Dara Tûyê – درخت توت – The Mulberry Tree

The Open Space exhibition by Flamingo e.V. in BERLIN GLOBAL explores the solidarity-based work of women across borders. Their collaboration creates space for new hope to emerge from experiences of violence and loss. The project is rooted in the medicinal herb garden “Hevrîn Xelef” in Berlin-Neukölln, which is closely connected to the women’s village Jinwar in northeastern Syria and the organisation Women for Justice. The garden reveals the many roles such spaces can play: places of remembrance, healing and community, of mutual empowerment and agency. Beyond that, gardens are also sites of resistance against oppression and violence. At the heart of the Open Space in BERLIN GLOBAL stands the Black Mulberry Tree, based on an artistic design by Ela Pour. It embodies fragility and strength, grief and hope. Women’s voices and experiences are framed musically by Yalda Yazdani. The interview partners share memories, emotions and knowledge about plants. The expansive tree sculpture is complemented by photographs by Philip Leutert taken in the “Hevrîn Xelef” garden, and by Anuscheh Amir-Khalili from Jinwar. Exhibition texts are available in both German and English. The title means “The Mulberry Tree” in Kurmanci and Farsi.