Svalbard

Frantic activity and weather systems

By David // Saturday 6 Oct // 10:05:09 // 2 Comments

These Greenland days have been full of frantic activity and weather systems. Yesterday woke up to us easing our way through pack ice, grey morning and a perfect half-light for my projections onto the ice surface of a walking, naked, pregnant woman. She walked on ice at the speed of the ice moving past, a hypnotic illusion broken in a cubist fashion by the ice blocks and sea ice. This was followed by the projections of a moving baby that just struggled for existence with the breaking dawn. All wonderful.

We had to force our way out as new ice arrived from the sea into Barclay Sund – it felt quite desperate for a while as we pushed ice flows half the size of the boat out of the way. We headed south to a less ice strewn Sund, a following northerly that rocked and rolled and after four hours we could ease our way in to calm and a shore landing. Both Aminatou and Liam had prepared new music so the afternoon was spent recording two videos from the snow landscape overlooking the most awesome landscape and Hollywood lighting. Liam’s song he had only just finished writing, great music and it looks great in the camera, we should be able to put it on the web next week. We are having trouble sending his last song, 12mb via satellite is not easy this far north. We try again this morning.

The evening was spent projecting texts by myself and Ami onto an Ice Berg, which was the most beautiful one we have found yet. Magic. Finally we motored to our haven of rest for the night only to witness the most amazing northern light display that went on all night. The fiord was also freezing but this morning we are thankful not locked in ice. All that not bad for one day, everyone exhausted and elated.

Today a morning of activity before we head out to sea and head for Iceland across the Denmark Straight. 40 mile an hour winds from the North – easy!

Tags: David Buckland

2 Comments

  1. Liane Dirks Sunday 7 Oct, 2007 // 20:32:05

    Hi David,
    following a small group of people all concerned about climate change in a small boat on its way through ice and stormy weather on a website is a strange thing. Strange as the climate change thing itself, real and beyond real. Reading that you guys are now able to make some pieces of art out of it, makes the whole thing a little bit more earthly, in some way its a consolation.
    Liane (from Germany)

  2. Sue Sunday 7 Oct, 2007 // 20:42:21

    hello david here’s sean, me and G. Looking in on polar bears and cubs, we’ve just had dinner with piera, alex, lois and jenny before they went back up. Performances were fantastic at QEH. Richard, lisa,james,jess,patrick…etc etc all added vocal support. Had nice party afterwards. I’ll be in aberdeen on thursday, back friday then cardiff on saturday then home on sunday. Lots of hugs and kisses from the gang. S

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