Two Portraits of Land in the Climate Crisis

Two portraits of uncanny land formations—the Ocean Flower, a resort development in the Maldives, and Nowhereisland, an art project carved out of the Norwegian Arctic—serve to reveal how climate change is putting the literal foundation of our lives at risk. Using these cases as a springboard this article examines how the foundations not only of our built and social worlds are destabilized but also our sense of belonging and bodily engagement with our environment. Drawing on the experiences of those living in two regions on the front lines of the climate crisis—the Arctic and the Small Island States - the article considers the destabilization of belonging, an impact of the climate crisis that is becoming increasingly apparent.