Framing Aurora
I live on IJburg an artificial island in Amsterdam. Many years ago this patch of land, used to be sea (I think marginal or mediteranean, but I know more about photography than oceanography). In 1933 it got dammed in by the Afsluitdijk as part of the Zuiderzee works. With plans to create large polders. The last of these large polders, the Markerwaard, never saw the light of day, but the dike built in the 70's still exists.
Now 30 years later, with the creation of this island, this patch of sea is still converted to land. A new piece of Amsterdam. If you want to get to sea now, you'll sail for a day, and have to cross two dikes.
A year and a halve ago, I could still see the water from here during sunrise. Now several buildings are blocking the view.
It makes me wonder, what drives us humans to these 'marvels of engineering'?
Is it to compete with the marvel of Aurora?
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