The Cost of Preservation
(Work description)
In this work, I photograph the hidden surface of the glacier, those areas that are normally concealed beneath large white polypropylene covers. These protective blankets are used in glacier ski areas to slow down snow and ice melt and to preserve the ski slopes for as long as possible. However, their primary purpose is not the protection of the glacier itself, but the continuation of an artificial winter season for tourism and skiing.
By printing these photographs onto the very material that covers the glacier, I reverse the perspective: what is hidden becomes visible again. The images reveal not only the fragile structures of the ice, but also the traces of human intervention – fragments of plastic, broken ski poles, gate markers, and other remnants left behind on glaciers that have become part of a heavily managed landscape.
The polypropylene covers, which appear to be a protective measure, become part of the problem themselves. Exposed to ice, wind, and weather, they freeze onto the glacier surface and can leave behind tiny plastic particles when they are removed. These microplastics can eventually be carried away by meltwater and enter natural water systems.
The work explores the paradox of our relationship with disappearing glaciers: the attempt to preserve a vanishing landscape while simultaneously creating new forms of environmental impact. It reflects the tension between protection and intervention, preservation and destruction, and raises the question of what traces we leave behind when we try to hold on to something that is inevitably changing.
