Introduce Artist
Gurkan Mihci
@gurkanmarufmihci
Gürkan Maruf Mıhçı, PhD
Gürkan Maruf Mıhçı is an interdisciplinary artist and researcher blending interactive design, digital media, and critical theory. His work explores the intersections of technology, art, and design, creating imaginative worlds, video installations, sound art, and data visualizations inspired by science, politics, and ecology.
An Associate Professor at Indiana University Indianapolis’s Herron School of Art and Design, Mıhçı is recognized for his innovative research and teaching, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches. He is a recipient of the 2023 DeHaan Artist of Distinction Award and other prestigious honors.His projects, including The Garden of Galactic Delights and Echo Chamber, have been exhibited globally in Istanbul, Chicago, Miami, France, Spain, and beyond. Notable collaborations and performances, such as “Old—New—Cyber Smyrna,” further highlight his boundary-pushing creativity.Mıhçı’s work continues to reshape contemporary art and design, bridging disciplines and challenging conventions.
Artwork
ftermath Of The Climate Crisis: Derinkuyu Revived (by Gürkan Maruf Mıhçı)Video Installation, 4K Single-Channel Digital Video Animation Loops with Music, 2024
The climate crisis, the real apocalypse, is here. Climate change affects the entire interconnected system of the Earth, leading to various consequences. Around 2800 years ago, the inhabitants of the Cappadocia area, Türkiye, made a crucial decision due to the harsh conditions they faced, including severe weather and the constant fear of conflict. They opted to construct a complete Derinkuyu underground city, which remains the oldest and the biggest surviving underground city, accommodating approximately 20,000 residents and offering schools, residences, markets, and places of worship. I reimagine this city for how we can scientifically imagine it during the climate crisis and how humans would live in underground cities using scientific facts and science fiction in the future. I focus on representing these concepts using technology (animated computer-generated loops and/or sound and 3D/2D visualizations). I aim to revisit the past, ancient underground cities in Cappadocia, examine how people lived and survived together, imagine and apply these for the future, and understand how ancient underground city inhabitants can help us to survive and build our future lives. I address the problem of climate change and its effects on our planet. 25,000 Gen A.I. images were created, collected, collaged, synthesized, and processed for this project, and these were animated and created 42 animated scenes. Music composition was another integral part of the project. During my research, the traditional Duduk, an ancient wind instrument, combined its historical sound with futuristic analog synthesizers. This fusion of past and future elements echoed the visual themes of the video, further immersing the viewer in the speculative narrative I had crafted.*
30-second preview version:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gycphBaA-Rk