Ynfra
Ynfra by Hedwich Rooks explores the deep entanglements between life, technology, and matter across time.
Starting with coal — once living matter, now a driver of industry and environmental crisis — Rooks examined its chemical and structural composition during a residency at Zeche Zollverein, a former coal mine. Using medical imaging techniques like MRI and CT scans, she visualized coal’s internal body with tools powered by the very materials they examine. Combined with photogrammetry, experimental analog and digital photography, and printing methods using geological pigments, the work connects themes of industry, ecology, and care. The title Ynfra—Latin for “below”—refers to the hidden Zuidwalvulcano in the Dutch Wadden Sea, between Harlingen and Vieland. The piece reveals how technological infrastructures are rooted in nature, and how materials hold the fossilized memory of past lives.
