08/07/2025
In the project Terril-scape I investigated the historical mining site C-Mine in Genk, Belgium, where the former coalmine ‘Winterslag’ was located. Sintobin was drawn to the terril, an artificial mountain and landmark of the underground’s mining history. The Winterslag terril contains stone detritus that has been washed out of the mined coal and has been dumped into a heap.Next to the coalmine there used to be a brickyard which made local bricks from the residue of the mining process to build the rapidly expanding residential districts around the coalmine.
I collected the minewaste on site, grinded it to powder and made clay from it in her ceramic studio. I then prepared the clay for 3D printing and 3D printed various mining symbols such as an old mining candleholder, the archetypical drill towers and 2 temporary wooden freezing tower constructions. I see the drill towers as paws which appeared in the Campine heath landscape after the discovery of the coal in 1901. Sixty drillings were the start of a landscape in transition of which the terril is still the remaining landmark today.
This research project is the result of the residency ‘Material of the future’ by the research unit ‘Inter-Action’ by LUCA school of arts. Many thanks to Jan Elsen (KULeuven, Geology Department), Sofie Houben (Ecru), Ben Hagenaars (LUCA), Niels Hendriks (LUCA), Koi Persyn (Jester), Philippe Vandenbroeck, Heidebloemke Genk, Natalie Martens (C-Mine), Louis Verrees (old miner)
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