Our latest project, is about a peatland on the outskirts of Amsterdam. These characteristic landscapes are the remains of a long tradition of peat gathering in which the peat was dug up, dried and sold for heating. The landscape that remained after the peat gathering in these areas was a wetland with islands. The peatlands of the “Vanishing Landscapes”, were designated a recreational area. The plots of land where peat was once dried, where labourers stood to their knees in the peat bogs labouring heavily, are now rented or sold to holiday-makers. Some of these plots are not used, and these small islands have turned into mini natural areas, small wildernesses that are slowly being swallowed by water.
Zuijderwijk / Vergouwe
Vanishing Landscapes
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All images © courtesy of Daan Zuijderwijk and Maaike Vergouwe