Abstract

Coldness is integral to modernity—our reality is based on its control. The quest to conquer extreme cold spurred the polar expeditions and the scientific race to absolute zero; with cryotechnology, cold became a fundamental cultural condition. Modern cryogenic cultures have gained the power to profoundly manipulate the temporality of life. However, since this power comes at the expense of those who suffer most from global warming, our cultural relationship to artificial cold must be reconsidered.