THE HYDROCENE

This book challenges conventional notions of the Anthropocene and champions the Hydrocene the Age of Water It presents the Hydrocene as a disruptive conceptual epoch and curatorial theory emphasising water s pivotal role in the climate crisis and contemporary art The Hydrocene is a wet ontological shift in eco aesthetics which redefines our approach to water transcending anthropocentric neo colonial and environmentally destructive ways of relating to water As the most fundamental of elements water has become increasingly politicised threatened and challenged by the climate crisis In response The Hydrocene articulates and embodies the distinctive ways contemporary artists relate and engage with water offering valuable lessons towards climate action Through five compelling case studies across swamp river ocean fog and ice this book binds feminist environmental humanities theories with the practices of eco visionary artists Focusing on Nordic and Oceanic water based artworks it demonstrates how art can disrupt established human water dynamics By engaging hydrofeminist care based and planetary thinking The Hydrocene learns from the knowledge and agency of water itself within the tide of art going into the blue The Hydrocene urgently highlights the