Constrained” Installation by Marwood x Tamirci Architects to be Exhibited at IABA 2025

The Antalya International Architecture Biennial (IABA), Turkey’s first and only international architecture biennial last held in 2019, returns in 2025 to reconnect with audiences. Designed by Tamirci Architects through an open call and produced in collaboration with Marwood, the installation will be exhibited at Antalya’s Historic Battery Factory from November 3-9.

The city grows like an organism replicating its own cells; uncontrolled, spontaneous, insatiable. This growth is not merely physical expansion; it’s a transformation process shaped by invisible walls woven by economic, political, and social networks serving their own interests. “Constrained” offers a profound exploration of modern urban experience. Directly responding to the Biennial’s “In Between” theme, the project examines the constant tension of city life, investigating how individuals are “squeezed” by the very cities they inhabit; exploring the feeling of being caught between physical boundaries, invisible social and economic pressures, and a deep need to breathe and escape. The aim is not merely to present the problem, but to position viewers within this compression through their own bodies, senses, and minds. The contrast between the metal exterior surface and fabric-covered interior makes visible the tension that questions the city-human-space relationship. However, the real experience begins upon entry. Visitors will be guided into a challenging, amorphous inner world. This interior space, forming a complete contrast with the exterior, is planned as a soft, sculptural volume covered in fabric. The internal path is designed to force bodily adaptation: bending, turning, and physically “being constrained” mimicking how we unconsciously navigate through the restrictions imposed by urban life.

Through the collaboration between Marwood x Tamirci Architects, the design’s amorphous surfaces representing urban compression were shaped with Cliff panels in the interior volume, while the exterior volume was produced in accordance with the concept. The outer shell was manufactured with stainless steel panels to achieve the conceptually appropriate metallic appearance, and the interior surfaces were covered with the same fabric as the Cliff panels. The installation’s fabric materials were supplied through collaboration with Günder Textiles, and production stages were completed. Designed by Mustafa Timur and defined as a “Sculptural Acoustic Accessory,” Cliff panels offer a sustainable solution with an internal structure made from recycled wood materials and covered in fabric.

“Constrained” is more than just an artwork; it represents the physical embodiment of Marwood’s deep commitment to design and innovation, and its ability to bring highly conceptual architectural visions to life. This project will demonstrate how a commercial product like Cliff can transform into a fundamental component of a high-level artistic work, blurring the boundaries between furniture, art, and architecture.

Colophon

Constrained

Design Team: Can Tamirci, Nazlıcan Maydos Tamirci, Mustafa Timur, Kıymet Altunyurt, Barış Bilgi, Beyzanur Şanlı, Hüsna Pehlivan, Kevser Turan, Meltem Topal, Miray Fidan, Serra Odabaş

Production Team: Burcu Beysan, Serdal Bedir, Ali Kurt, Miraç Bağçı

Collaborators: Marwood, Günder

Supporters: Esra Dönmez, M. Tamer Ünlü, Mustafa Uslu, Özge Demircan, Galda Project