Concrete Slabs – The Poetic Memory of Silence

Sculpture

Building "G"

In front of the canvas, a gray concrete wall rises in stillness. Its surface bears “wounds” — cracks and deep marks carved by rain, wind, and time. Rust-scented rebars emerge through its chest, silently telling the bitter stories of years gone by. Beneath them, the breath of red bricks — once laid by human hands and now transformed into memory — still lingers. This image captures the intersection of the human and the natural, where time leaves its quiet testimony upon matter, turning decay into silent endurance.

Historical Context

The background stretches into the distance: where once the breathing Topqapı forests stood, silent blocks of concrete now rise. The rustle of trees has been replaced by a heavy, haunting silence, as if nature’s heart has been torn out and replaced with a stone cage. This transformation reflects the larger history of urbanization and the human tendency to turn living landscapes into lifeless structures. The composition stands as a record of this change — a monument to what has been lost and a reminder of nature’s quiet suffering beneath human progress.

Cultural/Artistic Inspiration

At the lower section lies a dark, still void — the memory vault of the earth. Within it rests the soil of Shusha. For those separated from their homeland but whose spirits remain rooted there, this becomes a sacred space of remembrance. Students arriving from across the world will bring soil from their native lands, carrying great stories in small handfuls. This act transforms the artwork into a collective ritual — a gathering of earth that transcends geography, embodying the preservation of identity, memory, and belonging. This composition is more than a physical depiction — it is poetry bound to the earth. Here, soil is portrayed not merely as a material substance but as a symbol of memory, identity, and rootedness. The contrast between concrete and soil expresses the duality of destruction and preservation: concrete and rust recall the wounds humanity inflicts upon nature, while soil represents the enduring hope for healing and regeneration. The work speaks softly yet profoundly — a call to protect what remains sacred while hope still exists.