A research project exploring the unlikely coexistence of an industrial area and a Natura protected area in Budel-Dorplein (NL), where rare species of flora and fauna are thriving there due to the water and soil contamination.

The focus lies on decades of waste management, the creation of an artificial landscape, and the emergence of new ecosystems.

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Arriving in the Netherlands by plane, one might notice the artificial terrain of the Budel-Dorplein industrial zone - home to zinc factories operating for 130 years. From above, the vast fields of solar panels resemble shimmering lakes. And indeed, that’s what they once were: former waste ponds, now transformed into mounds topped with solar panels.

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While humans try to justify damage with terms such as Historical Pollution, new ecosystems quietly evolve and adapt in this disrupted environment. These ecosystems are shaped by complex interdependencies—not necessarily mirroring what once existed, and with no certainty about what lies ahead.

The soils in the region are anthropologically enriched with cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn). A return to the original state of the landscape is no longer possible. In fact, some argue that remediation might in fact harm the newly established habitats.

Due to this unique condition, Budel-Dorplein became the first industrially polluted site in the region to be granted legal protection for nature conservation, setting a precedent for many others to follow.

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In the work, the history of the factory and it's surroundings is being rewritten. The stories of flora and fauna are being told anew—and in this evolving landscape, new stories continue to unfold.

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Part of the exhibition The Symbiocene Forest, Bioart Laboratories, Dutch Design Week 2019, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

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