• TOUCH BASE
Exploring arctic research through long exposure photography
Touch base is a cross-over art and science project in which analogue long exposure recordings have been created in collaboration with Arctic science stations world wide. By exploring and sharing innovative panorama imagery, we connect a general audience with arctic science, art and design.
Technique
We can record a longer period of time in one still image frame through solargraphy. The sun writes her track every day – when visible – onto the light sensitive photo paper inside a specially designed camera obscura. The arctic region is a perfect location for this as in the summertime the sun never sets below the the horizon.
Poetry of science
The resulting imagery resonate the timeless mystical aura of the arctic landscape, her difficult acces, the history and future. The sun is a perfect symbol to portray the effects of time, climate and human activity on this pristine wilderness. We are all connected through the light of day and the dark of night.
• RESULTS
Save Our Souls, a photo object
Extreme long exposure photographs of nine research locations in the arctic celebrate a global science community sharing knowledge from some of the most extreme and remote places on earth. The photos are presented as an S.O.S. morse code. Scientists working at these arctic stations warn us that our times may change faster than we can handle. Facts and feelings unite us in our efforts to take care of our planet.
Archive of images
Over 25 arctic scientists participated in placing and retrieving long exposure cameras in remote places in the far north. A few of the images are listed in the slider below. For the full archive please follow this link: www.longexposure.art .
Publications
2020.11.01 The Scopes, Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin New Zealand.
Music & product
Some of the images have been adopted by renowned artists Quinsin Nachoff (Soprano Saxophone/Composer) & Nathalie Bonin (violin) for their new project and album Pivotal Arc.
Touch base was translated into a 360 animated film:
Exhibit
Touch Base participated in the following events
2021.11.01-30 Kunstmaand Ameland (re-visiting)
2020.11.14 Dutch Arctic Circle
2020.11.01-30 Kunstmaand Ameland
2020.06.27-30 Kunstzentrum Coldam (Postoponed due to Covid19)
2020.04.13-30 ARCTIC MAKES, Ural State University of Architecture and Art, Ekaterinburg, Russia
2020.02.06-09 Rotterdam Photo, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
2019.12.06 Participating project in Fair International Cultural Cooperation – Climate Change, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
2019.12 /2020.03 solo exhibit at Hooghiemstra Art, Media & Business Centre, Utrecht, the Netherlands
2019.03.21 lunch time lecture at the VU Amsterdam
Please follow regular updates through social media at facebook and instagram.
• PARTNERS
participating arctic stations
participating arctic projects
universities involved
logistic support
financial support
friends of the project
scientists
Alaska, USA
Toolik Field Station
Syndonia Bret-Harte, Jeb Timm, Tupper Becker, Faustine Bernadac, Brett Biebuyck, Joseph Franich
Canada
Herschell Island, Komakuk Beach
Niek J. Speetjens, George Tanski
Finland
Finnish Meteorological Institute
Anna Kontu, Leppänen Leena, Timo Ryyppö, Timo Sukuvaara
Kevo Subarctic Research Institute
Otso Suominen, Ilkka Syvänperä
Greenland
Zackenberg Station
Lisa M. Bröder, Julien Fouché
Ilulissat
Esther Kokmeijer, André Speet (sv Mae West)
Iceland
RIF Field Station
Hrönn Guðmundsdóttir, Jónína Sigríður, Guğmundur Örn Benediktsson
Skalaness Field Station
Ólafur Örn Pétursson, Jonatan Spejlborg
Akureyri
Allen Pope, Ingeborg Klarenberg
Individual
artist Pétur Magnússon
Norway
Morgans Skip
Martin Fondse
Russia, Siberia
Cherskii, Pleistoscene park
Nikita Zimov, Kirsi Keskitalo
Kytalik & other locations
Runa Magnusson, Ove Meisel, Sander Veraverbeke
Spitsbergen
Ny-Alesund
Maarten Loonen
Polish Research Station Hornsund
Piotr Zagórski, Mateusz Piotrowski, Kacper Wojtysiak
Individuals
Dick van der Kroef, Jorien Vonk, Jasper van Impelen, Tamara Doornink
We are dedicating this project to Anna Górska & Michał Sawicki, who passed away in 2019 during fieldwork in the Hornsund area in Spitsbergen.
Collected publications and interviews by scientists involved with Touch base.
in Dutch
NPO Radio 1: interview Sander Veraverbeke – bosbranden