Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Community and Change: The Human World of the Arctic  (Arctic Community and Arctic Change)

Outline
The objective of this project is a travelling exhibition and the publication of a book of photography and commentary on present day environmental change in the arctic, the influence of that change on human communities in the arctic, and the influence of those communities on their environment. The visual focus of the book will be on the built environment of human settlement, and how people, their built environment, and the natural environment interact and change.At the highest level, the work proposed here has three aims: 1) to draw attention to the numbers and variety of cultures and communities (indigenous and transplanted) present in the arctic today; 2) to illustrate as fully as possible the experience of the people whose lives are spent in the arctic; and 3) to illustrate and comment on the rapidly changing interrelationship between communities and environment in the arctic. The geographic objective is to do this not for one or a few locales, but for a representative selection of locales across the entire Arctic.The project is envisioned as a scientifically informed photographic effort. There is already an abundance of scientific knowledge awaiting coherent and accessible presentation to the public. Many environmentally oriented publications aimed at a general readership are in print, but few have been produced by authors with both scientific and artistic expertise. The objective here is to produce a book on life and culture in the arctic as expressed in architecture, and as expressed by the changes that the natural environment has imposed on people as well as the changes imposed by people on the natural environment.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
Enormous advances have been made in the past 25 years in scientific understanding of arctic environmental change. Environmental changes have dramatic effects on human activities locally and potentially globally. Our knowledge of the processes driving these changes are increasing dramatically as well. However, the scientific community has not been especially successful in communicating the global importance of that knowledge to the general public. Also, the degree of human presence in the arctic is not generally appreciated. While certain aspects of life in the arctic have had public exposure, the image of the arctic remains primarily one of empty solitude. The primary motivation for this work is to emphasize the presence of human culture (past and present) in the arctic and increase public understanding of the interaction between human culture and that environment.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
Contacts to communities over such a wide and culturally disparate region as the circumpolar arctic will be a major challenge. It will be critically important to approach communities respectfully and though a carefully developed network of individuals who understand both the mission of this project and the communities selected to be photographed. This will be especially important in foreign locations where cultural and language differences must be bridged. Initial contacts have been established for most major regions of the arctic (listed below). A significant part of the time in this project will be spent working through these contacts to reach regional and local contacts through whom permission can be sought to visit and photograph specific locations and groups. While the photographic objectives for this project are primarily in landscape and architecture, people will also be photographed for this project, and this will require an additional level of trust and communication.Initial Regional Contacts (provisional):Alaska – Carl Benson, William Harrison, Skip Walker (University of Alaska)Canada – Roy M. Koerner (Canadian Geological Survey)Greenland – Carl Bøggild (Greenland Geological Survey)Iceland – Aslaug Geirsdottir (University of Iceland)Scandinavia – Jon Landvik (Norwegian University of Life Sciences)Russian Arctic – Igor Zotikov (Russian Academy of Sciences), Mark Dyurgerov (INSTAAR)Collaboration is also sought with ethnographers, sociologists, anthropologists, and others with expertise in local human history and customs.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
Field work will consist of trips of 1-2 weeks duration to some 10-15 sites distributed across the circumpolar arctic. Each site visit will be preceded by extensive planning and preparatory work to 1) learn local history and aspects of the culture relevant to the project, and 2) establish contacts with local representatives who can provide an introduction to the community. The particular choice of sites will depend to a large degree on the advice on regional and local contacts, but locations will be sought in Alaska, Arctic Canada, Greenland, the Scandinavian Arctic, and the Russian Arctic, from the Barents and Kara seas east to the Chukchi sea.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: 02/06-08/06      02/07-11/07      02/08-11/08
Antarctic: n/a

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
Logistics will include transportation of approximately 2 people plus 200 Kg equipment to approximately 10-15 sites across the Arctic. Most, but not all, sites should be accessible by commercial air carriers. Sharing of logistics will be sought.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
Material legacy will be the resulting book and travelling exhibition.

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
Y or N? Endorsement is sought

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?


New project, but preliminary field work will be completed with funding now in hand in 2006.

How will the project be organised and managed?
Overall project will be managed by W.T. Pfeffer. Regional/local contacts will be managed by collaborators listed.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
This is the core purpose of this project. See sections 1.3 and 1.6.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?

How is it proposed to fund the project?
Funding is in hand (from INSTAAR/University of Colorado) to support a pilot program during 2006 to visit 2 or 3 localities in the Scandinavian and Western Russian Arctic to photograph communities as a ‘proof of concept’ for the larger effort. Further funding will be sought from Foundations such as the Fulbright and Guggenheim Foundations, and agency programs, including NSF/HARC and NEA. Various foreign funding sources are also likely possibilities, including the Canadian, Icelandic, and Norwegian Research Councils.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
The work proposed here builds on long experience photographing similar themes at various locations in North America. To see samples of related photographic work in architecture and environment, please go to the web site: http://tintin.colorado.edu > Photos and Stories.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Professor W. Tad Pfeffer
Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado
1560 30th St
Boulder CO
80303
USA

Tel: 303-492-3480
Mobile: 720-530-5455
Fax: 303-492-6388
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation