Arctic art

Put artists, scientists, and educators together on a ship, send them to the Arctic, and see how the artists translate their reactions to the rising sea levels, melting ice, and changes in biodiversity into art. This was the idea that prompted David Buckland, an artist, to set up the Cape Farewell organisation that took three expeditions to the Svalbard archipelago between 2003 and 2005.

Figure 1.

Contextascope by Michèle Noach

Credit: CAPE FAREWELL

On these journeys, the artists drew, wrote, photographed, and filmed, and the exhibition at Natural History Museum in London brings together their works. The wide range of media and artists makes this exhibition a fascinating mix and certainly made me think. It also shows that art can be a powerful communicator of the science behind climate change.

From the sparkling skeleton of a whale (Stranded) and Gary Hume's comical painting (Hermaphrodite Polar Bear) to the bleak photographs by David Buckland and Gautier Deblonde, and the eerie soundtrack of cracking, melting ice—all manage to give an insight into the experiences of the artists. During one expedition, an artist discovered an island that had appeared as a glacier retreated. The discovery, claiming, naming, and registration of Nymark (Norwegian for new ground) are recorded in a series of framed documents and photographs.

Photographs show how artist Antony Gormley and architect Peter Clegg collaborated on Three Made Places, ice works made in the Arctic that show the spaces humans occupy individually and collectively. Choreographer Siobhan Davies also concentrates on humans—Endangered Species is a museum display case showing a film projection of a woman dancing in a costume of flexible rods that eventually extinguish her. Trying to combine science with emotion, Michèle Noach made a series of images from hundreds of tiny lenses called The Arctic Feel-o-Graphs—fantasy scientific charts and graphs that structure her response to the Arctic environment.

Figure 2.

Ice Burning Ice by David Buckland

Credit: CAPE FAREWELL

If you're feeling inspired by the artworks to do your own bit towards helping the environment, then visit the interactive “ideas tank” where a touch-screen video helps you explore a collection of green ideas, including ecodesign courses, “gooshing” (an online guide to ethical shopping), and home brewed fuel; you can then email the links to yourself.