State of Nature

Claudius Schulze travelled fifty thousand kilometres through Europe to photograph seemingly picturesque landscapes from an aerial work platform using a large-format camera. However, each landscape shows imperfections; man has implemented protective measures against natural disasters that have become an inseparable part of the landscape. In the Anthropocene, the geological era in which the earth and atmosphere are affected by the consequences of human activity, extreme weather constantly increases the threat of storms, floods and avalanches. It is civil engineering that has so far protected us from the dangers that have already had dramatic consequences elsewhere in the world. Schulze’s photographs show a way in which idyllic landscapes are not only crossed by these strongholds, but often couldn’t even exist without them.