During the MasterClass program, which was conducted in English, international design curator and critic Justin McGuirk focused on the production, utilization, and meaning-making processes of objects, addressing the cultural, political, and environmental dimensions of design. In the session, objects were evaluated not merely as functional entities, but as cultural actors shaped within social relations, economic systems, and ecological contexts. This approach allowed students to rethink design objects beyond everyday use, analyzing them within the framework of production relations, material choices, consumption patterns, and environmental responsibilities.
Within the scope of the program, new responsibilities undertaken by contemporary design today were discussed through modern design practices and global case studies. McGuirk’s evaluations regarding the life cycles of objects contributed to the students' understanding of the relationships between structure, material, production, and utilization processes in a more holistic framework. In this respect, the event created a supportive learning experience that bridged the structural and construction knowledge taught in the IAE256 Building and Construction Knowledge II course with contemporary design debates.
Held in the contemporary art and design-oriented atmosphere of Istanbul Modern, the event enabled students to develop an interdisciplinary perspective centering on architecture, interior architecture, industrial design, cultural studies, and sustainability. By the end of the MasterClass, students had the opportunity to observe firsthand that design is not just an aesthetic or functional field of production, but also a practice of critical thinking directly linked to social, economic, and ecological contexts. In this regard, the MasterClass was recognized as a high-quality academic activity that heightened students' professional awareness, put them in touch with current design discourses, and reinforced theoretical knowledge with cultural field experience.
