Sand Wars
Abstract
This project addresses the pressing question of generational fairness by rethinking how wealth and inheritance are understood in the context of material extraction. As a group, we sought to challenge dominant economic narratives by proposing an alternative vision in which the land is not seen as a commodity but as a shared responsibility. Rooted in the concept of land guardianship, our work explores how knowledge, values, and ethical practices related to natural resources can be passed on between generations in meaningful and restorative ways.
Contemporary definitions of wealth often prioritize ownership and capital accumulation, especially in systems shaped by extractivist logic. From extraction to production, distribution, and final possession, each stage is typically governed by profit and detachment from ecological or social consequences. Our project critiques this linear structure, which contributes to environmental degradation and the displacement of local communities, particularly in regions where raw materials are sourced. Instead, we aim to rethink wealth as a network of relationships between humans, land, and materials. At the core of this shift lies a deeper commitment to embodied knowledge and shared stewardship.
Our starting point was a common concern about the consequences of raw material exploitation in our countries of origin. We recognized that, beyond environmental damage, these extractive processes also threaten intergenerational continuity by eroding collective memory and traditional knowledge systems. In response, we envisioned a future that inverts current hierarchies, proposing land guardianship as a form of inheritance. This term suggests not possession but care, not profit but insight. It centers on the idea that access to land, together with an understanding of its rhythms and meanings, can constitute a new kind of legacy.
To ground the project in a concrete example, we focused on sand, a material often overlooked yet fundamental to modern infrastructure. In the Netherlands, sand plays a crucial role in flood prevention, while globally, it is the basis of a vast and often unregulated industry tied to corruption and ecological collapse. We imagined a speculative scenario set in 2025, where sand mining has become a symbol of unchecked global power. Through this lens, we explored how symbols and narratives might intervene in such systems to foster greater accountability and awareness.
In envisioning tools for transmitting this new form of knowledge, we were drawn to the potential of artifacts, objects that not only communicate ideas but actively shape them. Among these, we chose the flag as a central element. Historically used to unify groups and assert identity, flags carry strong visual and cultural resonance. We were especially inspired by traditions like quilting, which during the American Civil War became a subversive medium for storytelling, resistance, and solidarity. The process of making a flag, collective, tactile, and symbolic, became both a method of inquiry and a metaphor for collective agency.
Each flag in our project represents a narrative linked to land, extraction, or community practice. Rather than offering fixed meanings, they invite reinterpretation and serve as starting points for discussion, memory, and action. The flags were created not in isolation but through collaborative design sessions where personal experiences and local histories informed the choice of materials, colors, and motifs. This participatory approach mirrors the values of land guardianship, foregrounding process over product and community over individual authorship.
To extend this dialogue beyond the physical space, we developed a digital archive. This online platform catalogs the flags, their symbols, and the stories or groups associated with them. Users can explore the meanings embedded in each artifact, track their evolution over time, and combine existing elements to create new expressions relevant to their own contexts. The archive is not static; it is imagined as an evolving institution that preserves, shares, and updates knowledge related to land and resource ethics.
The website functions as both a repository and a creative tool. It allows users to engage with the flags not only as visual outputs but as educational and political prompts. By documenting who used each symbol, when, and for what purpose, the archive encourages reflection on how struggles around land are remembered, adapted, and passed on. In this sense, it contributes to a form of intergenerational education grounded in lived experience and visual storytelling.
In conclusion, the project proposes a reframing of inheritance not as the transfer of material assets but as the continuity of ethical relationships with land and resources. Through the use of symbolic artifacts such as flags, and the creation of an accessible digital archive, we seek to foster new ways of thinking about wealth based not on extraction and ownership but on care, memory, and participation. These tools are not solutions in themselves but catalysts for imagining more just and sustainable futures. They invite us to consider what we leave behind, not in terms of profit, but in the legacy of knowledge we cultivate and share.
