Whimsical Video Beautifully Illustrates Humanity's Dominion Over Nature Morgan Clendaniel - Co.Exist
go to original February 1, 2013

MAN - Animation created in Flash and After Effects looking at mans relationship with the natural world. Music: In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg. (Steve Cutts)

There are times - Hurricane Sandy, say - when nature rears up and reminds humankind that it’s the ultimately powerful force on this planet. But most of the rest of the time, we’re very happily dominating the natural world. It’s come to the point where scientists have come up with a name for the time humans have been on the Earth: The Anthropocene, a geological age where people are the dominant factor in shaping the physical space of the planet.

These amazing videos and pictures do an excellent job of illustrating the extent to which the Anthropocene has altered the planet. The video above, by British artist and animator Steve Cutts, takes a more cartoonish (and admonishing) road to show the same thing.

Man features the fantastical journey of humankind as it encounters and then exploits or kills every creature and natural resource on the planet. Watch the Everyman making boots out of snakes to slicing of bears’ heads to clubbing seals until he meets an untimely end. Will we receive the same comeuppance?

Morgan is the editor of Co.Exist. Formerly, he was the deputy editor of GOOD.

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