Aslı Çavuşoğlu’s work “Deep Drown Discharge” (DDD) was inspired by marine mucilage, a collection of organisms that arrived in and occupied the surface and depths of the Sea of Marmara in the summer of 2021. The proliferation of these micro-organisms destroyed the relationship between coastal peoples and the sea. Many locals no longer swim in the sea or eat fish from the Sea of Marmara. Deep sea discharge was considered a primary cause of this natural phenomenon. In a series of etchings, DDD depicts the aftermath of a natural disaster and the organism specimens that scientists discovered when they first sampled the water. DDD uses natural materials and physical metaphors to establish connections between the region and the organisms, attempting to explore the existence of a real boundary in a world closely connected to the marine world yet transcending the similarities among the invasion or proliferation of these organisms, the increasing human population, and the gentrification of many urban neighborhoods. “Deep Drown Discharge” (2021) was commissioned by UCCA.
*Excerpt from the exhibition text by Yan Fang
Etching on phone and tablet screen protectors, watercolor extracted from plants and vegetables on restored paper. Ø 1,5 m. Commissioned by UCCA.
