Ayamama (#1-5)
Marisa Morán Jahn, 2024
silkscreen prints in silver, gold, and blue; edition of 5. 18” wide x 50” height
SALT Galata, Istanbul
Commissioned by MIT Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism (MIT LCAU)
The prints center larger-than-life figures of Allium istanbulense, a native/endemic species of the garlic and onion family frequently used in traditional Turkish cuisine. In these images, the plant’s characteristic whorls and curlique stems recall the highly ornamental brushwork seen in Islamic calligraphy. Like the marshland and birds circulating around the plant, the proliferation of Allium istanbulense is directly threatened by urban development, symbolized here through tire tracks of construction machinery. Unlike botanical drawings that strive to chronicle and historicize flora and fauna through illusionistic depiction, these works’ stylization resist verisimilitude and instead aim to invoke a sense of awe and humility in the face of a resilient yet still fragile ecology.
The prints that are part of “Ayamama Swa(m)p,” an exhibition exploring the ecology of Istanbul’s Ayamama swamp marsh and site of the city’s former decommissioned airport. The exhibition emerges from interdisciplinary research at the critical intersections of climate change, urban sprawl, flooding, and infrastructure led by architect and MIT professor Rafi Segal in collaboration with climate scientists, urban planners, landscape designers, and architects.
