I was absolutely thrilled to have taken part in this artist and scientist-led, Arctic Circle expeditionary residency program.

I initially thought I was going to the Arctic to collect sounds from this changing fragile environment. I hoped my finished artwork might provide a platform for discussing climate change from a new perspective.

What happened to me while experiencing the sound of calving glaciers, like landslides and claps of thunder? What happened to me watching pieces of fractured ice float past the Zodiac, everywhere in the water, the size of snowballs and some the size of miniature islands, bouncing into it, and getting stuck in the motor?

Magnified by my audio equipment the ice crackles and pops in a constant low slurry. Time stands still in the Arctic. Movement and sounds are dampened and subtle. They are the same above the water as below. There is a hum, like magnets or electricity. It is extraterrestrial. At times I couldn’t handle it. I had to close my eyes to fully embody the environment. It is exquisite! –how can I possibly describe how this has impacted me? I’m not quite sure what happened to me. 

This residency brought together 27 international artists of all disciplines, visual artists, scientists, dancers, writers and educators. Together we explored the high-Arctic Svalbard Archipelago and the Arctic Ocean aboard the Tall Ship Antigua, a specially outfitted Barquentine sailing vessel.

The opportunity was an experience of a lifetime and one that will take a lifetime to unpack. It provided each of us with a shared experience to engage through relevant issues and to develop artistic works through fieldwork and research but most of all, this experience fostered interdisciplinary collaborations and lifelong, meaningful connections. The entirety of it was completely and utterly humbling. I am forever changed by it and I am eternally grateful to have participated in such a unique experience.