As part of the 5th Istanbul Design Biennial, I was commissioned to do a survey of Istanbul’s public gardens (called Bostans in Turkish). With a team of biologists, architects, and historians, we collected soil samples from the gardens and do DNA sequencing to capture the profile of the locations.

Gardens exhibited very different profiles due to their micro climates as well as their history of urban transformation. We selected two organisms from two different gardens which exhibited probiotic capabilities. A local biotechnology firm was contracted to mass produce and package them, so that they can be distributed to the public. During the biennial, the organisms were shared with different collectives who organized fermentation workshops that included organisms in a variety of food products and discussed the organisms’ history and future.

The research was not published in a traditional scientific paper but disseminated in a brochure where the organisms were presented as the “documents,” whose audience would be the guts of the humans who will ingest them. Turning the audience guts into new gardens where the organisms may inhabit. The brochure can also be accessed as a PDF.

The process was also featured in a video essay called ”Where Do Gardens Come From?

Please contact if you are interested in screening opportunities.

Collaborative research project by PUMA + MIT Design Lab, powered by Biorealize.

The Breathing Shoe is made of a biodegradable material that is patterned with microorganisms. The organisms respond to the heat generated by the feet and proliferate by consuming the media in the cavities. As media gets consumed, the surface of the shoe begins to create ventilation points allowing more air to flow through. Over time, each shoe begins to take a custom look based on the activity profile of their users.

After being featured Milan Design Week 2018, Biorealize’s new prototypes were also exhibited at Sneakers Unboxed: From Studio to Street at the London Museum (May-October 2021).

A review of the exhibition by the curator Ligaya Salazar for Dezeen can be found here.

Collaborative research project by PUMA + MIT Design Lab, powered by Biorealize.

Deep Learning Insoles are silicone based disposable insoles that contain microbial cultures to monitor biochemical vitals that change during running or workout routines. The microorganisms respond to the skin and sweat and measure long and short-term chemical indicators that indicate fatigue and well-being. The insoles digitize the biochemical signals and provide the user with benchmarks to optimize their performance.

Presented at Milan Design Week 2018.

As part of my PhD research (2008-2013), I looked at at ways to design biological systems to raise questions that lie outside the interests of the sciences and engineering. I have designed experimental living artifacts--cellular constructs, modified organisms, and biological hardware--to demonstrate what will it mean to live in a society with biological design, when designed organisms will increasingly become part of our daily lives and shape our aesthetic, social and cultural values.

I have designed a microbial perfumery that demonstrates the use of genetically modified bacteria to synthesize parts of Sandalwood oil and its smell. The "Oil well" (2013) is the prototype of a do-it-yourself learning and biofabrication machine that visualizes the different stages of a bacterial transformation, incubation and protein synthesis and use synthetic membranes to encapsulate the biologies.

The artifacts created during the "Living Commons" research are documented and published via lectures, publications and my teaching. 

Lectures/Seminars/Workshops:
Workshop teacher, Making_Life Workshop series, Finnish Bioarts Society, Aalto University Helsinki. May 2014, November 2015, May 2015.
 Designing Ideologically Modified Organisms, Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers,The State University of New Jersey. February 27, 2013.
 Design in Biochemical Space, part of the public lecture series at the Estonian Academy of the Arts, Tallinn, December 18, 2012.
 Synthetic Ideologies of the Synthetic Living, part of Biopolitics, Society, and Performance Conference, Trinity College Dublin, October 31, 2012.
 Of Mice and Men, Institute of Advanced Studies, University of Western Australia. May 23, 2012.

Residency:
 Biosynthesis and The Future of Sandalwood
 SymbioticA (Perth/ Australia, 2012)

Publications:
Telhan, Orkan. For Designing Within: A Spatial Theory for Encapsulating Designed Biologies in Paradigms of Computing: Making, Machines, and Models For Design Agency in Architecture, eds. Dr. David Jason Gerber, Mariana Ibañez. eVolo, 2014.
Telhan Orkan, Discursive Methods in Synthetic Biological Design in the proceedings of Design Research Society Conference (DRS 2012), Bangkok, Thailand. 2012.

Collaborative research project by PUMA + MIT Design Lab, powered by Biorealize.

Carbon Eaters are microbially-activated stickers that respond to the CO2 in the environment by changing color to inform their users about the quality of air around them. As the user performs their daily run, the organisms begin to change color from dark yellow-brown to bright purple. More carbon dioxide absorption causes more purple, indicating poorer air quality.

Presented at Milan Design Week 2018.

Collaborative research project by PUMA + MIT Design Lab, powered by Biorealize. Adaptive Packaging is inflate-on-demand flexible packaging that is programmed to biodegrade after its use. The package is made from biodegradable elastomer and contains two types of microorganisms; one which produces CO2 to inflate the air sacks and the other to deflate them over time by degrading the material. The packaging can be designed for short or long-term usage by timing the degradation process using chemical inhibitors that are printed onto the material.

Presented at Milan Design Week 2018.

A introductory video that shows the collaboration between PUMA, MIT Design Lab, and Biorealize that showcased the work in Milano Design Week in 2018.

Press Release by PUMA

Review by Dezeen