Volgermeerpolder

The visible surface of a landscape is good at hiding its underlying secrets. Volgermeerpolder, a nature reserve and the most polluted place in the Netherland just above Amsterdam, is a good example of this. Until 1980 it was heavily polluted with household waste and illegally dumped chemical waste, including the very toxic compound dioxin. From then on the area has been under construction and because of financial reasons the municipality decide to leave the polluted soil where it was. It was covered with foil and new soil, which is supposed to form peat to encapsulate the underlying soil. Since 2011 the area is open to the public again and is used to recreate, bike, walk your dog, and serve as a habitat for birds, fish, rare plant species, and insects.

By combining archive material with new imagery, I visualize the relationship between human and land and use time to show the contradiction of the layers of the landscape.