CITIZENS OF THE ANTHROPOCENE
2020 Citizens of the Anthropocene Studio, Independent School for the City Advisors: Dirk Sijmons H+N+S Landscape Architects and Herman Kossman Kossman.dejong
Project Location: Rotterdam, the Netherlands
This project expresses the four philosophical viewpoints on the Anthropocene — the age of humankind.
Humankind has become a global force, influencing the climate and disrupting geochemical cycles. Understanding the four typologies of the Anthropocene – Denialism, Eco-Modernism, Post-Humanism, and Anthropocene 2.0 – is crucial as ideas are exchanged between people of various disciplines and beliefs in finding strategies to combat this environmental crisis. Expeditions around Rotterdam led to discovering the ultimate consequences of our attitudes towards the Anthropocene. From dealing with climate in terms of policy, economy and science, to the microscale of everyday life in the city, we learned how fossil expressionism confronts us with the causes and effects of climate change, biodiversity loss and land use change. This project takes each philosophical line head-on, understanding how the world looks through each lens and then diving into what this means for the daily life of each. It is only through understanding these social and cultural implications that the ultimate question confronting us can be answered: Is Earth a passive backdrop to everything we do, or is it a powerful player?
Quadripartite Typology of the Philosophical Positions Towards the ‘Anthropocene’ Adapted from: Clive Hamilton (2017) Defiant Earth, the Fate of Humans in the Anthropocene Polity Press, Cambridge
“I wake up every morning to my alarm clock going off at 5:00, immediately grabbing my phone to see how the global stock market weathered the night. FOX News is turned on, which serves as my only source of information and provides background noise for the day. Although you can’t bring money to your grave, I’ll die the richest man on my block. I’m a self-made millionaire, working hard for my money and I want to enjoy the fruits of my labor, motorboating on the weekends and golfing with clients at my prestigious country club. People need to not interfere with how I live my life when I’m providing jobs for people and putting money into this economy. We have an abundance of natural resources that make us the envy of the world and I don’t understand people’s concern over our energy usage. Over the past decade we’ve found ways to add American jobs, relying less on foreign powers to maintain our standard of living through resource extraction by means of fracking. Besides, we still have all of Alaska to extract from. America is great, let’s not fix what ain’t broken.”
“I’m an early riser, waking up without an alarm clock by 6:00. I immediately hydrate and give my body essential nutrients through a detox drink, followed by meditation and balance poses. After all, a clear mind is needed to perform my best. I punctuate my day with both espresso shots and health + wellness breaks, knowing that I need to take care of my body and eat right if I am going to create social and economic value. I love the range of projects I’ve been able to insert myself into as they are all using technological means to make our lives better, bringing goods, people and series to more locations in less the time. I’m so excited for this weekend’s hiking adventure in Big Sur! I’m thrilled there will be a Tesla charging station in close range as well. I’m fortunate enough to enjoy these places before they succumb to mass tourism and climate change. I’m extremely busy with all the projects on my plate at the moment, which have me traveling around the globe quite a bit. I know my carbon footprint is large, though we’ll figure out ways to make this better in the future. Anyways, the work I’m doing is for the greater good and it’s really best that I’m on site to see them all out. Even better if I can combine a hiking or skiing adventure with work! The ability to experience snowfall will be a true luxury in the future.”
“I had a lovely weekend visiting my parents in Bavaria, and I’m thrilled to be back home in Berlin. While my hometown is beautiful, surrounded by mountains, it’s so conservative and I’m glad I left as soon as possible. The rituals of the life I created in Berlin allow for a clear mind and calm brain. The foundation of physical, mental and spiritual practice give way to living my best life. Ever since I began starting my day with hot water and lemon while burning sage, I’ve noticed harmony created from within. Clearing negative ions puts me in a positive mood, which has ripple effects on the happiness of everyone within my bubble. More people have been showing up to the weekly gong bath sound meditation I started going to. Vibrating on a higher frequency makes me realize we are more than thoughts. I’ve began developing a sense of devotion and humility I didn’t think was possible, and I push for a little bit more every day. Taking non-western constructs of the world and adhering to these principles has given my life meaning. I’ve been writing down my dreams as soon as I wake up in the morning to try and understand what my subconscious is trying to tell me. I feel mentally ready for this year’s ayahuasca trip to Peru.”
“I love the solitude of the morning, beginning my day with a mindful 15-minute meditation. By sharpening my brain first thing in the morning, I’m ready to take on the day ahead and come up with innovative solutions to the problems confronting us. I prefer using the morning to do activities off-screen; reading, writing and tending to all the plants around my house. With spring here, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed having my morning coffee in the community garden and tending to all the veggies and herbs. I love the beauty of harvesting food myself from the ground and supporting our local food ecosystem, prepare something delicious out of it in my kitchen, and inviting friends over to enjoy a tasty feast. This is why I find the table to me the most important piece of furniture in home and office, bringing people together for conversation and collaboration, nurturing life. As a landscape architect, I understand that in order to be strategic, I need to be capable of integrating multiple scales of intervention at once to repair the scars left over from our industrial age. From bioswale creation to dealing with how to rightsize shrinking post-industrial cities in Rust Belts around the world, landscape provides a platform to make sense of the social, technological and environmental changes taking place.”