This document discusses a student project exploring the cultural practice of "loitering" in Turkey. It begins by defining loitering and explaining its historical meaning. Students then observed how loitering commonly occurs in groups and different contexts. They analyzed why people loiter, such as for socializing, and what activities take place. Based on these insights, the students proposed several design concepts to represent loitering in an interactive installation, including creating a "loitering area", using mirrors and glasses to observe loitering, and incorporating puppets and shadows to recreate loitering behaviors. The goal is to both reflect Turkish loitering culture and allow visitors to experience loitering.

2. Inst. Figen IŞIK, Part-Time Inst. Burcu DERER OMAY, Res. Asst. Yekta
BAKIRLIOĞLU
Faculty of Architecture
Department Of Industrial Design
Erasmus IP Project Partnership with TU/Eindhoven & Hogeschool Sint-Lukas
Brussel:
Cultural Differences in Practice
2011-2012 Spring Semester
ID 501 Advanced Project
Development In Industrial Design
Hande IŞIK
Selma KADİROĞLU
Ceren KÖKTÜRK
Hande ÖZTAŞ
Zeliha UYURCA
Nur YILDIRIM

3. What to look and observe?
An underlying shared system of
information and knowledge that is
manifested through patterns of norms,
behaviors and signifiers.

4. Main Argument
By observing the change in notion of
culture, we aim to explore dynamics of
culture via inspecting the everyday life
practices, which are shaped by
modernization, performed in public
spaces through urban equipment.

5. Loitering
• to stand about without any aim or purpose;
• to stand about idly;
• to linger;
• to hang around…
• Historical meaning related to great depression,
economics, modernization and urbanization

7. Loitering
To spend time Not Being
Monitored
To see Safety
To socialize Intimacy
To subvert Lack of
Appropriation

8. Loitering
Loitering, as a free time activity to spend time, chat with friends,
socializing and resting, is a repetitive action that almost
everybody does. From housewives to business people and
children, we tend to take our time by doing nothing specific, just
relaxing, thinking and talking.

10. There are various contexts for different age and sexes,
however loitering usually takes places as a group activity.

11. People from different social and economical backgrounds
practice this activity in their habitus. Urban space is the
place where habitus overlap.

12. In Turkish culture, loitering originated in town centers, bazaars,
storefronts and house thresholds were the commonplaces due
to their comfort and convenience. However, with modernization
and urbanization, urban centers have become the place that
loitering activity occurs.

14. Loitering
Why do we loiter?
Socializing/Talking/Gossiping/Communicating
Monitoring
Release Tension/Resting/Relaxing (Work, Stress)
Bored (Boredom)
Not Enough Activity Spaces (Lack of Urban Equipment and
Space)
Enjoyable (Leisure Time spent with friends)

15. Practices that takes place while loitering:
Eating, Drinking & Smoking (Seeds, Tea,
Coffee, Cigarettes, Pipe)
Reading (Newspaper)
Playing (Card games, backgammon)

17. Design Proposals
1- Loitering Area
2- Intimate Loitering
3- Loitering Objects

18. Mediums in relation to Conceptual Outcomes
Feeling appropriated to space
Practices are carried out collectively instead of personally
Observing is more common, acting or interacting is less

19. When People Loiter, They Have Levels
Look
See
Watch
Discover
Closing Distance
Positive Impression
Opening Distance
Negative Impression
Observer
Not Very Interested

20. Design Ideas
1- Glasses
2- Mirrors
3- Puppets
4- Shadows, Silhouettes
5- Labyrinth-like space
6- Foot Steps & Auras

21. Mirrors
Mirrors can be used in combination with images/video to
make observers experience loitering action.
Loitering image on one side, a mirror on the other side,
visitors in the middle can see themselves in the picture.

22. Mirrors
Loitering space is actually virtual
Being in a group/crowd helps feeling comfortable
Practices are carried collectively

23. Glasses
We aim to use glasses with various colored filters as a
metaphor that makes observer to experience the
installation in different levels (Levels of Loitering Interaction)
Actions /silhouettes / media in the installation space can be
designed with specific colors that leaves out or reveals
information with filters.

24. Glasses
On a hi-tech level, small cameras can be placed in the
middle of glasses to record what observer sees, for how
long he looks at sth,
Interaction takes place after looking for a time
Can it be related with ‘Nazar’ (Bad Eye) concept?

25. Glasses
Glasses with styles
Maybe even masks that hide face

26. To See and To Be Seen
Loitering is about looking, ‘to see and to be seen’.
Loiterers watch, listen, observe and discover elements.
And after one point, they may get noticed by their object of
interest.
To look and being looked back
Do we look away when gazes cross?
Do we act differently when aware of being watched?
Pretending like not looking? Intimacy? Tactics…

27. Puppets
Puppet play as an action to look and observe
Interactive act that reacts observers; when looked for a long
time, puppet may talk to observers
If observer talks back, they might chat and loiter (Levels)

28. Puppets
Puppets as interactive mediums that observers can shape
Puppet can react to its new position by gestures
Sitting units for puppets to be placed

29. Puppets
Sitting styles are reflected, not static like a sculpture
Not a still image that freezes moment
Documenting styles that we spotted and styles that observers
create; Accumulation

30. Loitering Area
Argument: A practice that is acted in certain spaces, Loitering
reflects the space and habitus which is caused by the lack of
urban space for socializing and the need of existence in social
space.
Can we create a space that represents our way of loitering,
while it allows people to loiter as well?

31. A space that is created on the concept of ‘loitering’ and our way of practicing it
Audio visual material is used to reflect the way we loiter
Images or videos from several loitering areas and practicioners
Sound records from loitering activity and/or talks on why we are loitering (e.g data
survey)

32. Spaces in which loitering is common are observed and loitering ways, gestures and
silhouettes are studied to create a pattern that represents our practice.
Pattern can be used in several ways;

33. Loitering silhouettes can be used as shadows that are activated by visitors.
Silhouttes can be still images or moving shapes and people will observe them loiter.

34. They can interact with their shadows
Inspired by silhouettes, sittting units can be created
Shadows of the original silhouettes can be reflected upon the surface of sitting unit
Sensors can be used to activate silhouttes

35. Silhouettes move with observer

36. Culture shapes practices, and patterns that reflect culture are shaped by practices
Culture (pattern) is dynamic. Tactics can be read through practices

37. Intimate Loitering
Argument: The space we loiter was more appropriated and
intimate such as house and storefronts, village center,
coffeehouses etc. Places that everybody knows each other and
the space is accepted as a shared, common area. However,
urban spaces does not offer enough intimacy in terms of loitering
for a longer time and people are easily disturbed by strange
looks, close encounters and crowd.
Can we create a medium that makes loitering areas more
intimate for close groups?

39. Loitering Objects
Argument: As an everyday practice, spaces that loitering takes
place are equipped with some material in certain groups, such as
carpets, mats, cushions, stools etc. Also in urban spaces,
trashes, empty bottles, cigarette butts and scratches on urban
equipment are some of the traces that are left behind. Loitering
concept can be related with consumption.
Can we trace the objects of loitering in order to read more
about the practices? Can we utilize these objects to create
and manipulate an area that does not used for loitering, and
change behavior by attracting attention.

41. Q & A
Thank you