Developed in a workshop built on the site of a former swamp in Istanbul, Swamp Archive [Batak Arşiv] draws on mythological narratives in which reeds growing in wetlands continue to voice the secrets they have heard from the wind. It is an ongoing sound-based project that approaches wetlands as sites of memory, transmission, and listening.

Swamp Archive consists of handmade water flutes constructed from everyday and found materials. Technically, these flutes combine the harmonic structure of single-hole overtone flutes used in the Balkans with the water-powered “whistling vessels” of South America. Each instrument is a simple mechanism made up of a whistle-like pipe and a water chamber. Depending on the context, Swamp Archive takes different forms: interactive installations activated by visitors, site-specific installations played by waves, or small-scale improvised performances in which performers “play the water.”

Swamp Archive‘s Heron [Balıkçıl] version, taking place in Hara’s pool, draws inspiration from the movements of water birds. Focusing on listening and the rhythm of repetition, the performance unfolds through sound, movement, and the flow of water.

Concept, design and instruments: A. Serkan Aka
Creation and performance: Basma Seiba, Selim Cizdan, A. Serkan Aka

Time: 20:00

Combined tickets for Swamp Archive – Heron and The Other Within Me, taking place earlier in the day, are available from the Hara Box Office and Biletix.