We are delighted to share with you the lecture “Gaiagraphies: Inside the Critical Zones” by Alexandra Arènes (Landscape Architect, IPGP Paris), delivered at JLU Giessen on November 27th, 2024.
In this lecture, Arènes discusses the concept of the Critical Zone (CZ), which refers to the thin layer of Earth’s surface that sustains life, where rock, soil, water, air, and living organisms interact. Arènes argues that emphasizing the importance of soil and the Earth’s surface (CZ) is difficult using the traditional planetary view. Instead, she proposes an anamorphosis—a shift in perspective from the conventional geographic grid to a Gaia-graphic view. This new perspective focuses on Earth’s surface and better highlights the role of the CZ, making it more suitable for understanding the Anthropocene and the dynamic forces reshaping the planet.
Alexandra Arènes is a graduate architect (2009) and holds a PhD in Architecture from the University of Manchester (2022). Her research and practice focus on understanding and representing landscapes in the context of climate change, at S.O.C (Société d’Objets Cartographiques) and Shaā, a studio for architecture and urbanism (www.shaa.io). She is the co-author of Terra Forma, a book of speculative maps published by MIT (2019). In collaboration with scientists from the Critical Zone, she is developing maps of Earth’s cycles at the IPGP (Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris).
Alexandra Arènes was a guest at the Planetary Times Winter Workshop: Reading the Earth & Stars: Field Methods for Narrating Geological & Cosmic Time, organized by Aisling O’Carroll and Lukáš Likavčan.
🎶 Intro Music Credit: Bucharest by FiftySounds
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