketches,... more Designers tend to follow long processes that may include research, analysis, mind maps, sketches, and models in order to respond to a need or find a solution to a problem. Contrary to these common practices, one can observe users' self-generating solutions with limited means on the streets of Istanbul. Objects are being repaired, adapted or modified in response to a need. Everyday life brings palliative articulations and solutions to even seemingly complex problems. With the belief that design, especially the field of product design needs to pay close attention to such proposals and solutions from everyday life, we have developed a growing inventory of materials and transformational products, and the surrounding culture we labeled as 'halletmek'. Conducting this research from within the design field was crucial for us. Instead of focusing through lenses of social and material culture, our work is rooted in design studies. This we believe is the way we can incorporate these products into design discourse, and thus position the sample of 67 objects we examined (and many more) as design products. Our investigation consists of contextual, material analyses and surveying techniques of production and modification via related documentation and drawing sets. We set aside our judgments and bias in order to take our subject seriously. We positioned certain tendencies and variances on the basis of the collected data and recognized certain patterns during the examination process. We also mapped the distribution of the samples through the city for future reference. Our work through this inventory is a suggestion on how to discuss and make the spontaneous design-production practices visible within the field of product design.
Ulusal Tasarım Araştırmaları Konferansı, 2018
Tasarımcılar, bir probleme veya ihtiyaca çözüm bulmak için araştırma, analiz, kavram haritaları, ... more Tasarımcılar, bir probleme veya ihtiyaca çözüm bulmak için araştırma, analiz, kavram haritaları, eskizler ve maketleri kapsayabilen uzun süreçler izliyor. İstanbul bağlamında, özellikle sokakta bunun tam tersine problemlerin kullanıcılar tarafından, sezgisel yollarla ve eldeki kısıtlı kaynaklarla çözüldüğünü gözlemliyoruz. Nesneler, oluşan bir ihtiyaca çözüm bulmak üzere tamir ediliyor, adaptasyon ya da tadilattan geçiyor, eklemleniyor ve sorunlar hallediliyor. Özellikle ürün tasarımı alanının, gündelik hayatın içinden çözümlere daha dikkatli bakması gerektiği kanısından yola çıkarak, İstanbul’da kent mekânlarında yer alan çözümleri, halletmek olarak tabir ettiğimiz dönüştürücü icraatları, incelemeye karar verdik. Bu incelemeyi yürütürken tasarımın bilgi alanı içerisinden hareket etmeyi önemsedik. Bağlam, malzeme, üretim (mo- difikasyon) teknikleri ve ilgili belgeleme ve çizim setleri ile ele aldığımız 67 üründen oluşan örneklem üzerinden, gündelik olanın tasarıma olası katkısını belli bir ciddiyetle ve ön yargılardan olabildikçe ayrışmış biçimde inceledik. Toplanan veriler ve inceleme sürecinde tanık olduğumuz örüntüler üzerinden, bir yandan belli eğilimler ve ayrışmalar tespit edilirken, bir yandan da örneklemin kentte dağılımı haritalandı. Sonuç olarak, belgeleme ve alıntılar üzerinden hazırladığımız envanter ile ürün tasarımı alanının halletmek diye tabir ettiğimiz kendiliğinden doğan bir tasarım-üretim biçimini nasıl tartışmaya açabileceği ve görünür kılabileceğine dair bir öneride bulunuyoruz.
The practices of daily life in Istanbul manifest themselves through a network of urban fabric and... more The practices of daily life in Istanbul manifest themselves through a network of urban fabric and urban culture of ever changing and peculiar characteristics, which are constantly shaped by authoritarian/disciplinary strategies on one end, and tactical interventions on the other. Every stakeholder/actor, depending on its respective level of authority, plays a role in the formation of this network, which eventually shapes and defines the urban nature of the city.
In this article, we focus on the tactical side of this dichotomic marginality; tracing, documenting, interpreting personal, peculiar and unique tactics developed against the top-down, formative strategies. We select one specific domain for our investigation: Sitting in public space, the objects of which are shaped or reshaped by citizens to sustain their daily life with its rituals, which is critical for their social survival. These units in their design -or reformation- show us how simple, temporary and provisional solutions are developed for the basic, daily needs of their users. On a different level, their use and configuration also reflect how the public space is domesticized or reclaimed.
Diid. Disegno industriale industrial design, May 14, 2022
Design and Culture, 2021
On the streets of Istanbul, inhabitants generate situated solutions to their daily problems with ... more On the streets of Istanbul, inhabitants generate situated solutions to their daily problems with the limited means they have ready at hand. Objects are repaired, adapted, or modified, and everyday life brings palliative articulations and situated solutions to seemingly complex problems. With the conviction that design, especially the field of product design, can benefit from paying closer attention to such production, we have developed a growing inventory of situated and transformed products and materials, focusing on the surrounding culture we have labeled as halletmek. Conducting this research from within the design field was crucial for us. This, we believe, is the way to incorporate these
products into the discourse of design, and thus to position the sample of sixty-seven objects, out of the many we examined, as design products. Through this inventory, we discuss how to position and make visible these site-specific design/production practices and the culture from which such situated products emerge.
Design Unlimited: Tradition in Design, 2020
In this dossier, I try to explore the relationship between tradition and design through my visits... more In this dossier, I try to explore the relationship between tradition and design through my visits to the workshops of artisans who carry out a production that is traditional -or relates to traditions- in Istanbul. This was a discovery on artisans’ ideas on the notion of tradition, rather than the traditional production itself. What is tradition in production? If tradition is about cultural habits, how will traditions of production be affected as these habits change today? How can we interpret and apply traditions according to the necessities of the day? What can traditional production teach the designer about local culture, consumption, and ecology?
International Association of Societies of Design Research Conference, 2019
Designers tend to follow long processes that may include research, analysis, mind maps, sketches,... more Designers tend to follow long processes that may include research, analysis, mind maps, sketches, and models in order to respond to a need or find a solution to a problem. Contrary to these common practices, one can observe users' self-generating solutions with limited means on the streets of Istanbul. Objects are being repaired, adapted or modified in response to a need. Everyday life brings palliative articulations and solutions to even seemingly complex problems. With the belief that design, especially the field of product design needs to pay close attention to such proposals and solutions from everyday life, we have developed a growing inventory of materials and transformational products, and the surrounding culture we labeled as 'halletmek'. Conducting this research from within the design field was crucial for us. Instead of focusing through lenses of social and material culture, our work is rooted in design studies. This we believe is the way we can incorporate these products into design discourse, and thus position the sample of 67 objects we examined (and many more) as design products. Our investigation consists of contextual, material analyses and surveying techniques of production and modification via related documentation and drawing sets. We set aside our judgments and bias in order to take our subject seriously. We positioned certain tendencies and variances on the basis of the collected data and recognized certain patterns during the examination process. We also mapped the distribution of the samples through the city for future reference. Our work through this inventory is a suggestion on how to discuss and make the spontaneous design-production practices visible within the field of product design.
Ulusal Tasarım Araştırmaları Konferansı, 2018
Tasarımcılar, bir probleme veya ihtiyaca çözüm bulmak için araştırma, analiz, kavram haritaları, ... more Tasarımcılar, bir probleme veya ihtiyaca çözüm bulmak için araştırma, analiz, kavram haritaları, eskizler ve maketleri kapsayabilen uzun süreçler izliyor. İstanbul bağlamında, özellikle sokakta bunun tam tersine problemlerin kullanıcılar tarafından, sezgisel yollarla ve eldeki kısıtlı kaynaklarla çözüldüğünü gözlemliyoruz. Nesneler, oluşan bir ihtiyaca çözüm bulmak üzere tamir ediliyor, adaptasyon ya da tadilattan geçiyor, eklemleniyor ve sorunlar hallediliyor. Özellikle ürün tasarımı alanının, gündelik hayatın içinden çözümlere daha dikkatli bakması gerektiği kanısından yola çıkarak, İstanbul’da kent mekânlarında yer alan çözümleri, halletmek olarak tabir ettiğimiz dönüştürücü icraatları, incelemeye karar verdik. Bu incelemeyi yürütürken tasarımın bilgi alanı içerisinden hareket etmeyi önemsedik. Bağlam, malzeme, üretim (mo- difikasyon) teknikleri ve ilgili belgeleme ve çizim setleri ile ele aldığımız 67 üründen oluşan örneklem üzerinden, gündelik olanın tasarıma olası katkısını belli bir ciddiyetle ve ön yargılardan olabildikçe ayrışmış biçimde inceledik. Toplanan veriler ve inceleme sürecinde tanık olduğumuz örüntüler üzerinden, bir yandan belli eğilimler ve ayrışmalar tespit edilirken, bir yandan da örneklemin kentte dağılımı haritalandı. Sonuç olarak, belgeleme ve alıntılar üzerinden hazırladığımız envanter ile ürün tasarımı alanının halletmek diye tabir ettiğimiz kendiliğinden doğan bir tasarım-üretim biçimini nasıl tartışmaya açabileceği ve görünür kılabileceğine dair bir öneride bulunuyoruz.
The practices of daily life in Istanbul manifest themselves through a network of urban fabric and... more The practices of daily life in Istanbul manifest themselves through a network of urban fabric and urban culture of ever changing and peculiar characteristics, which are constantly shaped by authoritarian/disciplinary strategies on one end, and tactical interventions on the other. Every stakeholder/actor, depending on its respective level of authority, plays a role in the formation of this network, which eventually shapes and defines the urban nature of the city.
In this article, we focus on the tactical side of this dichotomic marginality; tracing, documenting, interpreting personal, peculiar and unique tactics developed against the top-down, formative strategies. We select one specific domain for our investigation: Sitting in public space, the objects of which are shaped or reshaped by citizens to sustain their daily life with its rituals, which is critical for their social survival. These units in their design -or reformation- show us how simple, temporary and provisional solutions are developed for the basic, daily needs of their users. On a different level, their use and configuration also reflect how the public space is domesticized or reclaimed.