News from
Miracle Mountain

October 23, 2016

One summer of “miracles”

The miracle mountain pumped warm water for the whole summer at the festival art, villes & paysage in Amiens. The visitors of the park benefitted during the summer the miracle of a natural warm water spring created by the power of composting: around the basin people enjoyed nature and relaxed, dipping their feet in this magical environment. The Miracle Mountain produced constantly for more than four months continuously warm water, the miracle happened and will continue happening until the transformation will be over… Thanks to everybody that helped us realise this miracle !

Part of the project:

Miracle Mountain

October 5, 2016

The Opening!

Finally opening day of the Art, Cities & Landscape Festival 2016! We’d come a day earlier to Amiens to prepare our site for the visitors and of course to test the water (hot, hot hot!). Besides this we bottled and stickered some of the black water we kept after flooding the biomeiler, it is said to be a very potent fertiliser, and we wanted to have them as little gifts for the visitors. The opening day (and night) itself couldn’t have been more perfect. After the usual set of speeches and glass of wine we went around and had a look at the installations. During the evening, a big dinner was prepared for all of the other artists, co-workers and friends of the festival, which was followed by a mysterious night time torch walk, accompanied by a local brass band. The walk ended at the waterside, where a floating bonfire and the continuous... View Article

Part of the project:

Miracle Mountain

August 6, 2016

Journey to the Centre of the Biomeiler

When experimenting, accidents might occur. From Amiens we received the news that our biomeiler had stopped circulating water, the energy was no longer flowing, everything was blocked. All around us questions and doubts were raised – we consulted our biomeiler expert Arie, we tried to guess, but the only thing to do was go there and visit our Biomeiler. Louisa and Andrea drove to Amiens on a rainy day full of hope and restlessness; once there, they meet with the stalwart Guillaume and start to pump, measure, dig, test, feel, smell, listen, discuss, but nothing. The biomeiler was not pumping water anymore. At that point it was clear: deep inside the Miracle Mountain something was broken, maybe forever. Five days later the whole team was there: Pieter and Valentina from Berlin, Andrea and Louisa from Brussels and Guillaume with his crew. So at the first light of day, under a threatening... View Article

Part of the project:

Miracle Mountain

July 11, 2016

The tale of Tiles

As a sort of memory of the place, an alchemical stonehage, a possible code of symbols and signs, the 6 pink tiles can be discovered around the Miracle Mountain. In collaboration with Duccio Maria Gambi, expert of concrete, pigments and shapes, Collective Disaster developed these 6 pink concrete tiles with brass insertions. The insertions refer to the main elements: Water, Fire, Earth and Air. Their form and position resonate from a geometrical code that drives the energy around the Miracle Mountain, trying to reinforce the connection with the surroundings while adding an extra layer of metatext. While designing and researching we discovered also that the pink triangle during Nazi time was used to…..  we didn’t know this, but when we found it out, we thought that it was perfect. So let us thank the work of our master of concrete, pigments and shapes Duccio and enjoy these six special candies.

Part of the project:

Miracle Mountain

June 13, 2016

Opening 25th of June

Join us on the 25th of June in Amiens for the opening of the festival ‘Art, cities & landscape – Hortillonnages Amiens’! There you will have the chance to visit Miracle Mountain among 40 unique landscape installations, and even experience a performance by Collective Disaster (19:00-20:00).  Looking forward to see you there! Details: île aux fagôts: 6.30 pm – Official opening 7 pm – meal for everybody, under shelter , price €12 booking required at Maison de la Culture before the 22th June / 00 33 (0)3 22 97 79 77 accueil@mca-amiens.com   Miracle Mountain is on île aux fagôts and you can reach it by foot, but many of the installations require you to book a boat: www.maisondelaculture-amiens.com 00 33 (0)6 78 53 55 92  


May 15, 2016

A miracle being born

Collective Disaster just spend two weeks in Amiens, for the creation of Miracle Mountain. We had all the help we wished for the passed days. We carried 40 m3 of wood chips, from the mainland of the bridge to the plot, and then from the plot inside the biomeiler. All of it, shovel by shovel! All our gratitude goes to Guillaume Montis, Nathalie Vallee, Aline and Vincent of Maison de la Culture of Amiens for the incredible organisation and attendance during the biomeiler workshop. Nothing was possible without the tireless help, energy, smiles and constructive solutions: Mascha Fehse, Sébastien Tripod, Muriel Claeys, Jorg De Vriese, Serena Taglia la Tela, Simon Vermoere and last but not the least Robin Weber. Tessa Zettel, we would like to thank for the great pictures she took during the building process. Special thanks goes to Bart Grandry for the help with engineering the system and the Vermoere – De Wilde... View Article


April 15, 2016

Miracle Mountain Residency and Biomeiler workshop

Learn how to harness the natural heat of compost, come to Amiens! We will built a compost-based bioenergy system ala Jean Pain. The workshop will be lead by expert Arie Van Ziel  (biomeiler.nl) and it is free of charge. It will take place on May 7-8 in the Hortilonagge of Amiens, starting 9.00. Moreover, Collective Disaster is going to be on a Residency in Amiens from 1-15 of May and you all have an open invitation to join us on this mission to realise a Miracle Mountain. So far, the extended family includes Tessa Zettel and Robin Weber. Miracle Mountain is part of the yearly festival in Les Hortillonnages of Amiens. Jean Pain Biomeiler  

Part of the project:

Miracle Mountain

April 11, 2016

Spring cleaning

So, last week we visited Amiens in order to prepare the site for installing Miracle Mountain. Despite the slight rain showers, the sky was mostly blue, some people were taking a tour on a boat, Guillame with his chainsaw took down some trees, we collected the prunings for the compost heap, cleaned up some bushes, while Andrea was camouflaged like an Ivy. Places with a lot of water are just so calming. Thanks to Andrea’s negotiation skills, it also seems we will get a good deal to construct the hot spring out of some nice metal material.  We are all so looking forward to come back next month! ps: Just outside Brussels airport there was an advertisement depicting a teddy bear with a missing eye. How ironic!

Part of the project:

Miracle Mountain

February 6, 2016

Collective Disaster lands in Amiens.

For the yearly edition of the festival “les Hortillonnages” in Amiens, our Miracle Mountain has  been selected to enrich the beautiful natural setting of the park. We had our first visit of the area and under an unstoppable rain we discover the idyllic series of islands, ponds and lakes in which our Miracle Mountain will rise. The Hortillonnages is a great example of transformation and revitalization of landfills. Originally created for agricultural purpose has been rescued from a destiny of neglect and abandon thanks to the Maison de la Culture of Amiens that transformed it in a productive and artistic landscape. During these months we will finalize and realize the project that will open to public in the month of June.

Part of the project:

Miracle Mountain