Abandoned coal mine turned into 55-acre land art

It's uplifting to see eyesores and environmental burdens transformed into services of a wholly different kind.

The above image shows us the work of well known landscape artist Charles Jencks, which has turned the ruins of an abandoned open cast coal mine in Scotland into a magnificent cosmology-themed park. Jencks' previous work includes the Garden of Cosmic Speculation in Dumfries, and the Beijing Olympic Park's Black Hole Terrace.

Dubbed "The Crawick Multiverse," the 55-acre landmark in Upper Nithsdale looks like a modern-day Stonehenge that is expected to attract a diverse range of visitors, including art and design enthusiasts. Materials found on the site, from tonnes of earth to some 2,000 large boulders, were used to create the majestic land art.

The £1m project is operated by a charitable trust and paid for by the Duke of Buccleuch, who owns the largest private landholding in the United Kingdom. The construction of the cosmic landscape began in 2012. It was officially unveiled last month at a launch ceremony featuring a cast of 30 artists performing music and poetry.

[h/t: Contemporist]

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