ORTA has developed a new residency program in collaboration with Gate 27 – international creative residency program.

For the 6-week residency program at Gate 27’s premises in Istanbul, designers, artists, curators, researchers, and engineers in bio-design, sustainable textile manufacturing, and research and development are invited to submit their applications. By fusing art, technology, and sustainability with biology, ORTA is producing denim fabric of the future. Within this collaboration, ORTA kindly offers waste materials from its production, including yarn, cotton, fabric, and dye, as well as sustainability metrics derived from its operations to the use of the selected resident.

The created work will be shown at a number of exhibitions, fairs, and events.

To learn more about the program, application conditions, program opportunities, and to apply, kindly visit: gate-27.com

As part of the ORTA x Gate 27 Bluesky Program, Gate 27 hosted Damla Yalçın at their Istanbul residence from February 1 to March 17. The artist worked on her interdisciplinary project focusing on the use of alternative biomaterials for fabric production.

In Damla Yalçın’s installation “Living Spaces”, a symbiotic organism known as SCOBY – ‘’Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast’’ – plays a central role. Wooden installation inspired by Gate 27’s sketch incorporates SCOBY surfaces combined with ORTA-produced fabrics as curtains on certain walls. Another wall showcased SCOBY pantones crafted from various teas and recipes, while SCOBY samples and the corresponding teas are displayed on the work table for experiential interaction.

At ORTA, we believe the future will be shaped by artists who can act as the conduit between art, science, and technology. And our hope is to be inspired by the artist’s thoughtware.