Nevşünema
Artistic research / Natural Science Museum of St Joseph High School, İstanbul / with Eda Aslan
In the summer of 1939, a group of scientists, including Alfred Heilbronn and Mehpare Başarman Heilbronn, made a trip to the eastern and southeastern Anatolian regions. The aim of the botanists was to observe and record the diversity of flora in this region. The trip, which began on August 7 from Elazığ to Harput, lasted until September 3 and included stops in the Eupharetes region, where the construction of various dams and hydroelectric power plants was planned in the 20th century. Nevşünema focuses on their botanical excursion by tracing the photographic and written travel diaries left behind.
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Exhibition photos: Zeynep Fırat
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
In the summer of 1939, a group of scientists, including Alfred Heilbronn and Mehpare Başarman Heilbronn, made a trip to the eastern and southeastern Anatolian regions. The aim of the botanists was to observe and record the diversity of flora in this region. The trip, which began on August 7 from Elazığ to Harput, lasted until September 3 and included stops in the Eupharetes region, where the construction of various dams and hydroelectric power plants was planned in the 20th century. Nevşünema focuses on their botanical excursion by tracing the photographic and written travel diaries left behind.
In the same years, the Republican Regime was having various military operations in the area and planning to build various Dams and Hydroelectric power plants on the visited rivers and
basins in the following decades.
The following photo album was prepared by Alfred Heilbronn and an additional diary was kept by Mehpare Başarman Heilbronn became a source for Nevşünema.
Produced for the Saint Joseph: Beats of a Fabulous Machine Exhibition curated by Aslı Seven.
Exhibition photos: Zeynep Fırat
All other images: Heilbronn Archive
Selected Reviews:
Daily Sabah Jan 17, 2022
On the mechanics of pedagogy: Aslı Seven curates Saint Joseph
Studies in Ottoman Science Feb 23, 2022
Saint-Joseph: Battements d’une Machine
Fabuleuse - An Artistic Approach to the History of Education in
Turkey
