As Below, So Above 1
As Below, So Above 1, 2024
Glass tank, glass vase, clam shells, plastic plants, porcelain plate, digitally printed & hand-scraped glass, water, LED light, metal chain
H 50 x W 38 x D 38 cm
This installation was realized during the ‘Ecologies of Water’ Exchange Program 2024 at Leipzig International Art Program in Leipzig, Germany. During the residency, I conducted research on Leipzig’s waterscape transformation from the raw expanse of open-cast lignite mines to the serene expanse of artificial lakes, and now, its potential as a renewable energy source.
For nearly a century and a half, central Germany's landscape has borne the dual imprint of lignite mining: a vital energy source and a profound environmental disruptor. The region's transformation is stark; 1,770 square kilometers of countryside yielded to extraction, leaving scars upon the land and water, displacing communities, and creating spectral villages. While powering a nation, this industrial behemoth simultaneously amplified greenhouse gas emissions.
Inspired by the paradoxical nature of lignite's impact on people and the environment, in the archives of Bergbau Technik Park (Mining Technology Park), a repository of mining artifacts that illuminate the complex relationship between miners and their industry during the German Democratic Republic. Yet, as I explored this history, questions persisted about the ongoing, perplexing grip of lignite on the region.