“The Arch” was a cultural project developed in a research and technological park in the Waterschei mine, located in Genk, Belgium.

Constructlab coordinated this project, a European network that Warehouse is part of. The project took place between May and September and Warehouse participated in the construction phase.

In the activation phase the space worked as a temporary research laboratory focused on the infinite possibilities of creation with recycled plastic.

With several participants, guests and a festival program, the second phase of the building’s life was marked by its daily use as a place for socializing, meeting and appropriation by the local community.

Researchers, neighbours and international artists have gathered in this space to create a debate and reflexion on the issues related to the collection and transformation of plastics in the city.

Finally the wooden structure was dismantled. Its shape served as a formwork to build a permanent sculpture. This art piece is an arch formed by blocks and decorative pieces of recycled plastic created in situ. This sculpture was built as a memory of the project that took place in Thorpark.

Team: Constructlab 
Partners: Genk Municipality
Collaborators: Warehouse [Rúben Teodoro, Ricardo Morais, Sebastião de Botton], Alexander Römer, Sébastien Tripod, Mascha Fehse, Bert De Backer, Wouter Corvers, Bastian Braun, Sumiti Fedtke, Miguel ‘Sempre’ Magalhães, Julie Guiches, Patrick Hubmann, Elisa Saturno, Pascal Lazarus, Jean-Michaël Taillebois, Maxie Schneider, Alex Lambert