The Embodiment of National Image in Ceramic Products with China and European Countries Exchange and Dissemination Case Study: Turkish Coffee Cups

Abstract

Culture is a broad concept encompassing material and spiritual aspects acquired through socialization and experience. It includes language, beliefs, ethical standards, and consumption patterns, uniting people within a community and significantly influencing their behavior. Culture plays an important role in design and influences the design process according to ever-changing behavior patterns. Product design, a subset of the design field, provides a tangible platform for expressing cultural knowledge. Consequently, product design is a significant medium for illustrating the impact of cultural influences. The interaction between different cultures further shapes design fields, leading to the development of products that may acquire new characteristics or undergo adaptations based on the specific geographical context in which they are situated. Especially when the field of gastronomy, and food and beverage utensils is examined, it is known that the ceramic tools used are in new design relationships in this context. Traditional Turkish coffee culture encompasses the convergence of Chinese, Turkish, and European influences in product design today, exemplified by the use of Turkish ceramic coffee cups. The purpose of this study is to illustrate how national images and a country’s national identity are constructed and expressed in the designs of its ceramic products from the perspective of material culture studies, from past to present, starting from the Chinese, Ottoman Empire and Europe interaction, how shaped today’s ceramic Turkish coffee cups of today and also new possibilities that can process around this area.