Inspired by the Sümerbank Deri ve Kundura Fabrikası (Sümerbank Leather and Shoe Factory), participants in this workshop learn traditional leatherworking techniques and go through the steps of pattern drawing, cutting, stitching and personalization to create their own unique leather wallet.

A second leather wallet workshop, by popular demand

In this workshop, participants learn traditional leatherworking techniques and go through the steps of pattern drawing, cutting, stitching and personalization to create their own unique leather wallet.

The training program, to be held on Saturday, February 22, 2025, aims to raise awareness and understanding of Cultural Heritage in order to protect, sustain and pass on to future generations the local, traditional and national values that form the shared identity of societies and the world. To create this awareness and understanding, beyond providing training to students or adding an elective course to the curriculum, the aim is to provide Cultural Heritage training to teachers, who are in constant contact with students, so that teachers can build awareness of Cultural Heritage within their curriculum courses.

Through this training program, the aim is for the subject of Cultural Heritage to be addressed within core curriculum courses such as Turkish, History, Social Studies, Visual Arts and Music. Cultural Heritage can easily be integrated into the content of these courses, and adaptations can be made in them to help students understand and embrace cultural assets. The training will discuss how these adaptations can be made, and methods for helping students embrace tangible and intangible Cultural Heritage and for encouraging them to take individual action to protect and sustain this heritage. Teachers will be shown methods for engaging students in Cultural Heritage activities in their curriculum courses and for what to keep in mind to build awareness during school trips.

Teachers who complete the free training will receive a “Certificate of Participation.” During the full-day training, you can also leave your children at the free Children’s Workshops to be held at Hafıza Atölye.

Beykoz Kundura was one of Türkiye’s leading shoe manufacturers, a brand that specialized in leather footwear in particular.
The posters designed to sell these shoes are truly eye-catching. In this workshop, we will first examine old advertising posters and talk about the brand’s culture and history.
Then, using a variety of collage papers, photographs from the archive, and colored
paper and pencils, we will design handmade advertising posters for shoes.

Snakes and Ladders is a game that symbolizes life’s journey and luck.
In this game, where we move forward by rolling the dice, we sometimes climb up and sometimes slide back, which teaches us to enjoy the journey itself.
We are adapting this traditional game to the story of Beykoz Kundura. By designing shoes that climb the ladders and journey cards,
we will learn about the history and memory of Beykoz Kundura through play and design.
At the end, we will play the new game we have designed together.

Using the Toyi play kit, made from recycled materials, children will personalize their shoes!
They will learn about the concept of upcycling in a fun way, bonding with their shoes and making them creative and cheerful.
They will also hear Toyi’s inspiring story and discover the power of recycling.

In its new identity, inspired by the memory of the Sümerbank Leather and Shoe Industry Establishment, which became one of the most important symbols of industrialization and domestic production in the history of the Republic, Beykoz Kundura embraces the social values created by the Sümerbank Establishment, serves the creative industries, and continues to give new purpose to the site and to produce. As generations raised with the motto “Domestic goods are the nation’s goods; everyone should use them,” today, in the spaces where we host arts and culture at Beykoz Kundura, we are refreshing our “memory” of Türkiye’s culture of production from an arts and culture perspective.

In past years, we designed panels and programs especially for this week on a variety of themes focusing on local creative practices. After day-long events ranging from Turkish jazz to Turkish contemporary dance, this year we are returning with a more comprehensive program featuring content that actively engages participants.

Beykoz Kundura continues to invite us to remember and embrace our domestic resources. Taking place December 12–15, 2024, the program once again brings Beykoz Kundura productions together with audiences. Alongside a program of Turkish music, this production-focused program spanning the entire weekend helps us develop our creative making skills through workshops from a range of fields. From creative writing to leather and fabric workshops, and from activities that strengthen our collective memory to sustainable gastronomy, it opens up space to deepen our interest in these areas.

Together, we recall the spirit of “Domestic goods are the nation’s goods; everyone should use them,” and as we refresh our collective memory of the culture of production, we reflect and share ideas together about today’s approach to production and its needs. At a time when we perhaps understand the value of domestic production more deeply than ever, we hope that our Domestic Goods Week program will offer hope for the future.