Down Under: The Curious Fall of a Child Who Knew Nothing and Became Everything
C-mine , 2025
Down Under: The Curious Fall of a Child Who Knew Nothing and Became Everything is a picture book by Formafantasma blending fiction with scientific research to cultivate a new ecological literacy for both young readers and adults.
The project was born out of a commission and residency program by C-mine, Genk, exploring the nature and purpose of Belgium’s postindustrial territories. To challenge the perception of these sites as ruins awaiting reclamation, Formafantasma focused their attention on terrils—artificial heaps formed by the accumulation of waste soil from coal mine excavations—presenting them as dynamic landscapes in a continuous state of transformation, even in the absence of human intervention. Drawing on insights gathered through site visits and in-depth discussions with curator Louise Osieka, along with geologists, entomologists, and microbiologists, the designers saw an opportunity to expand the scope of the project. Eschewing conventional research outputs, they set out to create a children’s book that investigates the intricate relationship between humans, the environment, and other organisms.
The book draws inspiration from the legacy of designers like Enzo Mari and Bruno Munari, who explored the role of design in shaping education and fostering children’s learning. However, while Mari’s Serie della Natura (Nature Series, 1963–76) sought essential forms through abstraction, reducing nature to idealized representations, Down Under adopts a different approach. Through a post-human lens, it challenges the idea of form as a fixed truth, examining representation, perception, and the lasting impact of colonial thought on our worldview.
The book opens with a children’s tale about a boy who, upon falling into a hole in an open field, embarks on a journey through the hidden layers of the Earth, encountering unexpected lifeforms that contribute to shift his worldview. Complementing Formafantasma’s text, original illustrations by Clément Vuillier—integrating scientific images from petrography and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), reworked by the artist through drawing—provide a visual representation of the story.
The second part of the book adopts a more analytical perspective, featuring contributions from scientists and educators. A critical essay by art historian Teresa Castro; interviews conducted by Formafantasma with ecologist Natalie Beenaerts, geologist Roland Dreesen, entomologist Dirk Maes, and microbiologist François Rineau; and afterwords by Louise Osieka and Formafantasma offer further insights into the issues addressed by Down Under. Alongside two visual essays composed of images created using petrography and SEM techniques, these contributions reveal the scientific and conceptual foundations underlying the children’s tale.
Through this dual register, Down Under encourages reflection at different stages of life, aspiring to function both as a children’s book and a transgenerational educational tool. In a time of climate and environmental crisis, it invites readers to reconsider the relationship with their surroundings, drawing attention to what often remains unseen yet profoundly relevant. Through deep and careful observation, Down Under challenges the perception of postindustrial landscapes as resources to be exploited, or voids to be filled, presenting them instead as thriving ecosystems where non-human beings adapt and evolve.
