Canal Istanbul: A Dystopia

The installation focuses on Istanbul’s spatial justice agenda just before major transformations, which will result from mega-projects and rapid housing development along the Küçükçekmece, Sazlıdere, and Terkos basins lying between the Marmara and the Black Sea coasts. In preparation for the installation, the field team has traveled along the land and seaway to record the present condition of the 45 km-long route. They identified problems such as forced displacement, ecosystem destruction, endangered water resources, adverse effects on agriculture and animal husbandry, overdevelopment, coastal filling and debris, the destruction of historical and natural heritage in conversation with local people, experts, and local authorities. The installation shows spatial asymmetries at the intersection of urban-rural, built-natural environment, human-non-human beings, mega-human scales with the satellite image of the region’s current status, a future projection based on map data, and sounds collected from the area.

The Center for Spatial Justice was founded to live in fairer, more democratic, ecological urban and rural spaces, produce cross-disciplinary work, gather, accumulate, and share innovative, qualified, and public knowledge. Committed to the active participation of the disabled, children, older persons, immigrants, women, and local actors/organizations to the processes of the production of space in fulfilling the right to the city and environmental justice, the Center focuses on participatory design and educative practices, besides research, education, and advocacy activities.

Warning: The visuals featured in this installation can trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy.