Design & Dialogue Unite in Istanbul

Taking place from 13–16 May 2026, Global Design Forum İstanbul positions the city at the centre of international design discourse, reinforcing its role as a vital cultural and creative capital.

Under the artistic direction of Melek Zeynep Bulut and developed alongside London Design Festival & Global Design Forum Co-Founder and Chairman Ben Evans, the Forum introduces a dynamic and deeply contextual programme that draws on İstanbul’s unique position at the intersection of continents, cultures and histories. Bulut’s vision shapes the Forum as both a platform and a provocation – one that celebrates the city’s creative idiosyncrasies while strengthening its global presence as a site for exchange, dialogue and experimentation. Through her leadership, the Forum reasserts İstanbul not only as a historic centre of culture, but as a forward-looking design capital with the capacity to influence international conversations.

Developed in collaboration with People Places Ideas (PPI), and guided by Forum Content Advisor Beatrice Galilee, Bulut’s programme brings together over 30 leading international voices across design and architecture. Over four days, a series of talks, installations and citywide experiences unfold against the backdrop of İstanbul’s rich cultural infrastructure and creative energy, reinforcing the Forum’s role as a catalyst for long-term dialogue and collaboration.

The programme is shaped around four key principles: Placemaking, Storytelling, Discussion and Rethinking. From site-specific installations under the theme Praise of Transience to the İstanbullar: Creative Archive – a digital map spotlighting 40 creative voices – the Forum extends beyond a central programme into the fabric of the city.

Worlds in Contact

Over two days of Discussion, 12 sessions of keynotes, panels and in-conversations will take place in the courtyard of Hagia Irene within the Topkapı Palace Complex. Curated under the theme Worlds in Contact, the 2-day event will gather some of the most provocative minds in design, architecture, fashion and technology. Together they will explore the intersections – material, political and ecological – that are reshaping design today.

The sessions open with a series of short provocations that establishes a shared vocabulary and sets the tone for the two days ahead. With a truly global lineup, perspectives spanning architecture, design, writing and landscape practice from Thailand, Mexico, Europe and beyond will be shared. Speakers include Fernando Laposse, Mireia Luzárraga, James Bridle and Boonserm Premthada.

Day 1 | Thursday 14 May

Highlights from day one includes Liam Young’s
Planet City, a speculative project presented as a hybrid of film, performance and critical inquiry, addressing climate, migration and resource distribution. Tom Dixon in conversation with Lina Ghotmeh, reflects on four decades of designing through radical change and what it takes to sustain a practice through uncertainty. While world-leading architects and cultural thinkers including Florian Idenburg, Alper Derinboğaz, Beral Madra and Ömer Selçuk Baz will discuss what a public institution can be in The Museum Has Left the Building. With a closing keynote, Hussein Chalayan, whose work spans fashion, technology and art, offers a rigorous reflection on the role of design in contemporary culture.

Day 2 | Friday 15 May

Day two continues with Worlds in Code where thought-leadership from Melike Altınışık, Roland Lamb, Suhair Khan and Ma Yansong examine what it means to design in a world where artificial intelligence is increasingly distributed across systems, products and infrastructures. Lesley Lokko in conversation with Beatrice Galilee, discusses the importance of identity and architecture to address the discipline’s historical exclusions, and Marina Tabassum delivers a final keynote that centres design’s responsibility to respond to urgent global challenges.