The Persistent Weeds of Istanbul / Resilient Marine Life of Istanbul The Persistent Weeds of Istanbul / Resilient Marine Life of Istanbul

The works of Mark Dion interrogate the conventions of scientific display. Borrowing from the aesthetics, visual techniques and conventions of ecological or natural history museums, Dion performs and presents his research in order to foreground the human construction of knowledge, history and the natural world. His works question the distinctions between rational scientific inquiry and subjective or irrational influences. In looking at the role played by research and scientific expertise in contemporary society, he also examines how pseudoscience and ideology arise within public discourse and knowledge production.

Urban ecosystems have long been of interest to Dion, and his contribution to the Istanbul Biennial points to the resolute tenacity of life in polluted urban areas and their environs. Dion takes Istanbul itself as a paradigmatic case of urban sprawl – a complex and rich natural environment in which flora and fauna thrive under the treacherous conditions of a densely populated city. For the first part of his project examining two of Istanbul’s biotic communities, The Persistent Weeds and Resilient Marine Life of Istanbul, he worked with nature and wildlife illustrators, as well as fine artists, to portray the mutinous weeds of the city. The resulting sixty-four watercolours are presented in a display cabinet that viewers can open and examine. The plants represent the triumph of natural survival amid a harsh and complex cityscape, while also demonstrating that the most invasive species are those that have the capacity to survive.

A second cabinet focuses on the marine life in the Bosphorus. For this, Dion collected specimens of crustaceans, shellfish, anemones and marine invertebrates from the shores of the Bosphorus, and from fishermen and seafood mongers, to create a portrait of a complex biotic organism. These plant and animal neighbours that dwell with tenacious fragility among us, are not always seen, but each is an important part of our ecosystem.