The cyanotypes of We Are Making a New World refer to the story of King Canute and the waves. In the story, Canute demonstrates to his court that he has no control over the incoming tide, explaining that his secular powers are in vain compared to the forces of higher powers. Similarly, it remains uncertain if our current efforts in securing our shores from ever higher reaching seawaters will be effective or if we must face — like King Canute — the inevitable: nature’s powerful revenge.
The emerging climate crisis is strongly echoed in Scholz's work as the methodology relies on the use of seawater and soil to evoke place-specific coastal and environmental vulnerability and highlights the urgent need to develop alternatives to reduce our global carbon footprint. Referencing the writings of Heinrich Böll and his polysemic concept of Erde (earth, Earth, or soil), We Are Making A New World incorporates ‘soil’ as part of a sustainable photographic printing practice, simultaneously evoking the gradual threat that coastal erosions pose.
