CARPET DESIGN COMPETITION IN THE CONTEXT OF CREATIVITY, APPLICATION PROCESSES AND BENEFITS TO THE SECTOR

Abstract

Located in a region where layers of different cultures throughout history Turkey has a rich cultural heritage, its history has been shaped in parallel. One of the most important parts of this cultural heritage are carpets. Carpets are not only works of art but also woven samples that reveal history, culture and ensure the continuity of social memory. In Turkey, the National Carpet Design Contest is carried out every year since 2007 by Istanbul Carpet Exporters' Union in order to draw attention to the importance of the carpet designer identity and designing carpet. The aim of the competition is to reveal and promote the work of young talents in artistic terms, and at the same time to present these designs in a functional way that meets the needs of the sector. The competition, which is organized to discover young carpet designers who will help the development of the carpet weaving art in our country and will bring continuity and vitality to the sector, is open to the participation of students and new graduates, and is also important because it is the first carpet design competition to take designers into the sector. This research covers the examination of the competition over the specifications of the 8th Carpet Design Competition organized by the Istanbul Carpet Exporters Association in 2014, the application processes and application examples of the participating contestant candidates. In the study, it is aimed to draw attention to the importance of university-industry cooperation, by examining selected examples in the context of creativity, their benefits to the sector.