A Turtle in Ten Seconds
In 2008, the Turkish government announced the initiation of dozens of ‘Security Dams Project’. These dams were to be built along the Turkish–Iraqi border and in a few valleys in the central region inhabited by Kurds. The construction of security dams would effectively block entry routes, hinder and restrict the movement of militants, and disrupt logistical support from local communities. A Turtle in Ten Seconds envisions both submerged and emerged elements in relation to the dam projects in upper Mesopotamia. While the visuals are observed, the infant Mesopotamian soft-shelled turtle, placed at the centre of the disrupted pages, moves upside down for 10 seconds amid water turbulence. The still images of this movement span hundreds of pages; they aim to dilate the timeframe and conceptualise an endangered species’ lifespan.
Rojda Tuğrul (TR)
Rojda Tuğrul is an interdisciplinary artist and researcher whose practice focuses on identity in relation to space and time. Her early work examined the impacts of war on ecological and cultural heritage within the socio-political framework of Kurdish territories, exploring how conflicts reshape landscapes, culture, and collective memory. Over time, her practice has expanded to encompass collective cognition and consciousness, in both human societies and ecological systems, positioning her practice at the intersection of environmental and sociopolitical discourse.
Tuğrul approaches sociopolitical landscapes as reflections of cultural and ecological transformation. Working with moving and still images, she examines how identities are inscribed in, and altered by, shifting geographies—understood as lived inheritances sedimented through memory and time.
Her practice spans both national and international contexts, including solo and group exhibitions, as well as public art commissions that become sites of collective encounter, where cultural memory and ecological transformation intersect. Alongside her artistic work, Tuğrul maintains an active academic and research profile. She holds an MSc in Veterinary Science and a PhD in Practice from the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. She has also taught at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and conducted research integrating artistic and scientific methodologies.
Based in Vienna, Austria, Tuğrul continues to develop projects that bridge art, ecology, and sociopolitical inquiry, fostering dialogue across disciplines.
