ReMarshing: Wastelands to Wetlands
Belgium and the Netherlands have a long history of draining the wetlands on which they are founded. At the same time, a multitude of factories settled along the canals, leaking toxins and metals over the centuries, and making the water unusable for consumption or for watering edible gardens.
ReMarshing is a process of enabling the ecosystem to rebuild itself as a wetland while also cleaning the water of its toxins.
An autonomous system of a wind-powered water wheel keeps pulling water out of the canal and slowly, but continuously flooding the surrounding landscape. In this growing marsh, local remediation plants such as poplar, rap seed, willow, clover and grasses take up metals and toxins that reside in the water and riverbeds.
With:
Jon Cohrs
At:
Created and installed at Timelab in Ghent, Belgium
Year:
2011
