Cement City
Synopsis:
Cemen(t) City This project envisions a fictional creature arising from Istanbul’s polluted Sea of Marmara, composed of mucilage and construction waste. It symbolises the ecological devastation caused by aggressive urbanisation and authoritarian policies. The creature gains power near private construction zones, commenting on neo-capitalist urbanisation and masculinised architecture, but its strength diminishes in public spaces like parks and shorelines. The work contrasts this destructive force with a collective ritual performed by women, who collaboratively knit a massive net by the shore in a resilient attempt to capture the creature and protect their city.
This cinematic performance offers hope and symbolises a potential turning point for Istanbul. The piece critiques the intersection of privatisation, ecological exploitation, and gendered oppression, equating the health of Istanbul’s water bodies with the well-being of its women. The final work will be a 7–10-minute video featuring sound design and voice-over narration.
Teaser
Project Development:
The development of this project started in 2024 with visits to sites of Marmara Sea after a mucilage outbreak in 2021.
In 2025, Arts Council England, Docklands Media and JOYA Air supported the research and concept creation of this project as well as additional technical training.
* Images are created for Adobe Firefly for reference.
Project Elements:
1- One short film/moving image piece, 7 to 10 mins long.
2- A series of photo-montage artworks combining special effects and analogue photography of fictional aquatic creatures (4 artworks 50 cm x 50 cm each)
Project Partners: TBA
References :
- Hydrofeminism Manifesto, Astrid Neimanis
- The Word for World is Water, World-Building and Creative Resistance Through Liquid Alliances by Katya Garcia-Anton/Margarida Mendes
- Octavia Butler - Parable of the Sower
- Ursula Le Guin - The Word for World is Forest
- Federico Campagna, World- building Agora Lectures
- Re/Sisters, Barbican, A Lens on gender & ecology
A dictionary of aquatic life of Cement City
*Images are done at Adobe Firefly for reference.