This site requires Javascript to be turned on. Please enable Javascript and reload the page.

Micro-Landscapes of the Anthropocene

Geoskinology

This page is referenced by:

Geoskinology: Reflection

My e-concept is a dynamic fusion between two original concepts: skinology and geodisplacement. It is titled Geoskinology.
Skinology is a concept which allows us to take a closer look at how in the epoch of human waste and pollution, the cycle of pollution ends up back in our skin. Skinology provides a deeper glimpse into how the microscopic particles in the air around us impact our bodies and skin.
Geodisplacement is the physical and emotional displacement of species in the ecological world as a result of climate change. It provides a deeper perspective into the physical and geographical movement of climate refugees and other nonhumans. Bill McKibbens The End of Nature (1989) gives insight into how geodisplacement impacts humans and how it will continue to impact us.

Skinology + Geodisplacement = Geoskinology

My main e-concept is Geoskinology. Geoskinology is a comparison between the skin of humans and the surface of the earth. We are all living organisms and share characteristics which define our existences. Just like the human skin houses bacteria, the earth’s surface hosts humans.
Reading Natures has provided us with a deeper insight into the relationship between humans and the ecological world around us. It has given us a much needed break to reflect on our tendency to live anthropocentric lives. It has ultimately allowed us to live in a biocentric moment.
From studying ecomimesis, post humanism, post dualism and emerging worlds, I have gathered the concepts to create Geoskinology. Geoskinology, as well as the concepts it derives from, allows us to compare the magnitude of earth and the magnitude of our impact on it. Geoskinology provides us with the ability to reflect on the similarities and differences between humans and the biological beings living around us in the epoch of the anthropocene.
Geoskinology The parallel between airborne pollutants and human pollutants
Geoskinology is a concept which explores the similarities between human skin and the Earth’s surface.
The world’s atmosphere is infested by manmade airborne pollutants as a result of human activity. Vehicle exhaust, deforestation, amongst other factors contribute to the toxic pollutants floating around us. The pollutants break the barrier in our skin and lead to skin concerns and health problems such as breakouts, acne, wrinkles, dehydrated skin and skin cancer.
The layers of skin and earth are identical. The skin’s outermost layer, the epidermis, and the earth’s outermost layer, the crust, work to protect the deeper layers and are vital in the skin’s natural cycles. If something happens to the earth’s epidermis, the topographical layout is significantly reshaped.
When you look closely at the Earth’s surface, you can see the skin being broken by tiny bacteria: Humans. Humans create mines to rupture the Earth’s skin and penetrate deep into the crust. Humans leech the Earth’s natural resources through mining and fracking and as a result, the Earth develops skin concerns leading to extreme weather events, rising sea levels and ultimately human geodisplacement.
Human activity results in climate change which is leading to the increasing frequency of droughts. The Earth’s skin is cracking and drying up. Human skin cracks and drys up when airborne pollutants attack and weaken the epidermis barrier. Through the generation of free radicals, skin is dehydrated. The similarities between dry skin and dry desert is uncanny. The cracks in the surface whether on a microscopic level, versus a visible scale, signify a serious underlying issue with the outermost layer.

Studies of geoskinology allow us to take a deeper look into the parallels between the surfaces of the skin and the surface of the world. They both have a lot more in common than we might expect.

“EARTH FROM SPACE: Like You've Never Seen Before” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4IhCSMkADc