(Archive) Melting Heart

An ode to the Aletsch Glacier.

Photographer Diewke van den Heuvel makes climate change visible in this poetic ode to the Aletsch Glacier. As a result of global warming, this Swiss glacier is melting so rapidly that it is likely to be gone in 70 years. The glacier's disappearance has profound consequences for the people and rivers in the surrounding area.

For seven years now, Van den Heuvel has been documenting this process, telling the story of water and climate change. Each time, she witnesses the glacier's boundary shifting, and it becomes increasingly perilous to approach or go beneath it due to the melting. She captures the profound connection between humans and nature, mourning this loss and seeking to reconnect with our DNA. After all, we are nature.

Diewke van den Heuvel is an activist photographer and filmmaker who feels a great responsibility to make the world a better and more just place.