Ege Miray Kaman
What’s your name and where are you based/from?
I am Ege Miray Kaman and I am Istanbul based product designer and
creative.
Can you tell us a bit about what you do?
I design, reinvent, produce objects and design items. I produce together with local makers/producers/artisans. Personally, my design approach is focuses on daily life and routines. My aim is to bring joy and awareness
to everyday acts. With observation, design thinking methods and creativity i am most of time finding myself discovering a whole new
item. I believe working with local producers is part of my style, adding value and transforming my works.
Do you remember the first time you decided this was what you wanted to do?
I was in middle school, I was constantly dreaming about being an inventor for the future in modern way so I can always work on different
projects. Somebody told me that there is a major at universities where I can have education for this somehow. From that conversation on, being a product designer just stuck in my mind.
Where do you find inspiration?
Other forms of art, diving into researching and need of expressing myself. When these processes come together I always find myself inspired.
Does the meaning of each piece remain solid or evolve over time?
This is a very good question. By the time pass, the meaning of design and user experience change, also functionality find different places.
For example the Molla is slowly becoming a kind of protest against keeping digital notes and photographs. Now it brings awareness to technologization. For me, now It’s more meaningful then when It was first be released. Also the dialogue that objects open with spaces
changes so they resonates with users differently.
Is there a material that’s completely foreign to you but you’d love to work with?
I am very foreign to resin. It is very mysterious material to me and I am quite curious about. It seems very good to play with opacity levels,
color shades, finishes and textures. It catches my attention and make me wanna touch each time. However, I am questioning about the formula and sustainability of it.
Has anyone come up with a meaning from one of your pieces that you didn’t think of initially but makes absolute sense to you?
Seeing the people using my objects very unique ways are always a surprise to me and It always happens. I enjoyed reading my dm’s and seeing pics about it. And I believe my objects give this freedom to the users too. For example “Molla” is a paper display and noteholder. But I’ve seen people using them to hold and organize cables on tables. Melania pin tray and money box was holding cards and keys. Now, I see airpods and power banks too..
If you were to live somewhere else, where would you chose to be?
Italy is literally my style and I would definitely live in parts of California too. Luckily I’ve experienced both. I love surfing so this It’s Oahu, Hawaii!
Referring to your piece catharsis, do you remember the last time you felt any sort of catharsis?
Uhmm I believe this can be felt by individuals during therapy sessions a lot. For me, I was having catharsises a lot back to 2-3 years ago. Now I don’t, however I am always up to have a good catharsis :)) It is a very good way to have emotional releaeses and progress.
