FROM A FORTY-YEAR MEMORY TO A NEW FUTURE: KUTAHYA DESIGN WEEK 2026

• Kütahya Design Week 2026 reactivated the city's forty-year-old memory of international tile and ceramic gatherings; while bringing together science, art, design, technology, gastronomy and creative cultural industries under the theme of "Form • Texture • Taste" in a shared vision of the future.

Lecturer Dr. GÖKHAN AKCA

KDW2026 Executive and Coordination Board President |

Founder and Chair of GUSED

Kütahya's accumulated knowledge in the field of tiles and ceramics lives not only in workshops, factories, and museums, but also in gatherings that bring together different generations, disciplines, and countries. The 1st International Turkish Tile and Ceramic Congress & 1st International Kütahya Tile Symposium in 1986, the 2nd International Kütahya Tile Symposium in 1998, and the 1st Eurasian Ceramic Congress and the 3rd Kütahya Tile Symposium held in 2010 are important milestones in this shared memory. Each is a different expression of the city's will to bring together its production culture with science, art, and international relations.

Ideally, international events of this caliber could be held annually, or at least every two years. However, achieving such ambitious activities that will leave a lasting impression on the city and its people truly requires the convergence of many components, a harmonious preparation and working process, and perhaps most importantly, sufficient and accessible financial resources. Unfortunately, sometimes priorities don't align with available resources. Nevertheless, the wasted years that we see as a loss for the city's memory cannot be an excuse for us to lose our enthusiasm.

Among the events we've experienced, the 2010 gathering holds a special meaning for me. At that time, when I was still a young academic and graduate student, my thesis advisor, Prof. Dr. Iskender Işık, entrusted me with a great responsibility, saying, "The task of organizing and managing all the events under the 'art' heading of this great gathering is yours." Working with a large team of experts with international experience and undertaking such a comprehensive responsibility was an extremely instructive experience for my professional development. The organizational experience I gained during this process formed a significant foundation for the academic, artistic, and cultural work I undertook in subsequent years.

My professor's idea, expressed in his closing speech at the 2010 congress, regarding the regular continuation of the 1st Eurasian Ceramics Congress and the 3rd International Kütahya Tile Symposium, which combined science and art, was not merely a desire to repeat an event. This approach aimed to create a lasting meeting ground where scientific, artistic, and cultural knowledge, professional relationships, and institutional experience could be passed down through generations.

The fact that this idea has found its expression again after sixteen years with ‘Kütahya Design Week 2026’ represents both a professional responsibility and a tribute to our mentor for me.

Kütahya Design Week (KDW2026), held on October 8-10, 2026, emerged as an attempt to reconnect this historical memory with the needs of today. The aim was not to simply repeat a past organization; it was to bring together historical heritage with contemporary design, technology, gastronomy, and creative cultural industries.

From an Idea to a Collaborative City Organization

Consultations led by Kütahya Municipality in May 2026 raised an important question: Did Kütahya need new, independent events, or a sustainable model that brought together its strong cultural and academic heritage under one roof? In line with these discussions, GUSED – Fine Arts and Literature Association prepared the “KDW2026 Corporate Event Architecture and Implementation Protocol Proposal”. Our proposal, which linked the fields of tile and ceramics, gastronomy, city identity and design, was transformed into a four-component structure with the contributions of stakeholders.

The realization of KDW2026 was decisively achieved through the collaborative efforts of the Kütahya Governorship, Kütahya Municipality, Kütahya Dumlupınar University, professional organizations, sector representatives, civil society structures, academics, artists, and volunteers. The initiatives of the Kütahya Municipality's Department of City History, Culture, and Promotion in initiating the institutional process, along with widely attended consultation meetings, strengthened the conceptual foundation. The adoption by stakeholders of the institutional event architecture and joint service protocol proposal we prepared within GUSED was a significant step in transforming the organization from an idea into a viable urban model. The work of our association member and Kütahya Dumlupınar University Visual Communication Design academic, Dr. Resul Ay, on international academic networks, the relationships established with city and professional circles by Kütahya City Council President Bülent Cebeci and Kütahya Ceramicists, Photographers and Handicrafts Tradesmen Chamber President Sadık Erilbaylı, and the institutional support and operational contributions of Kütahya Municipality's teams, all contributed to the diverse dimensions of this partnership. Thanks to the efforts of numerous academics and colleagues, KDW2026 has transformed into a collective organization on a scale that cannot be identified with a single person or institution.

Form, Texture, and Flavor: Three Dimensions of a Shared Idea

KDW2026's theme, "Form • Texture • Flavor," was not merely conceived as the event's slogan. Earth gains Form through material knowledge, engineering, craftsmanship, and design. This form, combined with the aesthetic accumulation of tiles and ceramics, art, and visual communication, transforms into the city's Texture. The culinary culture, local products, and table traditions of the same geography constitute the Flavor dimension of this whole. The subtitle, "Urban Identity, Technology, and Cultural Heritage in a Hybrid Design Ecosystem," expresses our approach of evaluating these areas not separately, but in mutual interaction.

This idea was embodied in four main events: the 2nd Eurasian Ceramics Congress, the 4th Kütahya Tile Symposium, the 3rd Kütahya Gastronomy Festival, and the 2nd Creative Cultural Industries Summit. Topics ranging from ceramic materials, production technologies, and sustainability to traditional tile techniques and contemporary ceramic art; from local culinary culture to branding, visual communication, and the creative economy, came together in a shared program.

Meetings that went beyond three days

From October 8-10, scientific sessions, exhibitions, hands-on workshops, panels, gastronomy events, and cultural programs took place in various venues in Kütahya. Academics, artists, designers, masters, and gastronomy professionals from Turkiye and abroad were part of the same organization. Academic and artistic sessions held in five parallel halls allowed for direct exchange of knowledge between different disciplines. Tile and ceramic exhibitions and workshops focusing on traditional and contemporary production linked theoretical discussions with practice.

One of the distinctive aspects of the program was that the relationship between ceramics and design and gastronomy was not only addressed through tableware. The "Gastroarchaeology" discussion showed that culinary culture can be read together with archaeological data and historical memory; while the "One Product, One City, One Brand" meeting offered an opportunity to reflect on the visibility and economic value of local values. Thus, new areas of discussion were opened between cultural heritage, production, presentation, tourism, and urban identity.

In the closing session, when we asked our international guests, "What would you like to take with you when you leave Kütahya?", a common feeling emerged in their answers: sincerity, warmth, and hospitality. This shared emphasis by artists and academics from different countries showed that KDW2026, in addition to its scientific and artistic achievements, also laid the groundwork for strong human relationships.

Perhaps one of the most valuable achievements of KDW2026 was the sincere relationships established beyond the scientific and artistic gatherings. Our guests were not merely invited to an event, but were welcomed as guests of Kütahya. New friendships were forged, the first steps towards collaborative work were taken, pleasant conversations were held, delicious coffee was enjoyed, and old friendships were renewed.

The real success lies in continuity

In the messages shared by participants after the event, thanks to the organizing team, positive evaluations of the comprehensive program, and wishes to meet again in future years stood out. These are not measured results representing all participants; however, they are meaningful observations about the professional and human exchange created by the three-day gathering.

When evaluating KDW2026, it will not be enough to look only at the full halls, the exhibitions opened, or the sessions held. The more important question is: Will the relationships established at this meeting be able to transform into new research, collaborative productions, publications, and a sustainable organizational culture? We know that institutions and individuals can change over time. Therefore, the main goal is to establish a structure that does not depend on individual efforts, where tasks and responsibilities are shared, and which can develop with the contributions of new generations.

The story, which began in 1986 and gained new meanings in 1998 and 2010, was revived in 2026 with the participation of different disciplines. Today, our task is not only to preserve this memory but also to generate new knowledge, works, relationships, and opportunities with it. Kütahya Design Week 2026 is not the final sentence of a forty-year-old story; it is the first sentence of a new chapter to be written together.