When the Water Left

Artist statement · Zeynep Guvenc

When the Water Left

When the Water Left explores the interconnected relationship between trees, water, wood, and silk through Sculptural Ebru, my contemporary interpretation of traditional Turkish water marbling.

At the heart of this installation is a wooden frame that undergoes its own transformation. Before becoming part of the finished sculpture, the frame serves as a temporary marbling bath, holding the water on which pigments float and form organic patterns. The silk taffeta receives these patterns directly from the water's surface. When the marbling is complete, the water is removed, and the same wooden structure becomes the frame supporting the silk.

The relationship begins with the tree. A tree depends on water to grow and sustain its life. The wood used to construct the frame comes from this living relationship. By transforming the wood into a bath, I return it symbolically to the element that once nourished the tree.

This connection is why I chose green.

The green marbled silk represents the life of the tree, its growth, leaves, and continuing relationship with water. The natural color and visible grain of the wooden frame recall the tree's physical presence, while the flowing green patterns suggest the life that water makes possible. The white spaces within the silk preserve a sense of openness and stillness.

Green silk also carries a personal spiritual meaning. In the Qur'an, green silk garments appear in descriptions of Paradise, connecting the material and color to ideas of beauty, peace, and divine generosity. This association adds a quiet spiritual dimension to my exploration of nature and creation.

The crisp, luminous silk taffeta moves beyond its original flat surface, folding and extending into three-dimensional space. Through this transformation, the traditional practice of Ebru becomes sculptural, allowing the movement of water to remain visible even after the water itself has disappeared.

The frame that once held the water now holds its memory.

In When the Water Left, the tree, water, wood, and silk are connected through a continuous cycle. The tree grows through water; its wood becomes a vessel for water; the water creates green patterns representing the tree's life; and the wooden vessel becomes the final frame holding those patterns.

The water is gone, but its presence remains in every part of the artwork.