Everything Flows, 2023 - ongoing
The Oder River is more than just a natural boundary between Germany and Poland; it is also home to Germany’s only floodplain national park. In August 2022, however, the river suffered a major ecological disaster, with over 1,000 tons of dead fish found along its banks. Insufficient communication between German and Polish authorities complicated efforts to assess and mitigate the damage.
Scientists identified a toxic algal bloom, Prymnesium parvum, or golden algae, as the cause, fueled by high salinity from industrial wastewater, stagnant water, and high temperatures during Europe’s 2022 drought. Despite this event, effective measures to control industrial and agricultural pollution are still lacking, leaving the river and its floodplains vulnerable.
In June 2024, another die-off of fish was reported, again attributed to toxic algae. The Oder basin, which supports nearly 16 million people and has over half its land dedicated to agriculture, faces continuous pressure from industrial, agricultural, and urban activities.
The artist traveled the 160 kilometres that comprise the Grenzoder, where the Oder River serves as the natural border between Germany and Poland. The journey began in Ratzdorf, at the confluence of the Neiße and Oder rivers, and concluded in Stettin (Szczecin), where the Oder flows into the Szczecin Lagoon and ultimately reaches the Baltic Sea. This expedition became a vital lens through which she observed and documented the ongoing environmental challenges along the river, engaging with its landscapes, ecosystems, and the communities shaped by its waters.
The project “Alles Fließt” (Everything Flows) documents these environmental crises and examines responses to them, considering the impact on local communities and the future of one of Europe’s last free-flowing rivers.
Water remembers. It is humans who forget.
—Elif Shafak
