For designers, the opportunity to tangibly realize your dreams and conceptual visions is an enduring motive of the art. Sıla Karakaya knows this drive and resulting contentment especially well, having spent her professional career involved in the performing arts and most prominently in production design for film and theater. With a filmography including Spike Lee’s Redhook Summer, Joseph Ruben’s The Ottoman Lieutenant, and Can Evrenol’s Baskin, she’s amassed a diverse catalog of experiences to draw from. Beyond this, in founding Design+b612, she reveals a holistic and passionate commitment to her craft, sharing it with others, and educating future generations of designers. An ongoing workload which includes ample script readings, field shootings, seeking hidden gems, instruction at Bilgi University, and production design ensures she’s always on the move and pursuing varied undertakings, reassuring us that there are plenty of fresh, exciting projects on the horizon.
We took some time to speak with Sıla about her inclination towards design and the performing arts, the principled ethos behind her project, the necessity of inspirational collaborators, her extensive portfolio of work, and what we can expect in the months ahead.
Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I am a curious human being. This is how I can simply define myself. I am building worlds for film and theater characters. I love investigating anything new and I am quite bold about following my dreams. I was born and raised in Ankara but traveled and lived abroad for a very long time. I define myself as a world citizen and believe I could survive even on Mars. I have a flexible and highly adaptable nature and I love communication. I view communication as a form of art.
While growing up, I was always very close to performing arts. I would have been an actress if I didn’t fall in love with theater design. I studied Interior Architecture at Bilkent University and moved to New York City to study film and theater. I got my first MFA degree in Lighting Design for Film and Architecture from Parsons the New School and my second MFA degree from New York University Tisch School of Design on Production Design: Scenic and Costume Design. By launching my career with Spike Lee, I figured I was one of those lucky ones.
What I aimed for in life was to combine my occupation with my passion. By looking for a job that paid me well and allowed me to follow my dreams, I chose to become a Production Designer for film and theater. I’m fortunate to be paid to actualize my wildest fantasies.
I practice meditation, do Pilates and am very curious about neuroscience and human behavior. I strongly want to become a neuroscientist in my next life.
It seems clear that you’ve always had a passion for design. Could you tell us a bit about your evolution into scenic and production design specifically?
I always had a tendency to design my environment with a specific mood, stop the moment, and take a snapshot with my eyes. In my mind, designing for film and theater was a smooth transition after studying architecture. It was a long time ago when I realized I am trying to design every frame of my life to make it remarkable with objects and light. I was a hoarder when I was a kid and I still am. I just liked objects and supernatural light conditions to tell a specific narrative about the owner or the user.
While studying architecture, my professors figured out my tendency to design spaces through a narrative. It could never be a space without a backstory. I graduated school at the top of my class and found myself in New York City right after finishing. I just loved the idea of building worlds around fictional characters. To scan the brains of the scriptwriters and directors and to manifest it to the real world became something I loved.
How did Design+b612 come about? What is the mission of the project and how did you choose that name?
It was 2013 when I established my company Design+b612. I figured there are no production design schools in Turkey and there are not that many school educated production designers. The mission of this company is to give service to film and theater productions utilizing a holistic approach. It combines scenic and costume design services in a production friendly manner. I would consider any project as a designer which would have a good producer. In my mind quality, time, and budget matter. I aim to give service in creative quality, in a reasonable time frame and for a good price. Reducing costs and estimating budgets is a matter of experience. I work with experienced partners in each project. The other mission of this company is to raise new designers via education. I have taught Production Design at Bilgi University for the past 5 years. I recruit my students as my assistants after graduation. I had very good teachers in life therefore I aim to be a very good teacher.
You’ve worked on several notable films and theater productions. Could you tell us about one or two that really stand out in your experience? What was your role in those productions?
I was very fortunate to start my career as an art director for Spike Lee in NYC. He was my professor from school as well. Redhook Summer is very special for me since it was the first big film that I art directed. Baskin was a quite remarkable experience for me. To figure out a horror film and design a fantasy setting was a challenge that I believe I pulled off well. The Ottoman Lieutenant was also another big one for me. My last project was with legendary director Ridley Scott. To art direct his work was quite an intense and enjoyable experience for me. You can see my work via my IMDB page and website.
What is a typical day for you like in this field? How does ATÖLYE fit in?
There is no typical day in this field. Everyday is a new challenge at different locations, with a new team and new stories. The beauty of my job is that I am being asked to design a war film for a month and a futuristic film for the next month. It is quite schizophrenic actually. ATÖLYE is my regulator in this sense. In between projects; when I’m not on the field shooting, I use the community space for my table work such as designing my website, sketching, and reading scripts. I love expanding my horizons through community friends’ workshops and seminars. It gives me new points of view. I see ATÖLYE as my breathing space outside my hectic shooting schedule and academic life. It is a great place to make friends as well. There are quite a lot of smart and fun people here.
What are some of the bigger challenges you face as an art director and in running your own design initiative? How do you deal with these issues?
The biggest challenge is scheduling the next project. In every project I establish new configurations for the crew to overcome challenges. Every project has different requirements. Sometimes I have sculptors or painters working with me, and sometimes it’s just a couple of tailors. Even though I have a core crew, working with new people is always a big challenge.
Any projects on the horizon that you’re particularly excited about moving forward?
We are scheduled to shoot Nisan Dağ’s second feature film When I’m Done Dying this late October. I am very excited to do production design on this project since it is about a talented rapper from the slums of Istanbul who is dealing with deadly drug addiction. A new world of challenges ahead.
As we’re a publication for foreigners in Turkey and particularly Istanbul, any words of advice or places of interest that you’d recommend to our readers?
The nature of my job is to discover hidden gems and film there. There are so many hidden cisterns in the historic part of Istanbul. They are quite remarkable. I would find me and schedule a historic district tour. Along with this, the Northeast of Turkey – the Georgian border is fantastic for camping.
To keep up with Sıla and her work, be sure to visit her official site and IMDB page.
ATÖLYE Spotlight is our series on the inspiring community members of Istanbul’s most creative space.
All images courtesy of the interviewee.
