Toxic Dust
Toxic Dust is a field guide to Ostrava’s post-industrial mining landscapes, developed by architect Rosario Talevi during a two-phase residency at PLATO in collaboration with field geologist Jan Lenart.
The publication brings together geological research, archival material, field notes and photography, structured around different sites across Ostrava. The challenge was to bring these different materials into a single publication without turning it into a conventional exhibition catalogue.
Client: Rosario Talevi / PLATO
Format: Field Guide / A5 Publication
Photography: Julian Irlinger
Languages: English / Czech
Year: 2026
A Clear Way Through
Each chapter follows the same basic structure, with coordinates and neighbourhood appearing above a numbered title, a full-page photograph on one side and the text beginning on the other. A consistent typographic hierarchy separates the different types of information: sans serif for titles, serif for body text and monospace for coordinates, captions and specific terms. Lenart's contributions are set in italic to distinguish them from Talevi's narrative.
Archive and Fieldwork
Contemporary photographs are combined with archival images showing the same landscapes at different points in time, with archival photographs sitting on a grey ground and contemporary images appearing without a frame. Captions provide the year and context, making the distinction clear without adding another layer of explanation.
The Czech and English editions share the same layout, typography and photography, with colour distinguishing the two versions.
Toxic Dust
Toxic Dust is a field guide to Ostrava’s post-industrial mining landscapes, developed by architect Rosario Talevi during a two-phase residency at PLATO in collaboration with field geologist Jan Lenart.
The publication brings together geological research, archival material, field notes and photography, structured around different sites across Ostrava. The challenge was to bring these different materials into a single publication without turning it into a conventional exhibition catalogue.
Client: Rosario Talevi / PLATO
Format: Field Guide / A5 Publication
Photography: Julian Irlinger
Languages: English / Czech
Year: 2026
A Clear Way Through
Each chapter follows the same basic structure, with coordinates and neighbourhood appearing above a numbered title, a full-page photograph on one side and the text beginning on the other. A consistent typographic hierarchy separates the different types of information: sans serif for titles, serif for body text and monospace for coordinates, captions and specific terms. Lenart's contributions are set in italic to distinguish them from Talevi's narrative.
Archive and Fieldwork
Contemporary photographs are combined with archival images showing the same landscapes at different points in time, with archival photographs sitting on a grey ground and contemporary images appearing without a frame. Captions provide the year and context, making the distinction clear without adding another layer of explanation.
The Czech and English editions share the same layout, typography and photography, with colour distinguishing the two versions.
