Tegel Visit 6th October

The frame of today’s strolling can be described as the meeting point between human interventions and the natural environment, where the airport field vicinity have let the nearby nature to flourish, while man’s activities were reduced because of the air and sound hazards.

For example, cement pools that were designed to receive overflow of water, because of heavy rains, floods etc., were to become an ideal living area for the ducks and other water species. Furthermore, neglected human structural monuments, as a peer with a view terrace, deterred by human visits, leave the site for birds to find tranquillity.

Footpaths over earth mounds clearly manifest the way this “natural” environment, this landscape was engineered to provide resilience to the nearby neighbourhoods in times of flooding. Nevertheless, nature has slowly taken over and man’s traces are well hidden and camouflaged.

A fallen tree on the lake shore is used as an ideal sun bathing platform for a lonely man.

A neglected big shed structure, fully covered with colourful graffiti reflects better times of human/social and sport activities.

A man sitting and gazing over the lake, meditating the landscape while his bicycle awaits behind a huge oak tree.

Closed from the public with a fence and barbed wire, a nature reserve protects the birds’ nesting activities. A sealed visitor centre, which again had known better days.

Falling trees are left to decay, bringing into mind that this forest has its internal cycle of life and death. Trees seem to be falling everywhere, with some places their fall seems to never end, or is it evenly bent by the frequent winds?

Suburbs, high rise living areas, living solutions for the masses, now participating in graffiti mural public art projects … reflecting signs of the coming wave of gentrification; Their scale dialogue with the entrepreneur appetite for business with this plot of land….