A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT
In our first theme of this issue, we feature chef, fermentation expert, food scientist and author David Zilber discussing food culture and what we can learn from microbes; Sámi reindeer herders campaign to be heard in the face of the new “green colonialism” as windfarms are located in their sacred lands; and the contributors to Nature in the Digital Age argue that the promise of modern technology to bring us closer together may be separating us further from nature.
OUR COMMON HUMANITY
In our second theme, conservator Kendall Francis discusses her research into the legacies of colonialism, slavery and exploitation in artists’ materials; photographer Denisse Ariana Pérez explores the interaction of people with water; and we meet The Seed Saving Network, a community of growers across the UK that aims to save open pollinated seed for the future.
OF PLACE AND TIME
In our final theme, we follow Juliana Lorisho’s attempts to keep the tribal language of the Yaaku people alive with the help of her centenarian grandfather; Eli Farinango, born in Ecuador and raised as a teenager in Canada, writes of her longing for her home and its ancestral connection and the challenges raised by her return; and Inuk environmental, cultural and human rights advocate Sheila Watt-Cloutier powerfully describes the way in which Inuit people have been forced off their land and are now fighting to maintain their cultural traditions.
DIALOGUES
Antarctic atmospheric scientist John Law describes his work at Rothera Research Station and warns of dramatic temperature increases in the Antarctic Peninsula; Monisha Ramen explains how nature worship in the form of tree worship is a cultural practice of the Baduga community in south India; Jini Reddy writes of her experiences with oracles around the world; and Becky Lyon suggests an expanded vocabulary can help to bring the natural world to life.
