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Field Studies—Herbarium surveys the state of the flora in the catchment area of the revitalized expanse
in the Emscher river area. In continuation of the photographic ideas of New Topographics the project involves
the presentation of man altered landscapes.
The river Emscher is a result of multiple man made alterations. In the beginning it changed its shape due to mining induced subsidence, which led to flooding and made direct intervention necessary. Concrete sheetings, pumping stations, multiple diversions of the river's mouth and the conversion into an open sewage drain are already the second step of man-made alterations. With the decision to take action again in order to transform the river system into a more natural, ecologically improved condition, a new intervention takes place. The generally used term renaturation suggests, that a condition is re-instated that – possibly – was there before. Due to the multiple changes of the terrain the restored state presents a more natural water body. However, this state cannot be compared to that of the centuries before mining. Therefore experts talk about revitalization or ecological amelioration and not of renaturation. Field Studies—Herbarium broaches the issue of revitalization as yet another human intervention and highlights this by staging. In the image an intervention is undertaken that refers to naturalness produced by humans. Field Studies—Herbarium was conceived as a commission of the Emschergenossenschaft. |