Oosterscheldekering, The Netherlands. The Netherlands are in an unfortunate situation: not only are large parts of their country below sea level, the vast river delta of Rhine, Maas, and Schelde make a closed-off coastline impossible. Storm surge barriers allow free drainage of river water during normal conditions but can be shut to create a continuous line of sea defence. Known as the Delta Works, the constructions are one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.

Claudius Schulze “State of Nature”, A photobook about climate change, natural catastrophes, and to what extent disaster management became part of our landscape.

To which extent natural disaster protection became part of the European landscape shows the body of work “State of Nature”. Claudius Schulze travelled about 50 000 km across Europe, photographing with a large format view camera down from an aerial work platform seemingly picturesque landscapes.

But each of those idyllic sceneries contains imperfections: alpine panoramas are crossed by snow sheds, the North Sea coast is furrowed by breakwaters. In each of the photographs protective structures rise into the landscape. In the age of the Anthropocene climate change and extreme weather constantly increase the threads of gales, floods, and avalanches; it’s civil protection agencies maintaining ordinary life. These pictures are not about on defining the boundary between culture and nature. On the contrary: the photographs demonstrate how much the two sphere penetrate each other.