Press Release
Silver A' Design Award in Fine Arts and Art Installation Design Goes to Fountain Of Life Large Scale Public Artwork by Derya Geylani Vurusan
The international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Derya Geylani Vurusan for fine arts and art installation design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 18, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Silver A' Design Award in the Fine Arts and Art Installation Design category for Fountain Of Life Large Scale Public Artwork by Derya Geylani Vurusan. The award was conferred within the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the Silver A' Design Award
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
About Fountain Of Life Large Scale Public Artwork
Fountain of Life is a large scale public artwork installed in a restaurant at Istanbul Airport. The sculpture combines a hand carved travertine stone fountain with hand sculpted glass splashes. The stone fountain refers to the past, while the glass splashes, shaped to appear as if rising from the fountain, express the present moment. The stone fountain is 3000 mm high, and the glass forms range from 400 mm to 1000 mm in height. Polished stone and semi transparent glass change in appearance as light moves across the surfaces.
About Derya Geylani Vurusan
Derya Geylani is a contemporary glass artist and a lecturer at Marmara University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Glass. Her practice involves combining narrative elements with glass as a medium, often addressing environmental and socio-political themes. Through a process that merges conceptual storytelling and material exploration, they create works that aim to engage audiences and encourage awareness. Her approach reflects an ongoing investigation into the relationship between form, content, and context in contemporary glass art.
Award Record
With this recognition, Derya Geylani Vurusan is a winner of 7 A' Design Awards. The awards span the editions from 2012 - 2013 to 2024 - 2025 of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Fine Arts and Art Installation Design Award
The A' Fine-Art Design Award is an international fine-art design competition recognizing best fine-art works by leading fine-art artists and creators worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to artists, painters, sculptors and ceramicists from all countries. Entries typically include sculptures, paintings, installations, photographs, drawings and mixed media works. Awarded art designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/fine-art
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/170478
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/170478
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!170478
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/121462
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.instagram.com/deryageylani/
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Fountain Of Life Large Scale Public Artwork
- Function
- Large Scale Public Artwork
- Category
- Fine Arts and Art Installation Design
- Discipline
- Communication Design
- Industry
- Arts
- Colors
- Black, Saddle Brown, Sienna and Dark Olive Green
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Derya Geylani Vurusan
- Country
- Turkiye
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2024 - 2025
- Design ID
- #170478
Credits
- Image Credits
- Photo Credits: Sibel Ekenoglu
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- This is a sculptural piece in Istanbul Airport Kaimakk Restaurant that combines traditional travertine stone with large-scale glass splashes, representing the concept of time. The stone fountain symbolizes the past, while the glass splashes, shaped to appear as if they’re emerging from the fountain, capture the present moment. This design is unique due to its integration of materials and its symbolic representation of time, blending technics with a narrative that reflects both history and the present in a dynamic form.
- Inspiration
- The inspiration for the installation stems from my ongoing exploration of time in my Moment series. The project reflects the interplay between the past, present, and future. Traditional travertine stone, representing history, contrasts with the dynamic glass splashes, which symbolize the present moment frozen in time. Technically, the challenge of merging such contrasting materials to convey temporal concepts drove the design, aiming to create a timeless yet dynamic narrative.
- Research
- The research behind The installation is conceptual and experimental, focusing on the symbolic representation of time through material choice and form. The objective was to explore how contrasting materials like travertine stone and glass can embody past and present. Insights showed that combining history with dynamic forms creates a powerful narrative. The research impacts design by blending heritage and innovation, influencing both art and architecture in the creation of immersive, meaningful spaces.
- Challenge
- The hardest part of the installation was merging two contrasting materials—traditional travertine stone and dynamic glass—into a cohesive design. Overcoming technical obstacles, such as controlling the shape and flow of the glass while maintaining the integrity of the stone, was crucial. Additionally, the limited production possibilities for large-scale glass sculptures and the need for precision posed significant challenges in execution.
- Realization and Technology
- The piece was created by combining traditional materials with modern glassblowing techniques. The fountain was sculpted from travertine stone, chosen for its historical significance and texture. The glass splashes were shaped using advanced hot glass sculpting techniques, requiring precise control of temperature and pressure to achieve the desired fluid, dynamic effect. The challenge was integrating these materials in a way that highlighted their contrasting properties while conveying the passage of time through form and texture.
- Operation and Interaction
- The project is a static installation, allowing viewers to interact visually. The object doesn’t operate in a traditional sense but transforms through its aesthetic impact. The interaction occurs as light shifts across the glass splashes and stone, creating varying reflections. Key moments happen as viewers observe the contrast between the solid, timeless stone and the dynamic, fluid glass. The piece’s strength lies in its ability to evoke emotions and thoughts about time, inviting viewers to reflect on the past and present.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in May 2023 and finished in August 2023. The project located in Istanbul Airport, departure departmant, Kaimakk Restaurant.
- Specifications
- Material: Traditional travertine stone (fountain base) and hand-sculpted glass (splashes). Dimensions: Fountain: Height 3000mm, Width 1800mm, Depth 1800 mm Glass splashes: Varying heights from 400 mm to 1000 mm Production Method: Hand-carved travertine stone combined with hot glassblowing techniques. Finish: Polished stone surface, semi-transparent glass finish. Packaging: Custom-made wooden crate with protective padding for safe transport.
- Keywords
- glass, contemporary glass, glass art
