Wolkenmacher ('Cloud makers') | 2022
The structural change in the Rhenish mining area is heralding the end of lignite mining by 2030, which means a transformation of the energy supply and a reorganisation of the region. Lakes are being created instead of lignite mining, and there are new approaches to land use and intelligent infrastructure, which should lead to a more liveable region. The transformation offers the opportunity to turn the Rhenish mining district into a European model region for energy and resource security. The Future Agency and other stakeholders in structural change have many plans for the future of the region, but some of the region’s residents have the feeling that this is being planned and decided far away from them. Above all, it is important to take the children with you, as they will ultimately also live in the region in the future and the change in their own homeland can cause uncertainty.
The focus is on cooling towers and their alternative uses after the shutdown of coal-fired power plants. 25,000 tonnes of rubble were created when the cooling tower in Voerde was blown up. Over the years, the large towers have also become a means of identification and a landmark for the regions, which requires them to be treated with respect.
In order to gather ideas, various institutions such as RWE, indeland, Kitas and the European School in Langerwehe were contacted and young people from the region aged between 4 and 18 were talked to about the future of coal-fired power stations, cooling towers and structural change. It was realised how much interest there is in the topic and how much creativity and good and valuable ideas there are. And only a society in which children and young people are taken seriously and can help shape the future will be truly child-friendly and therefore sustainable.
The result is the short film ‘The Cloud Makers’, which makes the children’s ideas visible so that young people also feel heard and seen, experience their self-efficacy and can participate in the discourse about the future of their region.
The collected ideas, quotes and illustrations were incorporated into the film, which was shown at the ‘Night of Technology’ in Cologne in June 2023. The project is intended to give a small insight into what is possible with the creativity and involvement of young people and to provide an impetus to ensure that the participation of children and young people in structural change in the Rhenish mining area continues to increase in the future.
In the short film ‘Die Wolkenmacher’, the diversity and creativity of the ideas are expressed through a mixture of video recordings, animations, illustrations and renderings. The clouds play a central role as they symbolise the imagination, dreams and wishes for the future. The cooling towers as the ‘cloud makers’ thus arouse sympathy, which should lead to greater appreciation when dealing with them.
