CLIMAVORE x Jameel at RCA: Wallowland (Çamuralem) Launch

Wallowland (Çamuralem) reopens in Istanbul on 10 June 2023 at a new location, building on its mission and programme. Initially launched as a public installation at the 17th Istanbul Biennial in 2022 by Cooking Sections and the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV), the installation this year is part of CLIMAVORE x Jameel at the Royal College of Art (RCA) and will be hosted by Ek Biç Ye Iç.

Wallowland (Çamuralem) reinterprets a Muhallebici (a buffalo milk dessert shop) to celebrate water buffalo and their herders surrounding the city. The installation is part of CLIMAVORE x Jameel at RCA’s broader research which includes looking at the preservation of Istanbul’s wetlands and the water buffalo that have used them as a home and habitat for hundreds of years.

Guests are invited to the new space to discuss and discover ongoing research on the history, environmental significance and culinary heritage of Istanbul’s wetlands and the buffalo that inhabit them. Traditional buffalo milk products such as kaymak, yoghurt, muhallebi and sütlaç, will be served alongside new recipes developed through collaborations between the herders and a number of restaurants and culinary institutions in Istanbul. The shop serves as the urban outpost of the wetlands, convening researchers, chefs, herding communities and the wider public, serving as a platform for a public programme of talks and events leading up to Istanbul’s 2nd Water Buffalo Festival that will take place on 16 September 2023.