RESERVOIR

Views from an the abandoned foundations of a skyscarper development, Izmir

Mount Kadifekale, Izmir

In recent years Turkey has face unprecedented water scarcity challenges. It is believed that overall water demand in Turkey has doubled in the second half of the last century, and continues to rise as rising global temperatures push water resources to their limit. In the face of this growing crisis, the photographic work ‘Reservoir’ follows the historical traces of water in the ancient city of Izmir (Smyrna), Turkey’s third largest city.

Kültürpark 

Working alongside photojournalist Roger Anis, we traversed the region searching for the lost body of water, Lake Halkapına. 

Using a postcard as our jumping off point, we photographed the spaces the lake had been along with other bodies of water within the city, from the dried out lake of Kültürpark to the abandoned foundations of a skyscraper. We also travelled to the ancient city of Ephesus, once a thriving port city that no longer reaches the sea. In our search we discovered a  new artificial lake of steel and glass squatting on top of the old lake, Atatürk Stadium.  

Atatürk Stadium, built in 1971 for the Medittaranean Games

‘Reservoir’ speaks of a hibernating beast, a great body of water that is slowly being drained from place and memory. This work pushes the audience into motion, following the movement of water through the city, no longer following the natural 
topography but instead flowing down gutters and drains, sequestering in forgotten places.

 

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View of Izmir’s Harbour

Etiam venenatis gravida

The ancient city of Ephesus, once a port city that reached the sea

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