LOOP

Humanity believes it can control nature — that it can shape it, limit it, possess it, or even save it. Yet every boundary drawn is a wall built between ourselves and our own future. This piece illustrates how, by confining itself within intellectual and physical limits, humanity deepens the chasm between itself and nature. No matter how many rules are set, nature finds its own way. Beneath the grass, roots continue to grow, and life thrives beyond the imaginary lines we draw. Nature was here long before humankind, and it will remain long after. The real challenge is for humanity to see itself not as nature's opponent, but as part of it.

The industry on the shores of the Gulf of İzmit increases the amount of toxic substances — Mercury, Nickel, Copper and Arsenic — in the gulf, creating a new area of struggle for micro-living modules. The philosophical basis of the work is shaped within the framework of Umwelt theory, which expresses the way organisms experience the world subjectively. The work questions the impact of industrial waste on humans and microorganisms through different forms of experience. The technical framework is shaped by artificial intelligence — a dataset containing plankton, mercury, metal and underwater visuals is trained with AI, and the resulting visuals are animated and edited with sound design combining atmospheric, underwater and industrial sounds.

The AI-driven revival of industrial waste is not merely a reshaping of neglected materials into digital projections — it is also a rediscovery of their lost identities and the environmental burdens we have forgotten. In the first channel, AI-generated projections dynamically interact with İzmit's industrial sounds, evoking contemplation on the environmental burden of waste. These forms appear to "breathe" or "come alive," visualising the presence and lingering impact of industrial waste. The second channel presents recyclable waste data as a system based on numbers, time and networks — redefining industrial waste not as physical masses, but as conceptual entities that shape the city's collective memory.

Inspired by the map of İzmit, this linear representation has been transformed into a three-dimensional model and evolved into a multi-layered mycelium structure through manipulation with İzmit's environmental sounds. While the organic network of mycelium reflects the tension and harmony between İzmit's natural environment and industrialisation, each sound manipulation serves as a visual record of how the city transforms within this balance. Plastic Mycelium challenges human consumption habits, presenting a speculative mirror that invites the viewer to become the architect of the future. By drawing a parallel between plastic waste and the interconnected structure of mycelium, the project invites us to imagine how these materials might influence future societies.

Deconstruction aims to dissect, reconstruct and question the fabric of reality by breaking down video images into layers — inviting the viewer to detach from conventional perceptions. Reality ceases to be a fixed and immutable structure; instead, it becomes a sequence of layers that can be unravelled and reconfigured. Each layer reveals a different facet of existence, and every deconstruction within the body's own circulation pathways initiates a new creative process. The linear nature of time is disrupted; images are distorted and sounds sometimes linger unexpectedly within the flow. Yet every rupture is not an absence — but a fissure where meaning is reborn.

Throughout history, İzmit has carried many identities. Nicomedia CCLXIV brings together this multilayered structure, uniting different eras of the city into a single composition. The title references the founding of Nicomedia in 264 BCE, one of the first metropolises of the Roman Empire. The Seasons Sculptures from the Roman era, the Ottoman İzmit Clock Tower, and gears representing modern industry all serve as reflections of the values the city has gained and lost over time. A gear splashing water symbolises the Marmara Sea trapped under industrialisation, while the leaping female figure represents those who seek to connect with both past and present. Despite being overshadowed by heavy industry, İzmit remains a city with a rich historical and cultural legacy, waiting to be rediscovered.