May 19, 2020

There is life around Power Pile

The Power Pile, was during the festival and its construction, not only the source of warm water for shower and kitchen, but it became during the days of the festival a real spa. With the integration of the Koti sauna, and thanks to the Shiatsu massage session the natural energy generated from the biomeiler spread around the people reinforcing the atmosphere of festivity and celebration that the Periferia festival was generating.  Shiatsu sessions by Valentina Signore: Shiatsu stimulates the body’s vital energy. Calm and relaxing in nature, it is yet dynamic in effect. The body-mind re-adjusts itself and a new well being takes place. Shiatsu has Japanese origin and is based on the principles of traditional Chinese medicine. It is practiced dressed on the floor. Using rhythmic pressures along the meridians and gentle stretching, shiatsu provides an improvement in physical and energy balance Arie van Ziel : Architect and designer expert... View Article


May 19, 2020

Multiplicity – otherness – Unity

Our friend Charlotte Istat, tell us the story of of the power pile construction from her unique perspective: I am Charlotte, I am 32 years old and I like to think about the meaning of the life. It is through a search for Unity that I create small scenes made up of elements like humans, animals, plants, sometimes mechanical constructions, with naive looks but also textures, contours, forms full and empty … These elements, although they are different or sometimes contradictory, respond to each other and together form the parts of a harmonious whole where everything is in its place. This multiplicity – otherness – Unity is for me an image of the inwardness of the human and the paradoxes which inhabit him but also of the society which we are today called to transform, to harmonize in order to find peace with us and with others whether they are Human, nature, animal... View Article

Part of the project:

Power Pile Miracle Mountain

August 3, 2018

La fermentation de la terre

Some of us have been busy fermenting tasty new things in different formations.. Valentina Karga & Tessa Zettel worked together last month on a project in the South of France, at independent artspace Treignac Projet. La fermentation de la terre was a small-scale exploration of what could one day become a proper Collective Disaster project – a public underground fermentation facility. Their work was part of the exhibition Entanglements, Embodiments, Positions, curated by Jussi Koitela, and involved a host of micro-organisms collaborating on various lacto-fermentations buried underground. Over a one-week residency, Tessa and Valentina experimented with techniques for making beetroot and carrot pickle (incorporating the beetroot stalks and leaves), a French variant of kimchi (with chilli, ginger and herbs from the garden, thyme, rosemary, dill..), and pickled eggs, all in ceramic vessels that could be buried in the earth. The largest of these, used for the kimchi, was found buried... View Article


September 7, 2017

POOL IS COOL

Our shape is unclear, we engage in different travels and approaches, and sometimes our energy manifests itself under different forms. This time is very liquid. Two of us (Andrea Sollazzo and Louisa Vermoere) have been deeply involved in the creation, developing and growing of a story that deserve to be told, and that even if it is not completely and properly a collective disaster project it share with it values and experiences. POOL IS COOL, that’s the name of the project, it’s quite of a long story: basically a group of “experts/citizens” start a strive for the revival of outdoor swimming in Brussels. The situation is quite simple and embarrassing, Brussels, the European capital, doesn’t offer to its citizens the possibility for swimming under the “blue” sky during hot days. If you want to swim under the “blue” sky, the city does not offer anything, or you are rich, or... View Article


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