Six installations from the inaugural Global Design Forum Istanbul

An ancient room soaked entirely in red and a plywood gateway based on a lost Roman arena were among the installations erected across the Turkish capital for Global Design Forum Istanbul.

Global Design Forum is the talks platform of London Design Festival, and for the first time last week, a special overseas edition was held at Istanbul's historic Topkapı Palace complex.

As part of the event, organised in collaboration with local creative platform People Places Ideas, several temporary installations were built in public spots around the city.

Under artistic direction from People Places Ideas founder Melek Zeynep Bulut, designers and architects were tasked with creating works in line with the enigmatic theme of Praise of Transience.

Read on for more about the installations, most of which will stay in place until 7 June:

Wall/Tribune/Gate by Ali Derya Dostoğlu and Uğur Özer

Placed outside the exit of the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts overlooking a plaza and Istanbul's famous Blue Mosque, this plywood installation was conceived as a subtle gesture towards the city's multi-layered history.

Its curved back draws on actual measurements of the chariot-racing track at the Roman-era Hippodrome that once stood here, while the gap through the middle recalls the entrance and exit gateways of ancient arenas.

Yakîn by YAKIN Kolektif, Nil Aynalı, Furkan Türkyılmaz and Muhammed Arif Aksu

This serene pavilion was devised by Marmara University architecture professor Nil Aynalı and her students as an exploration of the concept of space through the prism of Islamic mysticism.

Four metal posts support a simple flat roof, from which hangs a ring of gauzy lilac veils that constantly shift and flutter in the wind.

Behind the veils is a layer of much heavier, grey curtains. Pushing through those reveals a mirrored, brightly lit box at the core of the pavilion – an unexpected confrontation with oneself.

The Red Room by NUN Architecture and People Places Ideas

The venue for Global Design Forum Istanbul's talks programme was an installation in its own right.

Translucent red tulle was slung down the walls and across the top of an open-air atrium in the seventh-century Hagia Irene church, creating an intimate, dreamlike atmosphere and washing the space in an ochre glow.

The chairs were specially designed for the event and are made from a handful of pieces of Turkish plywood held together by interlocking joinery. They have been donated to various institutions across Istanbul following the forum.

Oblique Land by Alper Derinboğaz and Salon Architects

Sitting on the banks of the Bosphorus in the grounds of a high school, this structure is somewhere between a staircase and a platform.

It mirrors the topology of the hills on the other side of the water and is designed to be clambered on for a better view, but architect Alper Derinboğaz admitted it is "not the least risky public structure".

Patterns of Possibilities V2 by Candaş Şişman

Every six minutes and 39 seconds, this screen starts drawing a pattern composed of different configurations of white dots, accelerating as it goes.

A drum sound corresponds to each dot configuration, creating a percussive crescendo as the pattern unfolds. Once the screen is full, it resets and begins again, with the pattern different every cycle.

According to digital artist Candaş Şişman, the installation is an invitation for the observer to reflect on probability, coincidence, order and chaos.

Pavilion of the Moment by Waugh Thistleton Architects

On the lawns outside the Hagia Irene, this timber pavilion by London studio Waugh Thistleton Architects gives the impression of being midway through dissolving.

And while from the outside its lattice walls form a cube, the space inside is more spherical, in a nod to the clever geometry of the Byzantine-era landmark.

The photography is by Mark Cocksedge.

Global Design Forum Istanbul took place at the Topkapı Palace, Istanbul, Turkey from 13-16 May 2026, with installations across the city. Visit Dezeen Events Guide for more architecture and design events around the world.

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