The loss of natural habitats due to human activity and industry is a pressing environmental issue. Over the last few decades, ecosystems and species all over the world have faced threats, and in many cases even extinction, due to the way we treat the planet.

Yet most of us don’t notice the impact of human activity on nature in our daily lives – either because we are so used to the world we have built, that it is difficult to see when untouched nature disappears bit by bit, or because many of the most destructive infringements happen in remote and previously undisturbed environments. Would we all be more aware if we could see the dramatic changes for ourselves from a bird’s eye view?

Are the areas lost to human industry lost forever, or can we see glimpses of nature fighting back, and taking back areas humans have abandoned? Are we all due a real wake-up call about the state of our planet and the natural habitats we are a part of?

With his aerial photographs, German landscape photographer Tom Hegen shows us an overview of places where the relationship between humans and nature becomes visible. Often choosing dramatic and abstract perspectives, he creates a bigger picture of our relationship with planet Earth.

Hegen goes out of his way to capture unique settings from unseen angles. Since 2015, he has dedicated his artistic endeavours to aerial photography projects. By providing “overview for insight”, he shows us exactly how our relationship with the planet shapes it, for better or for worse. His photographs are a form of evocative art – often resembling abstract paintings – while at the same time exposing ways in which human activity infringe on natural habitats.  

In this topical talk about one of the most pressing issues of our time, Hegen takes us on a visual journey through the scars humans have left on the planet, and nature’s fight to reclaim spaces that have been lost.

With:
Tom Hegen, photographer

Admission: Event ticket, day pass Friday, or Festival pass.