“Retired Soil” is the portrait of two german lignite mining areas: Lusatia and the southern bounds of the city of Leipzig.
It shows the earth being cultivated, energy-distributing and recreational landscape - used, exhausted and reshaped by human hand. Full of promises to gain profit for the big energy distributors but also full of promising expectations to grow tourism in these rural industrial regions, the work mainly focuses on the concomitance of single processes of transformation.
Whether supernumerary, fun orientated “mining tourist” and fascinated observer of large-scale coal mining or desperately fighting demonstrant, struggling to preserve his homeland - man, cause of these transformation processes always remains part of the landscape.
Abandoned quarries, future lake Zwenkau, Zwenkau, Saxony, Germany, September 2009Heuersdorf, since mid 2010 completly destructed, Taborkirche before its final abidgement, Saxony, Germany, April 2010Walker in front end of Welzow open pit mine, Brandenburg, Germany, September 2009Tourists in Welzow open cast mine, Welzow, Brandenburg, Germany, April 2008Abandoned quarries, future lake Zwenkau, Zwenkau, Saxony, Germany, September 2009Mining-engineering-park, near Leipzig, Saxony, Germany, December 2007Tourists in Welzow open cast mine, Welzow, Brandenburg, Germany, April 2008Tourists in Welzow open cast mine, Welzow, Brandenburg, Germany, April 2008Tourist in erratic boulder park, Boxberg powerplant, Nochten, Saxony, Germany, September 2008Slide at Mondsee (lake moon), restored part of profen open pit mine, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, December 2007Erratic boulder park, Boxberg powerplant, Nochten, Saxony, Germany, September 2008Heuersdorf, demolition of the village because of Schleenhain open pit mine, since mid 2010 completly destructed, abandoned houses in former village center, Saxony, Germany, February 2009Melt festival, former open pit mine area, Gräfenhainichen, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, July 2008Heuersdorf, demolition of the village because of Schleenhain open pit mine, since mid 2010 completly destructed, abandoned house in former village center, Saxony, Germany, September 2009Canoeing park in former Espenhain open pit mine, abandoned quarries, Markkleeberg, Saxony, Germany, September 2009Viewpoint at Jänschwalde open pit mine, Jänschwalde, Brandenburg, Germany, March 2008Viewpoint at Schleenhain open pit mine, Saxony, Germany, May 2010The front end of Jänschwalde open pit mine, Jänschwalde, Brandenburg, Germany, December 2008Sunday trip to Nochten open pit mine, Weißwasser, Saxony, Germany, May 2009Melt festival, former open pit mine area, Gremmin lake, Gräfenhainichen, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, July 2008