istanbul design biennial: the visit by SO? architecture and ideas

istanbul design biennial: exhibited at the galata greek primary school, ‘the visit’ by turkish studio SO? architecture and ideas is an installation based on a six months research project about existing tombstones in the cemeteries of istanbul. through this project, the team explores how the world of design has shaped society’s perception of a tombstone. expressed by sevince bayrak, co-founder of SO?, ‘design has changed how we live and how we die …the way we appear, observe, and communicate. the image of a tombstone, however, is much the same as it was two-thousand years ago: a simple stone. but how has design, while changing humanity and the planet, affected the tombstone?’. 

overview of the installation
image © designboom

for the istanbul design biennial exhibition, SO? architecture and ideas surveyed and modelled around 100 tombstones to produce 1:20 3D printed models and technical drawings. both the time period and religious groups to which the tombstones belong vary significantly. indeed, the dates range between 3rd century B.C and the 21st century while the cemeteries investigated belonged to either muslim, orthodox, catholic or jewish sects. therefore, an incredible variety of  templates is displayed at the show, which only proves how crucial the role of design is at every stage of life. 

1:20 scaled and 3D printed models of the surveyed tombstones 
(above) image © sahir uğur eren 

elaborating on that point, sevince bayrak states that ‘tombstones, the final objects we become, are subject to design just like shoes, eyeglasses, or furniture… but are not as visible. hidden behind walls, they are far…from our completely design-coated daily lives. yet these millions of mute stones pile up…to create an artificial landscape on the face of the earth, a final layer of design’. therefore, through their presence and architecture, tombstones not only provide clues about the deceased but also about the wider society and period in which he or she once lived.

overview of exhibition space
image © sahir uğur eren  

tombstones vary between muslim, orthodox, catholic and jewish backgrounds
image © designboom 

technical drawings of existing tombstones 
image © sahir uğur eren

detail depicting particular architecture and icons
image © sahir uğur eren

a series of photographs showing the documentation of tombstones across istanbul 
image © designboom 

the variety of tombstones found during the research only shows how design plays a crucial role in their shaping
image © designboom 

an existing tombstone from bulbulderesi cemetery in istanbul 
image © SO? architecture and ideas 

close up showing carved details on a tombstone in bulbulderesi
image © SO? architecture and ideas 

project info:

area: 45 sq.m
location: istanbul, turkey
client: istanbul design biennial (IKSV)
status: built 2016
team: sevince bayrak, oral göktaş, baran aybars, büşra ekici, chiara vaccaro, elif hant, laura villeret, michel el ghoul, tuğçe selin türk, elif çivici, cemal temel, atıl aggündüz, ece paşalıoğlu.
graphic design: dilara sezgin

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom