KÜME Foundation and the "Field" Ecosystem: Design Work Encounter

The "Alan" ecosystem, launched under the Culture Civilization Foundation (KÜME), aims to establish the intellectual foundation for local design and to approach the concept of design not merely as an aesthetic production, but as an intellectual endeavor. Launched at TEKNOFEST Istanbul under the motto “Alan is KÜME’s ecosystem,” the brand defines design as a social and cultural existential issue.

The second major initiative of the Alan brand, “Tasarım İşi,” will be held on December 27 at Haliç University. The event seeks to reinterpret design as a civilizational vision in response to the crises of the modern world and to bring together students, academics, and industry professionals within this framework.

The “Tasarım İşi” event is structured around the premise “Everything is Design,” based on the argument that design is not merely a physical or visual production process. Within the event, design is understood as a comprehensive process shaped by the mind’s imagination, the heart’s perception, and the influence of time.

Tasarım İşi Poster

The core philosophy of the organization is to move beyond viewing design as a professional practice and instead examine it as a holistic set of “invisible codes” that shape life—from the morning alarm to urban architecture, from social media algorithms to the fictional construction of human lifespan. In this context, the event functions as a manifesto that focuses not on the visible surface of design, but on the intellectual background that envelops every moment of life.

Core Axes of the Event: Time, Space, and Flow

The content structure of the gathering at Haliç University examines human daily practices and modes of perception through three primary axes:

• Time Design: The modern individual’s perception of time is discussed through the concepts of deadlines and the culture of speed, exploring how time is constructed and managed.
• Space Design: Urban planning, architectural structures, and their psychological impacts on individuals are analyzed to examine how space determines human behavior.
• Flow Design: The attention economy of the digital age, the directive power of algorithms, and the design of information flows to which individuals are exposed are examined under this heading.

Youth Designers and Industry Engagement

In addition to theoretical discussions, the “Tasarım İşi” gathering offers participants experiential platforms through interactive applications. The “Industry-Student Meetings” held in the fair area aim to create a productive mentoring environment for young creators that goes beyond conventional networking practices.

Furthermore, the event seeks to transform into a living and generative platform through features such as the “Sentence Wall,” where participants can express their thoughts, and specialized areas designed to measure perceptions of design. The KÜME Foundation has strategically identified as its goal the strengthening of the intellectual capacity of design in Türkiye and making the creative outputs of young designers visible at a public level.