Coalmine

This collaboration explored the theme of soil and our relationship with the land. For the project, I accompanied an extraordinary woman in Türkiye whose life has been shaped by resilience, transformation, and healing.

At a time when very few women in Türkiye pursued careers in science, she studied chemistry and later worked as a chemist for Ford. Throughout her career, she experienced persistent sexism and patriarchal structures. The pressure was so intense that, during her pregnancy, she felt compelled to conceal it for as long as possible, fearing she would lose her job if her employer found out.

Over time, she encountered people who believed that embracing trees, walking barefoot on the earth, and reconnecting with nature could nurture emotional and psychological well-being. This marked the beginning of her own healing journey, which gradually expanded to include meditation, yoga, and a profound reconnection with herself.

Eventually, she made the courageous decision to leave that world behind. She moved to an olive-growing region on the Turkish coast, where she purchased a piece of land surrounded by centuries-old olive trees. Drawing on her scientific background as a chemist, she founded her own skincare brand, creating natural products rooted in both knowledge and the healing qualities of the landscape that now surrounds her.

She has never returned to the patriarchal corporate environment she once inhabited. Today, she lives by the sea, tending her olive grove, producing her healing skincare products, and cultivating a life defined by nature, friendship, and inner peace.