Tipping the scales. The Interfering Worlds of Anthropocene: The Human Epoch

The article analyzes the poetics of scaling-up and clashing scales in the documentary/essay film Anthropocene: The Human Epoch by Jennifer Baichwal, Edward Burtynsky and Nicholas de Pencier from 2018. It reconstructs and exemplifies the idea that a poetics of scale can be useful and necessary for a...

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Main Author: Matthias Grotkopp
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Université de Bourgogne 2023-12-01
Series:Interfaces
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/interfaces/8114
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author Matthias Grotkopp
author_facet Matthias Grotkopp
author_sort Matthias Grotkopp
collection DOAJ
description The article analyzes the poetics of scaling-up and clashing scales in the documentary/essay film Anthropocene: The Human Epoch by Jennifer Baichwal, Edward Burtynsky and Nicholas de Pencier from 2018. It reconstructs and exemplifies the idea that a poetics of scale can be useful and necessary for a comprehension of the Anthropocene following the arguments of Derek Woods, Eva Horn and Hannes Bergthaller amongst others. For example, a poetics of scale can make graspable the tensions and contradictions between the human as a global force – the multiple assemblages of human beings, technologies, other beings and materialities – and the human as an individual. But, as I argue with Hannah Arendt’s observation on the ‘stature of man’ in the space age, smoothly scaling-up to a global, universal point-of-view also reinforces the distanced world view that is at the root of the global ecological crises. I finally argue for an audiovisuality of the climate crisis that connects understanding and realization to activism and climate justice movements.
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spelling doaj-art-9c4e7c627ea64d71830bb3ec55c5d76a2025-08-20T02:26:26ZengUniversité de BourgogneInterfaces2647-67542023-12-015010.4000/interfaces.8114Tipping the scales. The Interfering Worlds of Anthropocene: The Human EpochMatthias GrotkoppThe article analyzes the poetics of scaling-up and clashing scales in the documentary/essay film Anthropocene: The Human Epoch by Jennifer Baichwal, Edward Burtynsky and Nicholas de Pencier from 2018. It reconstructs and exemplifies the idea that a poetics of scale can be useful and necessary for a comprehension of the Anthropocene following the arguments of Derek Woods, Eva Horn and Hannes Bergthaller amongst others. For example, a poetics of scale can make graspable the tensions and contradictions between the human as a global force – the multiple assemblages of human beings, technologies, other beings and materialities – and the human as an individual. But, as I argue with Hannah Arendt’s observation on the ‘stature of man’ in the space age, smoothly scaling-up to a global, universal point-of-view also reinforces the distanced world view that is at the root of the global ecological crises. I finally argue for an audiovisuality of the climate crisis that connects understanding and realization to activism and climate justice movements.https://journals.openedition.org/interfaces/8114filmdocumentaryscale critiqueAnthropoceneArendt (Hannah)poetics
spellingShingle Matthias Grotkopp
Tipping the scales. The Interfering Worlds of Anthropocene: The Human Epoch
Interfaces
film
documentary
scale critique
Anthropocene
Arendt (Hannah)
poetics
title Tipping the scales. The Interfering Worlds of Anthropocene: The Human Epoch
title_full Tipping the scales. The Interfering Worlds of Anthropocene: The Human Epoch
title_fullStr Tipping the scales. The Interfering Worlds of Anthropocene: The Human Epoch
title_full_unstemmed Tipping the scales. The Interfering Worlds of Anthropocene: The Human Epoch
title_short Tipping the scales. The Interfering Worlds of Anthropocene: The Human Epoch
title_sort tipping the scales the interfering worlds of anthropocene the human epoch
topic film
documentary
scale critique
Anthropocene
Arendt (Hannah)
poetics
url https://journals.openedition.org/interfaces/8114
work_keys_str_mv AT matthiasgrotkopp tippingthescalestheinterferingworldsofanthropocenethehumanepoch