Photo by Naomi Russell
During the preparation days for the Rhine journey, the crew made two visits.
The first one was to Aussichtspunkt Tagebau Hambach, a large open pit coal mine operated by RWE. The mine is on the site of the ancient Hambach Forest, which was purchased by RWE in 1978. The company then cut most of the forest down and cleared it – only 10% of the forest area remains.
Photo by Naomi Russell
This plan has been consistently met with protests, and there are 40 people still living close to the site, resisting relocation. We reflected as a crew on how challenging it is to feel the pain of a landscape. We asked ourselves: how can we think about the open wounds of this land and of ourselves? How can we have empathy toward both the human and non-human; to each other?
Photo by Naomi Russell
