Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

The Polar Project ™  (Environment-based installation artwork documenting the Arctic and Antarctic.)

Outline
The Polar Project™ is an ambitious series of environment-based installation artworks conceived by internationally exhibiting artist, and recent Guggenheim Fellow, Erika Blumenfeld. Focusing on the distinct and sublime phenomena of light, sky, and sound in the Arctic and Antarctica, The Polar Project presents real-time sensory installations that evoke a profound and immediate visceral experience of the Polar Regions. The urgency of bringing such an experience to public view cannot be overemphasized. Although seemingly far away from most contemporary life, the Arctic and Antarctica are crucial to humanity’s future and the Earth’s stability. Direct contact with the polar environment is experienced by relatively few people compared to the vast number who will be affected by the result of continued climate shifts and glacial melting. With the considerable increase in scientific research addressing climate change and global warming, Blumenfeld believes that it is an important moment to launch a globally oriented artistic project. The Polar Project delivers an immediately accessible awe-inspiring experience that will open the eyes, minds and hearts of participants. The Polar Project will implement an innovative equipment system comprised of environmental sensors, high-definition 360-degree video cameras, and audio recording instruments to capture a full impression of the landscape, sky and natural sounds. The completed artwork will re-present the images and audio inside an immersive installation in a museum setting. Viewers will be surrounded by vivid images and sounds of the Arctic and Antarctica: the vast sky filled with floating clouds, furious snow and windstorms, auroras, bright stars and the moon, the rushing wind and shifting ice, the call of a distant bird or the crashing of a disintegrating iceberg. Blumenfeld will travel the installation, in tandem with its educational program, to the most populated cities around the globe in order to engage more broadly with the current environmental concerns. Blumenfeld has gathered a team of highly specialized scientists, engineers, film and arts professionals and environmentalists who are committed to her vision. As such, the vision of The Polar Project is deeply rooted in the project’s explicit desire to amalgamate specialized fields of research and innovation: art, film, acoustic ecology, scientific climate change and atmospheric research, and the impact of global warming on the environment and humanity. Together, these form the basic structure of the project’s “medium” as an artwork, but also act as the jumping off point of a global initiative to, as Blumenfeld says, “Bring the Poles to the People ™.” The point at which the wonder of natural phenomena begins to awaken the mind and imagination is the point at which art, science and humanity meet, and The Polar Project’s vision is to harmonize these perspectives. Like many, Blumenfeld feels that the Arctic and Antarctica are a part of our cultural and world heritage, and her mission is to capture the natural environment of these precious regions to preserve their image and voice for future generations and to inspire awareness and change now.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
To augment the final artwork The Polar Project will produce a K-12 climate awareness educational program designed specifically for the generation of students who will undoubtedly bare the burden of imminent climate change; a series of public lectures by the project’s team to share autobiographical accounts of their time at the poles; a hardcover book including expedition journals, images from the recorded video, and essays by well-known environmentalists and polar scientists; a documentary film on the creation of the artwork. The ultimate legacy of The Polar Project rests within the almost encyclopaedic archive of video, environmental data and audio that documented a particular moment in the history of the polar regions—regions that are changing rapidly. At the completion of the touring exhibition, these recordings will be placed in public national repositories for the benefit of future generations.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
The Polar Project will create a network of art, science and environmental host institutions worldwide, reinforcing the idea of an international environmental community encompassing vastly different cultures and widely disparate geographical origins. Individuals globally will have the ability to gain an intimate understanding of the Arctic and Antarctica, regardless of their country’s access or claims to these areas, advancing the understanding that the polar regions are important to the stability of the entire planet and global populations.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
The current proposed production locations for creating The Polar Project will be near Longyearbyen on the island of Svalbard in the Arctic and near the US’s McMurdo Station, Ross Island in Antarctica.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: 09/08-10/08      02/09 – 03/09      
Antarctic: 11/08 – 12/08      09/09 – 10/09      

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
Existing field stations, fixed wing transport aircraft, snow terrain vehicles. These resources can be shared with other projects.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
The Polar Project will not leave a legacy of infrastructure, per se, but will instead leave a visual & experiential legacy of these precious environments for future generations.

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?
Consortium
National agency
Own support
Other sources of support

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
Yes - -Färgfabriken, Stockholm, Sweden -John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, New York, NY, USA -National Instruments, Austin, Texas, USA

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?
Yes

The Polar Project is currently a new autonomous proposal, but we have already been seeking to establish collaborations with several institutions and projects that are IPY affiliated.

How will the project be organised and managed?
The project will be organized and managed by the Administration Team, the Field Team, and the Advisory Team. The Administration Team is comprised of the Founding Artist & Director, the Curator, Production Manager, Production Coordinator, Office Manager, PR Coordinator and Administrative Assistant. Joining the Director and Curator on the Field Team will be the project’s Field Operations Manager, Field Safety Coordinator, Sound Technician, Camera Operator, Camera Assistant, and Systems Engineer. The Advisory Team consists of experts in the Arts, Sciences, Film & Audio, Strategic Planning & Fundraising, and Environmental Conservation. The project’s legal concerns, environmental permitting and international contracts are being handled pro-bono by a large US law firm.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
The initial launch of The Polar Project’s extensive outreach and educational program will occur through its website, which will become the public face of the project on a global scale. The website will: 1) create a broad member-base who will have access to the project’s images, videos, interviews, updates, and exhibition schedule, 2) provide a forum for conversation on issues of climate change, its impact and solutions, 3) alert the public about global policy that effects positive change, 4) allow people to unite and work together, in real-time, within their own communities toward a more sustainable future and provide advice to others seeking solutions

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
The intent of the project is to make the scientific environmental data we collect available to any IPY project that may deem it useful. We will consider all proposals by IPY projects to have access to the image and audio recordings also, although some restrictions may apply as they pertain to artwork copyright concerns. The ultimate intent is to archive the entire collection of image, audio and data recordings with several national/international science-museum repository for public visibility and scientific use.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
The Polar Project’s fundraising strategy is multi-dimensional, ranging from private donors to corporate & institutional sponsorships to in-kind partnerships. We are aligning ourselves with preeminent arts, environmental, and science organizations whose efforts include a commitment to funding climate solutions. Our research indicates that organizations and philanthropic efforts across a wide range of fields are partnering and sponsoring projects that are pursuing a wide global dialog.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
It is expected that The Polar Project will increase the public’s knowledge and awareness of the polar regions and the environmental issues that threaten their existence. Importantly, it must be remembered that The Polar Project is an artwork, intended to embody the beauty, fragility and singularity of polar environments as well as provoke reflection of how each person conceptualizes the polar regions in relation to his or her everyday life. By touring the exhibition to the most populated cities worldwide, Blumenfeld will engage a massive global audience of millions of viewers, who will become candidates for direct environmental action across diverse cultures, socio-economic backgrounds, and interests. A call to action of this scale, centered in a profound art experience, makes The Polar Project’s impact truly nonlinear—it is a comprehensive and extensive educational system that, through the profound power of art, will catalyze climate awareness.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Artist and Project Directo Erika Blumenfeld
The Polar Project, PO Box 1515
Marfa, Texas
79843
USA

Tel: 432-729-4492
Mobile: no
Fax: no
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation