Formafantasma is a research-based design studio, exploring the ecological, historical, political and social influences that shape “design” today. They have already collaborated with brands such as Flos, Prada, Bulgari, Artek and Vitra, and their work has been exhibited at Fondation Cartier, Rijksmuseum, Serpentine and at the Venice Biennale. The mining landscape of Genk is entirely within the studio's practice and therefore formed the basis of the research.

The result of the assignment at C-mine is an illustrated (children's) book The Down Under - The Curious Fall of a Boy Who Knows Nothing and Becomes Everything that highlights the complex relationship between humans, the environment and other organisms. Starting point of the book is the Genk coal mines, where the effects of human activity on the environment are visible. By revisiting these post-industrial landscapes, Formafantasma aims to highlight the diversity of life and the new ecosystems created there.

The project aims to address themes such as ecology and the role of humans within different ecosystems, using an illustrated fable as its narrative basis. That choice was simple for Formafantasma: an alternative narrative that focuses not on humans, but on other organisms, and a form that can be understood by both adults and children. Thus, the children's book also becomes a cross-generational educational tool.