Written by: Idil Akdos, beekeeper and systems thinker
Illustrations: Sigrid Brænd

Can we really be alienated from nature? The one that we’re a part of.  

Nature, to some, is something that exists outside of the human sphere, our physical space and personal experience. It is wilderness that humans are not occupying. It is not associated with technology, it’s not where we create art, engage in commerce, or connect like in urban landscapes. For some, nature is only where we see forests, mountains, unspoiled landscapes, untouched by human influence. 

Well, we are not wrong, it has become ever more challenging to see the diversity of life in cities. Without a doubt what we have in the city, is material. And material comes from nature, doesn’t it?  

The common sentiment is that once material undergoes technological modification, it is no longer considered natural but rather human-made. It becomes divorced from its origin—not only from the place it was sourced but also from its ecological ways of being. The focus shifts to the technology that reshapes it into its modern form, and this transformation is what defines its new identity.  

Look around you. Consider a pencil, clay plant pot, cast iron pan, your cotton clothes. Cotton begins as the soft, protective cushion around cotton seeds. Have you ever picked cotton seeds? This fiber, so integral to your daily life, comes directly from a plant. Every day we wear, eat, and live with nature. 

This perspective highlights a divide between what is considered «natural» and what is shaped by human innovation. Once a material is processed—whether wood turned into furniture, minerals extracted for electronics, or plants turned into industrial products—it loses its connection to the complex ecological webs it once belonged to. Instead, it becomes part of a human-made world where its value and function are largely defined by the technologies and purposes we impose upon it. 

In this view, nature is only pure as long as it remains untouched by human hands, and once modified, it no longer represents its original state or ecological purpose. If this is what you think nature is, then isn’t alienation from it a natural consequence? 

When we begin to ask, «What are things made of?» we start to see that much of what we call human innovation is simply nature’s ingenuity, reshaped. Technology doesn’t erase the natural world; it often builds upon it. Nature surrounds us, even when we don’t recognize it. 

(Denne artikkelen ble først publisert i Putsj sitt tredje magasin i 2024 om fremmedgjøring)