Waste Fountain, a work produced as part of the senior-level elective course Art and Ecology, taught by Assoc. Prof. Ayşe Canbolat, a faculty member in the Department of Ceramics at the Bodrum Faculty of Fine Arts.

As part of the senior-level elective course Art and Ecology, taught by Assoc. Prof. Ayşe Canbolat in the Department of Ceramics at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, Bodrum, students Maral Gence, Cansu Turan, Vedat Soykan Baydar, İsa Eren Karayel, Ekimsu Umutlu, Şeyma Şükriye Ataseven, and Esin Kara conceived and realized a site-specific installation entitled Waste Fountain. The work was created from discarded PET bottles and paper cups collected from the faculty cafeteria and was specifically designed for installation on one of its walls.

The placement of the work on the cafeteria wall was particularly significant, as the waste generated through everyday consumption appeared to flow outward from the very space in which it had been produced. The bottles and cups cascading down the wall created a compelling visual composition that rendered visible the quantity of waste we generate in our daily lives, often without conscious awareness.

Through this project, we experienced how materials commonly perceived as ordinary, disposable, and devoid of value can be transformed into a means of artistic expression. At the same time, the collaborative production process reinforced the importance of sharing, solidarity, and collective engagement in working toward a common purpose. The project thus provided an opportunity to reflect not only on waste, consumption, and environmental awareness, but also on the potential of collaborative artistic practice to address ecological concerns.