TIME-SCALE

TIME-SCALE
A vision on the question ‘What is the Terp Fan de Takomst’ through the village of Blije, Friesland.

Climatological fluctuations and the geological changes that result from them are manifested on a space and time scale far beyond our direct observation. This means that we do not experience any direct cause-effect relationship between our daily actions and decisions and their effect on, for example, climate and biodiversity. Scientific models and tests often make use of variables in scale, so that the very gradual developments and changes suddenly become visible within our direct experience of space and time. Patterns that arise under the influence of morphodynamic forces are almost identical to those on a scale of hundreds to thousands of kilometres at the scale of one metre. This phenomenon is called scale in variance.
In the transition zone between land and water in the Noorderleeg land reclamation area, the laws of scale variance apply in optima forma.

Sliding and slipping over the silt layers we see directly under our feet the small accumulations of sediment, drought cracks in the clay layers, erosion traces of gullies and swalls. Morphodynamic processes that occur within time frames of days to just a few weeks and in the meantime leave behind beautiful miniature salt marsh landscapes. In miniature these landscapes are hardly distinguishable from the estuaries and river deltas with the size of a continent photographed from a space shuttle.
With a little imagination, these creeks and gulleys are immense river deltas and estuaries in timescales that stretch over many centuries and millennia.

“Every flood is a climatic sea level rise, every winter is an ice age, every creek a majestic river”.

Presentation 2017
You can find more information about this vision HERE