Spirits of the waters. Reflections on the waters of Gdansk

Turning the Tide, Gdansk International Residency, June 2024
https://www.turning-thetide.com/

“Spirits of the waters” is an ensemble of “reflections on the waters of Gdansk”.

It is an interdisciplinary research, using elements, practices and information borrowed by art, history and science. It is presented as a work in progress/ a process and does not aim to necessarily have a specific final outcome.

The work focuses on the perennial relation between the city of Gdansk and its water, bringing on the surface the paradox that this essential element articulates; the paradox of alternating chronologically between being a generative force and a threat of destruction for human presence. Water historically holds an exceptional place in myths and religions; the worlds invented by humans as ways of interpreting and relating with the world around them. In Slavic mythology the feminine spirit of the water, Rusalka, comes out to help humans, watering the agricultures and bringing fertility to the soil.
The map overlaps the layers of the waters of Gdansk in the past (according to old maps of the city), today and the future (estimated flood levels in 2050 according to climatecentral.org). Also, it notes elements that form the aquatic cultural landscape of the city, such as hydrological engineering ruins, infrastructure related to water, landmarks, leisure, fauna, toponyms, wrecks…
Taking into account that today climate crisis is a tangible reality causing concern worldwide, and the rising of sea level due to global warming threatens coastal settlements, the project also explores possible future narratives for the city. The students of Architecture of Gdańsk University of Technology, as representatives of the local community and emerging designers that will probably have to deal with such problems in the near future, were invited to share related thoughts, ideas and projects. One can see this material scanning the QR codes placed on the map, on the specific sites they refer to.
Lately there is a wide talk about sustainable, nature-based, vernacular solutions for environmental problems. Some recent scientific studies suggest that the aquatic organisms of Algae have a strong potential to serve as a tool for regulating imbalances that affect climate crisis. Such alternatives may prove very beneficial for cities with extended water surfaces, like Gdansk. The installation contains some algae samples from different places of the city, some more natural (Bastions) and some more polluted, near the shipyard and the port. Information about the algae colonies is also noted on the map.
To conclude, maybe possibilities of solutions for climate crisis lay in the bottom of the seas and rivers, yet unknown secrets that wait to be revealed by the spirits of the waters, in an attempt to support humans, like Rusalkas once did.