The first episode of the ⁠Islands of Kinship⁠ (IOK) podcast introduces the art practice of the Polish artist Diana Lelonek, who speaks about the newly created artwork commissioned within the IOK project: Stork, a Sacred Bird. Following the surprising changes in the behavior of storks, Lelonek’s work focused on how living nature not only resists but also adapts to man-made environmental changes. White storks are a symbol of blessing and happiness in several Eastern European cultures, and their image is closely linked to an idealized view of nature. However, in her video installation, these birds inhabit the dystopian landscape of the largest Baltic landfill hill, Getliņi. Searching for answers to the question why in recent years the number of storks that use the landfill for feeding has increased, and what this reveals about the interconnectedness of the life of these birds and humans, she draws connections between the industrial monocultures of to-day, the waste industry, and climate change, all of which have compelled humans and other living things to adapt and modify their ways of living.