Michael Kienitz's Vanishing Beauty Presentation
By: Alex Vakar
April 2022
Hello!
If you read my last article published in the newspaper, I reflected on a concert—a seemingly normal experience—that really left a mark on me. I think that was the most accurate representation of what I want to write in the Regent Review, and I’ve decided to change the direction of my column. Although it’s nearing the end of the year and you won’t see a lot more of me this time around, I’ll return next school year with a more organized idea of what I’ll be writing.
On a windy day in early March, I went to a presentation regarding the effects of climate change, with a beautiful yet saddening visual representation of the melting of icebergs in Iceland. Michael Kienitz, an insightful photo-journalist, had fallen in love with the landscapes of Iceland and taken many trips in honor of capturing what he named Vanishing Beauty, becoming the name of the presentation he later performed for people around the United States. The presentation was held in a nursing home in downtown Madison, an ironic setting where I found myself sitting in a room filled with older individuals, listening to information about the melting icebergs which most of the audience wouldn’t live to see melt.
Vanishing Beauty consisted of photographs from Kienitz’s first few trips to Iceland placed alongside photographs from his most recent visit, where previously photographed glaciers and natural wonders had simply disappeared. Our world suffers a grave loss, evident in the slow melt of Vatnajökull, Europe’s biggest glacier, and many others, caused by us.
Svínafellsjökull Glacial Snout, Michael Kienitz, Vanishing Beauty
Crystal Caves
I was astonished by the beauty of these glaciers, and I am only left to imagine the true wonder that comes with their massive size. I was also left amazed by the sight of crystal caves seen by Kienitz in southeast Iceland, reflecting sunlight through thick ice, icicles dripping from the ceiling, surrounded by a physically illuminated glow. I longed to stand in that cave. With the click of a keyboard arrow button, I realized that the cave he had shown no longer existed, that no longer would anyone walk through that light-filled corridor and admire its beauty.
Kienitz initially took inspiration from his first visit to Iceland. On a tour of ice caves, the very experienced guide had shown Michael a photograph of an astonishing iceberg. When Kienitz asked where he could see it for himself, wishing to see its beautiful essence with his own eyes, the guide had told him that it was present two years ago, right below their feet where they stood. After hearing of the vanishing of a thing so naturally powerful, Kineitz dedicated five years to recording the beauty of the vanishing, before it bid its final farewell.
Through visual examples, Kienitz documented the effects of a heartbreaking phenomenon in Iceland, caused by something touching the whole world. But this is not the only vanishing beauty. “Every single photograph I’ve taken has dramatically changed since, and sometimes, the scene has completely vanished.” The photographs he showed side-by-side varied dramatically, glaciers in their full form melting to a minuscule arc of ice and gray rock, through which the newfound sadness of Iceland and those visiting is seen. By avoiding the use of heavy editing, Kienitz faithfully shows the naturale of these phenomena.
My heart aches for these glaciers that melt before our eyes. I sat in that conference room with those of ages 60+ and felt almost a responsibility to do something. I worry I will be the one to tell my grandchildren of the vanished beauty of the world, the icebergs that used to be.
You can visit Kienitz’s website at michaelkienitz.com for more information on his international projects, sample photographs, and his drone videos. Additionally, as individuals, it is our responsibility to leave this world as we found it, and maybe even clean it along the way. West offers a student-led environmental club that organizes weekly park clean-ups around Madison. You can follow them on Instagram with the handle @whs.environmental_club and come to room 2077 on Tuesdays at lunch to join the club.
Sources:
'Iceland's Vanishing Beauty' Photo Exhibition Shows the Effect of Climate Change - Shepherd Express
April 2022
Hello!
If you read my last article published in the newspaper, I reflected on a concert—a seemingly normal experience—that really left a mark on me. I think that was the most accurate representation of what I want to write in the Regent Review, and I’ve decided to change the direction of my column. Although it’s nearing the end of the year and you won’t see a lot more of me this time around, I’ll return next school year with a more organized idea of what I’ll be writing.
On a windy day in early March, I went to a presentation regarding the effects of climate change, with a beautiful yet saddening visual representation of the melting of icebergs in Iceland. Michael Kienitz, an insightful photo-journalist, had fallen in love with the landscapes of Iceland and taken many trips in honor of capturing what he named Vanishing Beauty, becoming the name of the presentation he later performed for people around the United States. The presentation was held in a nursing home in downtown Madison, an ironic setting where I found myself sitting in a room filled with older individuals, listening to information about the melting icebergs which most of the audience wouldn’t live to see melt.
Vanishing Beauty consisted of photographs from Kienitz’s first few trips to Iceland placed alongside photographs from his most recent visit, where previously photographed glaciers and natural wonders had simply disappeared. Our world suffers a grave loss, evident in the slow melt of Vatnajökull, Europe’s biggest glacier, and many others, caused by us.
Svínafellsjökull Glacial Snout, Michael Kienitz, Vanishing Beauty
Crystal Caves
I was astonished by the beauty of these glaciers, and I am only left to imagine the true wonder that comes with their massive size. I was also left amazed by the sight of crystal caves seen by Kienitz in southeast Iceland, reflecting sunlight through thick ice, icicles dripping from the ceiling, surrounded by a physically illuminated glow. I longed to stand in that cave. With the click of a keyboard arrow button, I realized that the cave he had shown no longer existed, that no longer would anyone walk through that light-filled corridor and admire its beauty.
Kienitz initially took inspiration from his first visit to Iceland. On a tour of ice caves, the very experienced guide had shown Michael a photograph of an astonishing iceberg. When Kienitz asked where he could see it for himself, wishing to see its beautiful essence with his own eyes, the guide had told him that it was present two years ago, right below their feet where they stood. After hearing of the vanishing of a thing so naturally powerful, Kineitz dedicated five years to recording the beauty of the vanishing, before it bid its final farewell.
Through visual examples, Kienitz documented the effects of a heartbreaking phenomenon in Iceland, caused by something touching the whole world. But this is not the only vanishing beauty. “Every single photograph I’ve taken has dramatically changed since, and sometimes, the scene has completely vanished.” The photographs he showed side-by-side varied dramatically, glaciers in their full form melting to a minuscule arc of ice and gray rock, through which the newfound sadness of Iceland and those visiting is seen. By avoiding the use of heavy editing, Kienitz faithfully shows the naturale of these phenomena.
My heart aches for these glaciers that melt before our eyes. I sat in that conference room with those of ages 60+ and felt almost a responsibility to do something. I worry I will be the one to tell my grandchildren of the vanished beauty of the world, the icebergs that used to be.
You can visit Kienitz’s website at michaelkienitz.com for more information on his international projects, sample photographs, and his drone videos. Additionally, as individuals, it is our responsibility to leave this world as we found it, and maybe even clean it along the way. West offers a student-led environmental club that organizes weekly park clean-ups around Madison. You can follow them on Instagram with the handle @whs.environmental_club and come to room 2077 on Tuesdays at lunch to join the club.
Sources:
'Iceland's Vanishing Beauty' Photo Exhibition Shows the Effect of Climate Change - Shepherd Express