For several hundred years, humans—primarily in the Western world—have perceived themselves as central characters in the story of Earth, viewing humanity as the most advanced form of life and, consequently, justified in acting as they see fit. Today, however, we find ourselves in a state of anthropological transformation: we are gradually moving beyond anthropocentric perspectives, yet remain entangled in outdated views, unsure of how to reorient ourselves. Where are we headed? The stories we tell about the world shape how we engage with the myriad forms of co-existence on this planet. How we speak, the words we choose, and—most importantly—the way we envision the world all matter deeply. We don’t need to “return to nature”; expressions like this only reveal how skewed our perception has become. We have never been disconnected from nature; we have always been an integral part of it. There is no passive backdrop to life—every form of existence shapes the reality we experience. As Bruno Latour eloquently states, being a subject does not mean acting independently on an objective stage but sharing one's impact with other subjects.

One of these subjects are glaciers. Often depicted as mere indicators of climate change, they are, in fact, active participants in the web of life. This project explores the many facets of glacial expression: the diverse forms and colors they assume, how they shape their environment, and how they blend with it. Glaciers are living beings—dynamic agents in the fabric of reality. They are born from a continual metamorphosis of snow into ice, embodying a unique duality of viscosity and brittleness. From a human perspective, we can only perceive glimpses of them; glaciers exist on a different temporal scale, one so vast it escapes human comprehension. Laden with bacteria and algae, they journey slowly downward.

From 2021 to 2023, Julian Stettler immersed himself with twelve glaciers in the Swiss Alps, capturing their essence in intimate detail. The result is a visual study of glacial expression, combining abstract photographs with close-up images of cryoconite—a mixture of rock particles and cyanobacteria that thrives in meltwater, shown here in red dye—and cropped satellite images of the glaciers themselves.

The main part of the book contains 90 abstract glacier photographs, as well as a 14-page poem by Daniela Naomi Molnar (poet, artist and writer; danielamolnar.com). In addition, three texts by Anne-Sophie Balzer (journalist, researcher, poet; annesophiebalzer.com), Gian-Luca Kämpfen (landscape architect) and David Touchette and Ianina Altshuler (microbiologists) are also part of the book.

Graphic Design by Alessia Meyer. 

THE GLACIER IS A BEING
ISBN 978-3-906822-51-8
220mm x 297mm
open spine binding, with folded wrap-around cover
144 pages
90 images

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