Goat on the Mountain, Moon in the Sky, Fish in the Water

Publication information:

Gümgüm, Rezzan. 2025. “Goat on the Mountain, Moon in the Sky, Fish in the Water.” in Spirituality and the Arts. Harvard Divinity School: Program for the Evolution of Spirituality.

Abstract

The project entitled Goat on the Mountain, Moon in the Sky, Fish in the Water is an inquiry into the relationship between people and mountain goats that are allowed to be hunted in Dersim, mining and water pollution, and the Mediterranean trout facing extinction because of hydro power dams and overhunting. Human impact on the environment threatens endemic diversity and natural resources like water and forests. In addition to the changes brought about by the climate crisis, the project examines the direct intervention of the people in power to geography and nature, and the cultural and social approach of the local people to the destruction that has occurred.

The title of the project is derived from an expression often used in Dersim:  Goat on the mountain, moon in the sky, fish in the water are sacred. The mountain goats of Dersim are sacred to the people of this land. Through art practices, the project intends to highlight the hunting of these goats, showcase the wealth of nature in this region, display a range of cultural attitudes towards nature, and address the growing environmental degradation.


Presenter Biography

Gümgüm, born in Varto, lives and works in İstanbul.

Currently, they are in the Berlin Senate Residency program in Germany, where their work focuses on political and ecological issues in cities and rural areas, including identity, memory, gender, forced displacement, and bio-cultural diversity.  They explore possibilities of artistic expression through personal and collective narratives via visual anthropology.

Gümgüm studied art education and fine arts at Gazi University, Ankara, and Macerata Academy of Fine Arts in Italy. They graduated with a Ph.D. from the Department of Painting, Institute of Fine Arts, Hacettepe University, Ankara, and Complutense University in Madrid.