Hillsider Winter Issue 25-26

Our first interview, in which we detailed the philosophy behind Formasupra, our production practice, and our vision, has met its readers in the Winter 2025-2026 issue of Hillsider magazine! Stepping out of our studio in Tarlabaşı, this conversation where we explain how we blend the archaeological heritage of the past with today's digital production tools holds a very special place for us. We now want to share the story of Formasupra, which was born as a brand-new extension of our multidisciplinary art practice, with you on our own blog, in our own words.

Intersecting Paths and the Birth of "Formasupra"

Our art practice has been shaped at the intersection of different disciplines from the very beginning. Ahmet Rüstem turning to camera-focused spatial design with his background in interior architecture and environmental design, and Hakan Sorar's roots in mechanical engineering, robotic coding, and communication design... This shared mastery we both have over digital production tools and software has turned into a space of dialogue since 2017, where we share life and production, continuously nourishing each other.

So, how did Formasupra come about? The 3D printing technologies we have been actively using since 2015 were already in perfect harmony with the layered structure of the archaeological concepts we were working on. The transformation of the ideas we constructed in the virtual world into physical objects triggered the idea of a new design brand. With this brand, which we named Formasupra—meaning "beyond form" in Latin—we define the process of combining artificial intelligence and 3D printing as 'Digital Craft'.

Instead of comparing this digital labor with traditional handcraftsmanship, we treat it as a new form of craft. We took our first steps with 3D-printed flowers produced from plant-based PLA material, as we found the concept of the material returning to its own roots conceptually very strong. Following this came bags and vases inspired by archaeological baskets.

The Heritage of the Past, the Technology of Today: Domaniç Frogs

You can frequently see the traces of Anatolia's rich, deep archaeological forms and cultural heritage elements in our collections. Because examining this heritage allows us to ask critical questions about the past and the present.

One of the best examples of this is our 'Domaniç Frog' vase. We were deeply affected by the arduous breeding migration of the frogs in Domaniç, Kütahya, carried out by females carrying the males on their backs. It was incredibly striking that this current ecological situation, endangered by highways, coincided with the 5,000-year-old frog-shaped votive vessels in a similar composition found in the nearby Seyitömer Höyük. In our designs, we aim to create a critical inquiry exactly through these intersections, bringing together the ways past communities perceived nature with the realities of today.

Sustainability and Our Dreams for the Future

One of the issues we ponder most in today's design world is our responsibility to nature. In Formasupra designs, we primarily prefer PLA, an eco-friendly bioplastic derived from corn and sugarcane starch, and clay. Moreover, thanks to augmented reality (AR) technology, we can experience our designs virtually without producing a physical prototype, allowing us to act much more sensitively regarding resource usage.

Our biggest goal in the upcoming period is to establish a workshop infrastructure where we can produce with a complete zero-waste principle and sustainable resources. Although our brand is still very young, we are experiencing the happiness of our innovative approach and especially of Formasupra flowers being seen as a sustainable alternative gift to real flowers.

Endless thanks to Rana Korgül for this delightful interview, to Pınar Gediközer for immortalizing the moment with her wonderful photographs, and to the entire Hillsider magazine team!

Fotoğraf: Pınar Gediközer - Hillsider Rana Korgül Röportajı