INTtalk: Street Life: An Urban Interiors Workshop with Alper Besen

Taksim Square and its surroundings in Istanbul have been reconfigured many times, with differing understandings of what “public” and “public space” means. This presentation will share the results of a series of workshops in Istanbul, which explored the potential role of interior design students in defining the meaning of public spaces. 

Alper Besen is a New York-based designer and educator who teaches thesis studio, critical thinking for interior designers, and history of interior design courses at Pratt Institute, SVA, and RISD. He started practicing interior design in Istanbul, and continued his career at Deborah Berke Partners in New York. His research focuses on the intersections of urbanism, adaptive reuse, and interior design. He founded TDC Istanbul (Design Camaraderie Workshops) in 2023, aiming to build bonds between international interior design students to cultivate theoretical inquiry and social responsibility.