Alper Derinboğaz Speaks at Global Design Forum Istanbul 2026

Salon founder Alper Derinboğaz took part in Global Design Forum Istanbul’s inaugural edition, held May 13-16, 2026 at Hagia Irene within the Topkapı Palace Complex. Alper Derinboğaz joined the panel “The Museum Has Left the Building,” alongside Guta Moura Guedes, Anastasia Sinitsyna and Ömer Selçuk Baz, moderated by Banu Uçak, addressing what a museum is for today and who gets to decide its form and responsibility, from the cultural landscapes of the MENA region to the reinvention of public space in China and beyond.

Global Design Forum Istanbul marked the first international edition of London Design Festival’s talks platform, previously hosted for more than fifteen years at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. Presented in collaboration with People Places Ideas and developed under Artistic Director Melek Zeynep Bulut with Forum Content Advisor Beatrice Galilee, the four-day programme was built around the theme “Worlds in Contact,” bringing together international figures including Lina Ghotmeh, Marina Tabassum and Lesley Lokko alongside citywide installations across Istanbul’s historic sites.

The forum’s inaugural edition received wide international coverage, including features in ArchDaily, Dezeen, STIRworld, Domus and Le Quotidien de l’Art.

Image: Global Design Forum Istanbul / Dezeen