Looking Into Mid-Century Modern Furniture Design in Turkey Through Oral History

Abstract

Furniture design has traditionally taken second place to architecture in historiography, especially in Turkey. The consequent limited furniture-related academic publications, original material, and documentation make it necessary to probe further into Turkey's modern furniture history. The DATUMM (Documenting and Archiving Turkish Modern Furniture) Project (datumm.org) (2013-) was initiated to help fill this gap in the history of modern furniture design in Turkey between 1930 and 1975. Other than highlighting furniture, the documentary aimed to initiate an oral history project that has not been conducted in the design realm before in Turkey. Oral history interviews were conducted with thirteen contributors, including designers, artisans, and producers, who have significantly influenced Turkish modern furniture design. This method gave a voice to those who have not been able to contribute to Turkey's design history and reveals individual stories to construct a more comprehensive narrative. These interviews thus provide valuable opportunities to grasp what is hidden in the written history, and understand the shared stories, experiences, and struggles of designers to create a flourishing discipline from almost nothing.