Touch base

Connecting arctic research stations through long exposure photography

Touch base is a cross-over art and science project in which analogue long exposure recordings will be created in collaboration with Arctic science stations. By exploring and sharing innovative panorama imagery, we will 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 and history and future. The sun is a perfect symbol for 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. Take a closer look at the object on this page

Archive of images

Over 25 arctic scientists participated in placing and retrieving long exposure cameras in remote places in the far north. Some of the images are listed in the slider below, for the full archive please visit my long exposure photography website, you can browse click and order an image there.

Music & product

Some of the images will be adopted by renowned artists Quinsin Nachoff (Soprano Saxophone/Composer) & Nathalie Bonin (violin) for their new project album Pivotal Arc.

Exhibit

Touch Base is participating in the following events & products

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.

Publications

2020.06.01 (planned) The Scopes, Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin New Zealand.

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.