Built to withstand the power of tornados and hurricanes, the blades of wind turbines ­­cannot easily be deconstructed or recycled. While every year tens of thousands of blades reach the end of their lives, the problem is getting literally bigger as the size of wind turbines, and so their blades, is growing every year. More and more new wind turbines are being built, not because existing ones are broken, but because new wind turbines offer higher economic win. This leads to a confusing sustainability conflict, in which one can question if new wind turbines are being built out of a perspective of merely profit, or a system which actually strives for a better relationship with nature. A wind turbine blade can be longer than the wing of a Boeing 747, so at the end of their lifespan it is not just a matter of putting it in the trashcan. For now, most have nowhere to go but landfills.

The Netherlands has a century long relationship with wind energy, as traditional windmills cannot be missed within the visual representation of the country. In the past windmills used to be a direct gain for one's local living standards – from grinding grain and pumping out polders, whereas the sails were used as a means of communicating messages throughout a village. Windmills offered not only an economic or technological contribution, but also had social implications. Fast forward to 2021 and we see enormous anonymous towers of steel and blades within the Dutch landscape. The country that was once famous for its personal relationship with wind energy, lost its humane connection.

This is an ongoing research-project is commissioned by and in collaboration with Dutch Design Foudation, Openlucht Museum Arnhem and Artez Future Makers. The project is a a quest to re-invent our relationship with wind turbines. How can we create new rituals with wind turbines, in order to grab back our personal and communal connection? How can wind turbines become our new national monuments?