Black Snow began in 2021, when I first noticed a fine layer of black dust settling around my studio in the Witte Theater in IJmuiden, next to Tata Steel. It marked the starting point of an inquiry — a growing awareness that this was not incidental, but part of a recurring phenomenon. Reports of blackened snow near Wijk aan Zee, close to the coal storage along the Reyndersweg, brought the issue into public view. At the same time, my own surroundings were regularly affected: windows darkened, my car covered in residue, and a persistent industrial smell in the air. What I did not yet understand was how often this occurred, or what it precisely was. Gradually, I found myself compelled to look closer — to observe, document, and understand what this ‘black snow’ actually represented.

Marianne, resident of IJmuiden, 2021

Marianne lived with her husband Tom on Middenhavenstraat in IJmuiden, on a industrial site near the harbour and close to the lighthouse. Their home stood among warehouses, quays and infrastructure, in the immediate vicinity of the steel industry. Marianne was seriously ill after multiple brain haemorrhages and largely confined to bed. “Laying cards,” she said when I asked what she still liked to do — a way of looking ahead when much had become uncertain. Outside, work in the harbour continued. Her life unfolded in the shadow of industry, intertwined with an environment that never comes to rest.

Fish Smoker Mateusz, IJmuiden, 2021

Mateusz (37) has lived in the IJmond region for nine years. He moved to the Netherlands from Poland with his wife and works in a fish smoking facility that is part of Cornelis Vrolijk. The environment made an immediate impression. "This is an industrial region," he says. "A large part of the people here work in factories." For Mateusz, this means more than just work. The industry shapes the daily rhythm of the place where he has come to live—visible in the landscape, defining income, community, and the life he has built here.

IJmuiden: A Town Shaped by Industry

IJmuiden, a small coastal town on the North Sea, is a place where the rhythm of life is dictated by industry. Nestled beside the towering presence of Tata Steel, its skyline is marked by smokestacks, cranes, and the relentless activity of the harbor. Here, the sea meets steel, fishery, and offshore industries—an unyielding landscape of grey and grit. The town’s streets, its air, even the horizon, bear the imprint of labor: a community built in the service of production, where the North Sea’s winds carry both the scent of salt and the hum of machinery. IJmuiden is not just a place on the map; it’s a testament to the raw, unvarnished marriage of humanity and industry.

Rob Wanders (1952–2025), Resident of IJmuiden, 2021

Rob worked for over forty years at Hoogovens, later Tata Steel. He began in maintenance and remained technically involved with the plant throughout his career. Together with his wife Agnes, he lived in IJmuiden, close to his workplace. Agnes recalls how visible the difference was when they stayed elsewhere: "In Alkmaar, the windows were clean. Here, they were black." Of this photograph, she says it captures Rob’s entire life. The image was used on his memorial card.