Nature and culture; this has always been a tense relationship. Whereas culture was once meant to protect man from nature, we now have to protect nature from culture. In spite of all our ecological intentions, we even now consider that nature exists ‘for us’. Climate change, the world population explosion and diminishing stocks of many natural resources are putting increasing pressure on this anthropocentric attitude, but there is still no sign of any about-turn. Nature must in the first place be of economic use, and should furthermore provide us with a degree of aesthetic pleasure.
In the fifth Burning Ice we are showing the work of artists inspired by the rising tension between nature and culture. As always, we also let scientists and theorists have their say.
