Vortrag der Fotografin Barbara Dombrowski – Tropic Ice Dialog between Places affected by Climate Change

The project “Tropic Ice: Dialog between Places Affected by Climate Change” by photographer Barbara Dombrowski focuses on the human dimension of the climate crisis and connects indigenous communities on five continents—the Inuit, Achuar, and Shuar; Mongolian nomads; the Maasai; and the people of Kiribati. They all represent regional tipping points in our Earth system.

On all five continents, Barbara Dombrowski installed large-format textile banners that were exposed to the elements; the damage caused by the weather serves as a direct allegory for the vulnerability of our existence. A final, circular installation at the Hambach open-pit lignite mine brings all five communities together. 

Barbara Dombrowski contrasts anthropocentric thinking—which elevates humans above nature as the “crown of creation”—with the animistic worldview of indigenous communities, in which all life is considered animate and inseparably connected.