Landscapes of Retreat

Publication + Exhibition

Landscapes of Retreat are portraits of climate adaptation. The stories suggest that communities are more likely to adapt to change when the landscape is appreciated, so that retreat can be valued.

Retreat is found in the land that is left behind as settlement patterns shift due to a changing climate. The term landscape refers to the earth animated by the aliveness of creatures and organisms, and the term retreat suggests that human patterns are not fixed but might also be enlivened. 

Featuring in-depth field studies from Nijinomatsubara Forest, Japan; Maule River, Chile; Niugtaq Village, Alaska; Langtang Park, Nepal; and Gaspésie Peninsula, Québec. The results cut across history, fieldwork, citizenship, and  geography in order to rethink and rework “change” as a means toward shared climate futures. The publication seeks to creatively refine the idea of ‘retreat’ by examining select, precedent-setting sites. Because the term poses more questions than it answers, it is important to understand what retreat is not: it is not nostalgia for sobering events, and it is not a last resort. Instead, the articulation of retreat offers a framework for attending to the radical difference between accepting norms and refusing to be stuck in their game.

The printed publication is accompanied by a free, online publication (LandscapesofRetreat.com) that features additional photography, interviews, audio-visual materials, and an extensive index of additional retreat cases.