Carry on, and so on and so on

Rawad Baaklini and Tiiu Meiner

Carry on, and so on and so on is a project about the economic, political, geographical and cultural exploitation that occurs within the lifespan of a sand quarry. The quarry’s reaction to this exploitation is a tale of continuous resilience. Envisioned through the collection of three films about three different quarries in the Netherlands, Estonia and Lebanon, a relationship between humans and sand quarries unravels. The quarries become a surface that demonstrates how, even though completely manmade, we can only understand the quarries through the duality of something “from us” and “beyond us”.

The sand quarry has the unique ability to create capital in all of its stages of existence. It begins with the planning stages and continues to onsite sand excavation and processing. This proceeds beyond the quarry, with off site transportation, production and application. Eventually, there is a return to the site, once the quarry is fully exploited and requires rehabilitation. Much like the boundlessly shifting materiality of sand itself, these stages do not always have clear boundaries. They are often enacted simultaneously, leaving the sand quarry to elude us in its magnitude.

The sand quarry also has a particular ability to reflect on its geopolitical surroundings. Each country has its own laws, regulations and needs that apply to its sand quarries. Männiku in Estonia tells the tale of habitual exploitation, encouraged by national history but restricted by local ecosystems. Mayrouba in Lebanon reflects the need to rebuild a nation distracted by stunning landscapes but entangled in corruption. Beaujean in the Netherlands contemplates a lucrative industrial past guided by national developments which have turned to favour public entertainment. No quarry is the same, yet they sprawl in solidarity.