Located in the Belgian city of Genk, the former Winterslag coal mine, once a major source of industry in the city, has been converted into a sprawling contemporary art campus where visitors can experience futuristic visions in a location rooted in the past.
Coal was first discovered in the area around 1902, and the mine in the Winterslag region of Genk first began its operations in 1914. The rich seams of ore led to a substantial development in the area surrounding the mine, including both residential and administrative structures being built while the work underground continued. Unfortunately around the 1960s, the coal in the area began to dry up and the Winterslag mine was finally forced to shut down operation in the mid-1980s.
Rather than allow the substantial infrastructure that had been installed to simply rot or become a relic, the entire mining complex was turned into a haven for modern art, now called C-Mine.
In 2016, architect Gijs Van Vaerenbergh created a surreal outside labyrinth with over 3,000 feet of corridors, ways, and see-through cut-outs where visitors you can wander for hours and let themselves get lost.
Eddy Verloes
Eddy Verloes is a multi-award-winning photographer and visual storyteller from Belgium. Studies in literature and philosophy at the University of Louvain, Belgium and the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. Studies in photography at the Louvain CVO, Belgium.
He skillfully weaves visual narratives that blend realism and surrealism, capturing the essence of interiors, landscapes, and urban life. Verloes’ spontaneous approach allows him to seize fleeting moments of everyday life, infusing his work with a sense of wonder and mystery. His fascination with literature and philosophy drives him to explore the profound and the poetic, leaving viewers with a profound sense of awe and contemplation.
www.eddyverloes.be
@eddyverloesphotography
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