"Emotional Reflections: The Soul of Seven Horizons" by Halise Karakaya will represent the Türkiye Pavilion at the 2025 London Design Biennale. This immersive installation channels the spirit of Istanbul through scent, sound and sculpture, layering aluminum forms over Turkish coffee grounds and echoing Bosporus sounds with reactive lights.
The fifth edition of the London Design Biennale returns to Somerset House from June 5-29, 2025. This year's theme, "Surface Reflections," curated by Dr. Samuel Ross MBE, explores how ideas are fuelled by both our internal experiences and external influences.
Insights in life often emerge from our personal histories, shaping our identity and contributing to the rich, multifaceted hues of human experience. Featuring 40 global pavilions, thought-leadership talks, performances and more a must-visit for anyone in London this June.
Halise Karakaya, the interdisciplinary artist known for her textured, large-scale works that live somewhere between sculpture, painting and installation, brings a bold sensory experience to London this summer. Living between Istanbul and London, Karakaya has long been exploring themes of memory, identity and the sensory body and now, she’s channeling all of that into "Emotional Reflections: The Spirit of Seven Horizons," the new installation representing Türkiye at the London Design Biennale 2025, from June 5 to 29.
In this spirit, the Türkiye Pavilion presents an immersive installation inspired by the symbolism of Istanbul’s seven hills (Yeditepe). Seamlessly integrating scent, sound and light, the work offers a choreographed sensory experience. Visitors are first greeted by seven CNC-cut, layered aluminum sculptures resting on beds of Turkish coffee grounds – an aromatic foundation that evokes memory and cultural depth. Suspended above are 15 sculptural forms crafted from Karakaya’s custom material formula, which respond to the ambient sounds of the Bosporus ferry horns, seagull cries and the gentle murmur of waves through a reactive lighting system. As the surrounding sounds intensify, the forms glow more brightly; when the environment quiets, the illumination deepens inward, generating a continuously evolving emotional landscape. Without the use of motion or emotion sensors, this poetic ecosystem of form, light and scent grounds the viewer in an Istanbul that is at once steeped in memory and vibrantly present. The creative vision is brought to life by Curatorial Director Alinda Kring, Artist and Creative Director Halise Karakaya and the design team consisting of Ceren Müftüoğlu, Karina Tertychnya and Zeynep Yeşildağ.
Halise Karakaya is not just showcasing a work of art, she’s offering a portal into Istanbul’s emotional topography. Whether you are Turkish or simply in love with cities that carry history in every sound and scent, this installation will stay with you long after you leave.
Catch emotional reflections "The Spirit of Seven Horizons" at Somerset House, London, before it disappears into memory just like the city that inspired it.
