Mangrove | The Tide is not a Cycle but a Miracle
Mangrove | The Tide is not a Cycle but a Miracle is a research project that looks at the ecology of mangroves in Lamu, Kenya.
Developed in residency with Kuchanua as part of the Life between Ebb & Flow residency, the research project explores global entanglements between coastal ecologies, tidal movements, and the disruptive forces of mega infrastructure projects.
Rooted in Lamu but voyaging through exhibitions in Nairobi and Basel (CH), the project examines the ecology of mangroves as both fascinating biotopes and living metaphors, exploring how their intricate ecosystems can inform alternative understandings of urban growth, treating water not merely as a resource but as a medium of relation and encounter. In contrast to land-centric models of development, the project draws attention to the fluid geographies of the Swahili coast, where centuries of maritime exchange, tidal rhythms, and monsoons have dictated patterns of settlement and trade.
Drawing from mangrove ecosystems, where root systems blur the boundaries between land and sea, evoking both refuge and flight, both rootedness and errance, the research explored through a serie of fieldtrips, workshops and exhibitions how complex mangrove systems adapt and thrive through continuous tidal cycles.
Fort of Lamu Exhibition | April 2025
Kamene Art Gallery, Nairobi | April 2025
