We generally rely on newspapers, journals and other media to keep informed about environment-related scientific data, government policies and activist activity. Turkish artist-educator Fazilet Kendirci takes an interesting alternative approach to show how humankind interacts with the environment. Her project 'Nascence-Metamorphosis (When I Grow Up)' offers a children's perspective of changing lives amidst altered living conditions.
Text and photos by Evren Toparlak/Translated from Turkish by Asli Kurtulus
Would you tell us something about yourself and your project?
For many years now, I've been conducting an art workshop with children taking classical painting courses. I care about children very much, and am also studying at university now. In observing the adolescent students here at university I've come to realise that they're not generally aware of environmental dangers.
My students tend to work like professionals, and I don't normally tend to assign exercises, but in 2008 I asked them to begin collecting domestic waste items. We then used the items to make three-dimensional art objects.
When the Fifth World Water Forum took place last March, 150 children from different countries around the world came to Istanbul. I listened to their opinions and concerns about the world's water problems, and we produced a poster during the forum to reflect these views.
At the same time the World Water Forum was taking place I started conducting a weekly workshop in Halkali, an Istanbul suburban area. Some of my students live there, and I've been struck over the course of my many visits to Halkali by how rapidly it is growing. Growth there is chaotic. Green areas are disappearing, and there is more construction every week. As a result, more and more people are moving to Halkali.
My 'Nascence-Metamorphosis (When I Grow Up)' project originates from both the water concerns expressed by the world's children at the World Water Forum and my teaching experiences in Halkali. The target group is children between the ages of six and fourteen. For this project the children take photos of themselves, and photos of what they see from their windows every month.
The project began on April 23, 2009 and will finish on April 23, 2012. I've prepared a special notebook in which they write about their feelings, their daily efforts, and evaluations about what they see. They may even draw pictures. The aim of the project is to help children to observe and document the environmental changes around them. The project also involves organising meetings between the children at the end of every month during which they discuss their findings.
What kind of changes have you seen in the children as a result of your project?
There were very many participants at the beginning of the project, but the number has decreased over time. Now I have only three students. There are lots of factors to take into account, however, such as family situation, school life, et cetera.
Also, children that have been abroad have a very different outlook. They're the ones asking why there are such high buildings in Turkey and single-storey houses throughout much of Europe. But is it only children who notice such things? No. Parents' perceptions are changing, as well.
What do you plan to do when the project comes to an end?
When our project is over, I first want to present it with my students to Halkali Municipality and the Istanbul Environment and Forestry Directory. I then want the children give a spoken presentation along with their project documents at an Istanbul gallery.
Beyond Istanbul, I want to present it at least to the Ankara Ministry of Environment and Forestry, but ideally it would travel to all provinces in Turkey. It would be wonderful if the project develops into a worldwide activity, and I also hope that these children can represent Turkey at the Children's Water Forum.
What is the effect of art on increasing environmental conscious?
Scientists struggle, work and reveal facts about the world's problems, and I can't deny that. But I and other artists can scrutinize ecological problems as well. We have feelings and a sense of the future, so I want to transfer these insights to adults with the aid of children. If a child has artistic ability, you can help to develop his or her consciousness and capacity for analysis.
