Wild: Aesthetics of the Dangerous and Endangered

Description

In this interdisciplinary work, philosophers from different specialisms connect with the notion of the wild today and interrogate how it is mediated through the culture of the Anthropocene. They make use of empirical material like specific artworks, films and other cultural works related to the term 'wild' to consider the aesthetic experience of nature, focusing on the untamed, the boundless, the unwieldy, or the unpredictable; in other words, aspects of nature that are mediated by culture. This book maps out the wide range of ways in which we experience the wildness of nature aesthetically, relating both to immediate experience as well as to experience mediated through cultural expression. A variety of subjects are relevant in this context, including aesthetics, art history, theology, human geography, film studies, and architecture. A theme that is pursued throughout the book is the wild in connection with ecology and its experience of nature as both a constructive and destructive force.

Solveig Boe is Professor of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway. Together with Hege Charlotte Faber, she was one of the editors for Raw: Architectural Engagements with Nature (2014). Hege Charlotte Faber is Senior Research Librarian at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway. Eivind Kasa is an architect and Associate Professor of the Faculty of Architecture and Design at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway.

This engaging collection is an indispensable and delightful introduction to a topic as relevant as ever. Understanding how "wild" has been conceptualized will help us understand the contemporary human condition better, especially its deep entanglements with the more-than-human world. * Sanna Lehtinen, Research Fellow, School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Aalto University, Finland *