Terrestrial Cosmologies: Moving Along Rivers And Mountains

The project “Terrestrial Cosmologies” has been an experimental un/learning process within the context of practice-based research at the Tigris region in Batman, Southeast Turkiye. Through a series of workshops, integrating the fields of spatial and eco-social design, art education, and site-specific poetry, we focused on Tigris River, the rural infrastructures and the mountain villages around Batman, the region of Hasankeyf. We learned about Ezidi, Kurdish, and Suryani cultures, their nomadic and settled lifestyles, and the migration histories between Germany, Austria and Turkiye. Following decolonial pedagogical methodologies and artistic/design approaches we are learning from the land, the rivers, the mountains, and the communities.