The work deals with the topic of landscape transformation and the powerlessness of intervention. Specifically, it monitors the area of the northern Czech-Polish-German border in the territory of the municipalities of Václavice, Uhelná and Bogatynia.
The first impulse was the highly publicized dispute between the Czech and Polish governments regarding the termination of mining in the Turów lignite mine, regarding the serious negative impact on water and natural resources on both Czech and German territory. Turów never saw a complete stop to mining, despite the order of the European Court of Justice and fines in the millions of euros. A Czech-Polish agreement was reached, in which, among other things, the Polish side promised to build an underground wall to prevent groundwater runoff.
The chosen method of immersive video is intended to create a kind of surreal metaphor for the possible future of Turów and its surroundings, but also to be an allusion to possible developments globally. The plot unfolds through recorded locations on the way to the mine. From the beginning, the viewer walks through paths and signposts accompanied by a dense forest and colourful atrocities, towards the end of the video the natural motifs diminish and rather trenches and plains associated with sounds from an industrial zone are depicted.
Current developments in the Turów region are well summarized in the article here(CZ).
