Natura November - December 2010 | Page 44

ÖZGEN’İN TASARIMLARI DOĞANIN FORMLARINDAKİ SADELİĞİ İÇERİYOR. ÖZGEN’S DESIGNS EXPLORE THE SIMPLICITY OF THE FORMS OF NATURE. via different avenues. Hence, he progresses through the design process by examining himself in the social, cultural and economical frameworks he finds himself. If he has unique and original designs to offer in the global market, his geographical location becomes insignificant. Özgen states that it is essential to follow global trends in order to stand out as a designer. Yet, he believes that it is the ethical obligation of the designer not to lose track of his local and traditional values for the sake of globalization. Almost all of the objects designed by Ozden Design Collection are either fully or partially organic. Özgen explains this choice by stating that one can ascribe functional and structural qualities to objects through the clues nature provides. Hence, he creates his designs with an effort to carry ‘nature’ beyond its primary meaning and create designs that are in harmony with the essence of the materials used, the functionality of the object and the nature of the user. Özgen believes that as a designer, one needs to acknowledge taste as a subjective concept. It is not scientifically established whether taste is innate or learned. As such, a designer’s work is evaluated according to the tastes of the consumers and the media. He believes that designers and consumers naturally converge and that taste and style can best be described as a process of this synthesis. In explaining his choice of materials for his designs, Özgen states that his preference of materials are dictated by the designed object’s purpose in daily life and the relationship the user forms with the object. He usually uses materials with long life spans, such as porcelain, metal and wood. He also prefers to use stone in his designs because of its consistency and durability; an attribute which he believes increases its value as a material. Özgen states that he used two types of stones in the production of “Borne Doorstop” (1999), which was one of the first designs in his collection. The first type of stone used in the Doorstop was andesite, a pink-gray stone with a porous texture also known as “Ankara Taşı” because it’s primarily extracted from the Ankara Gölbaşı area. The second type of stone used was extracted from the Bourgogne region of France. Its color is light yellow and its density is higher than the volcanic stone. Özgen also quizzically points out that “Borne”, produced by a stone extracted from his hometown Ankara, carries special meaning for him and that he finds it interesting that a product that has such personal significance for him is being sold in major cities such as Paris, Berlin and London. Özgen emphasizes the importance of designing eco-friendly objects that are produced by less energy and with materials that have longer life spans. In this regard, he believes that stone, as a material, stands out. However, he also points out that when using stone, especially natural stone, one needs to consider the possible environmental damage that may be caused during transportation from its place of production to its final sales point. He believes that although it is impossible to control everything during the production process, every designer can contribute to the preservation of the environment in their own way by making sensitive decisions. As an example, he explains that his company in France has started to use a local stone in their production since 2006. He also adds that they are in the process of initiating a joint production by using local stones in Sweden and Japan. He summarizes this potential process as the optimal in ecological terms of the creation of a product, designed in Paris and locally produced in France, Sweden, Japan and Turkey. Finally, Özgen describes one of his latest designs, marble candle holders called “Dome”, which he created with Leyla Taranto. “Dome” was produced by using natural materials and utilizing the positive energy emitted from the color and texture of natural marble. Özgen describes it as a sculptural object which transforms into a tea-light candle dish upon lifting open its dome-shaped lid. The design of the lid ensures that the candle is put out without creating smoke and that the melted candle does not drip. He adds that these marble candle holders will be exhibited during the fall of 2010 at the traditional “Noel Imaginaire” event of famed Le Bon Marché store in Paris. This is an English summary of an interview conducted with Koray Özgen in Turkish via e-mail. KASIM-ARALIK 2010 • NATURA 47