Rematerialising Faxe Quarry - A new view of the Geological Landscape

The project consists of three tracks; Registartations, Experimentations and sketching. A common denominator for each process has been a translation of knowledge into a phenomenon or an experience, in the landscape.

Proposal

The project consists of a path with 3 follies. The new path, in full length, is 2,5 km and adds to an existing route into the landscape. The path is planned through transitions marked by an eye-catching element, a Folly, in the landscape. The route goes from water to production and from production to protected land. An important part of the project is the aspect of safety. I have therefore worked with a system that encourages the users to become aware of the workers and advocate for proper behavior. The new path is a rematerialisation of existing flint granulat, with an open side, or a railing to keep you on the right side. The path can be replaced if the production changes. 

The user is led by Follies in the landscape. The follies are positioned so that it is not about the place in the landscape itself but what the follie points to in the landscape. The follie is a catalyst for experiencing a phenomenon in the landscape. The main material strategy for each follie is a rematerialization of existing lime from the quarry. The production method for each follie mustn't bind the lime in a way where it is taken out of its natural circle. 
This project is about a path and three follies in Faxe Quarry. The goal is to create attention. Attention on our production landscape so we can understand the scale and the impact we have on it. Materials have been displaced and disconnected from where it is sourced. 

The surroundings are changing, as you step down the staircase. Trees and moss are replaced with lime. The road you start following is wide and you feel small in comparison to the vehicle that has made this road. A big blue lake opens up to the right side. A collection of stones appears at the wary end of the road. 

Folly 1

The groundwater has swallowed the landscape around you, you can go no further. It is a dead point. The production landscape is visible on the horizon. 45 meters above you the yellow Machines are excavating the lime. But on this spot, the landscape is resting. There is a high density of fossils on this exact spot, and this is the recommended spot for amateur excavations. 

The Folly increases further contact with the surrounding materials. Through touch and play. Boulders have been collected and carefully placed in the landscape, to create “natural” resting. The boulders have been manipulated, to accommodate the users. They have been cut, and polished, to create seating. A pump has been installed, to filter the basic groundwater, so that you can drink it.

You're going through a narrow passage of land, in between the water, and coming closer to the routes of production. Railing keeps you on the right side, encouraging you to be aware of the machines that pass by. 

Folly 2

The landscape feels out of place. The roads and the hills are shaped for and by the machines. Stacks of granules are sorted in type, size and quality. The folly stands on a hill creating a threshold between the production and the landscape. Machines are frequently passing by. It is a contrast to the surroundings you have been walking in so far, where the sounds have been swallowed by the lime. 

The folly is excavated on site. Rings creating the outer shell of the tower have been cast in the landscape, and marks of the construction are left visible. The tower uses the acoustic qualities of lime, to shield the sharp noises from the production. It is only after traveling up 70 steps that you can fully hear and see the production on site. 

By moving away from the tower you are also moving away from the production. The landscape is turning brown, because they infilled with earth a leftover material from the production. The roads are turning smaller, and it is visible that the landscape is not being moved here. 

Folly 3 

A couple of years ago they hit quota 0. They had dug 63 meters down. The hole was afterworth filled with leftover dirt from the production. The folly is in contrast to the brown landscape surrounding it. The quarry is only white when the landscape is moving, and in this case the folly is being kept by the swallows nesting in the lime. Despite what we might believe to be a nice nesting spot, the swallow chooses to build in the soft structures of sorted lime. As soon as a swallow has made its home in the production site, all work has to stop for 5 weeks on that embankment. By adding shelter in the follies for the birds, it allows the wild life and the production to co-exist. There is life here, a reminder of what could be when the production has left. This is also the last follie on our path, it is turning us away from the landscape of production, and directing our view back to the geological museum, back to the protected land.