Project Pressure featured in Fisheye Magazine
Project Pressure directors Klaus Thymann and John Wyatt-Clarke speak about photography’s role in highlighting climate change in the latest issue of Fisheye. Issue #5 of the French photography/lifestyle magazine features an overview of the project with images from Sweden, Alaska and Uganda, alongside in-depth features on photography and rock music, Henri Cartier-Bresson and images of Madagascar.
Polaroid renews Project Pressure sponsorship
Polaroid Eyewear has reaffirmed its commitment to working with Project Pressure in 2014, paving the way for future collaborations. The good news follows last year’s successful expedition to northern Sweden, made by possible thanks to Polaroid’s support, during which Project Pressure was able to document glaciers north of the Arctic Circle. Working with Swedish glaciologist Per Holmlund, the team mapped out fragile glaciers to visit and undertook a trek to the Pallin Glacier tunnel, recently uncovered by melting ice. Thanks to Polaroid’s ongoing support, we’ll be able to plan more such missions in 2014.
Video: exploring the Pallin Glacier tunnel
Super sharp shooter
Led by Joe Poulton, the Columbia Icefield Gigapixel Project (CIGP) is creating a series of ultra-high-resolution images of Western Canada’s Columbia Icefield. Beyond the fun of zooming in on the glaciers and surrounding landscape, the images are helping to enhance local studies of the area, and raising awareness of changes along the Columbia River Basin. Project Pressure caught up with Joe to find out more.
Tell us a little bit about the Columbia Icefield.
The Columbia Icefield rests along the Banff Jasper Highway, aka Icefields Parkway. It is one of two hydrological apexes, the other being Triple Divide Peak in Montana, that provide a source of fresh water for three major watersheds in North America. The watersheds fed by the ice and snow that flow away from the slopes of Snow Dome on the Columbia Icefield include the Columbia, Athabasca and Saskatchewan Rivers. These drain into the Pacific and Arctic oceans, and Hudson Bay.
What’s the aim of your project?
The basic initial stage of the project is to acquire high resolution photographic imagery of all the aspects of the Columbia Icefield from specific locations surrounding and on the Icefield. These high resolution images will provide an additional dataset for Dr. Mike Demuth of the University of Saskatchewan to utilise alongside his Icefield studies. Dr. Demuth and his team have been conducting research on the Icefield for the last three or four years. The more complex part, if all goes well, would be to use this project as a tool for the public along the Columbia River watershed to prepare for the changes that could alter how we use the Columbia River as an economic resource in various segments of commerce.
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Exploring The Alaska Range
Stretched like a crescent moon across nearly seven hundred miles of wilderness, The Alaska Range is a formidable wall of mountains separating the south central coast from the interior of Alaska. Due to its remote location and vast scale, very little of it has been properly documented – which is where Carl Battreall comes in. Combining a passion for photography and the mountains, he is currently working on a large-format book about the range, while conducting research in the more remote sections for Project Pressure partner Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation. We caught up with him to chat all things Alaska.
Tell us a bit about yourself – where did you grow up and where are you based now?
I grew up on the south side of the central Sierra Nevada mountains in California. Both of my parents worked for the Forest Service. I moved to Santa Cruz, California when I was twenty. I worked as a custom Ilfochrome printer, while studying classic, large format, black and white photography with some of the modern masters. In 2001, I moved to Alaska, so I could be near big mountains and glaciers. I am currently living in Anchorage, Alaska with my wife Pam and son Walker.
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Peter Funch joins Project Pressure
Project Pressure is delighted to welcome photographer Peter Funch as our newest contributing artist – with an expedition to California planned for 2014. Born in Denmark and now based in New York, Peter is perhaps best known for his meticulously constructed street and skyscapes, which show scenes captured and layered over a series of days or even weeks. Following a trip to Greenland during which he captured these stunning images, Project Pressure caught up with him to talk about art, climate change and being cold.
What concepts interest you as an artist?
The idea of people, places or objects in transition related to human and impact; when it has been something and is becoming something new. It can a historic document losing it is value or relevance, a city disappearing – like Detroit – or when glaciers slowly vanish.
What role can art play in a big issue like climate change?
The scientific is one angle, the political is an other, the artistic is third. It is important to have as many angles on a such urgent matter. Different methods and viewpoints can be an eye-opener for another group. it is usually how inventions are made. Olafur Eliasson, Josef Albers, James Turrell and Florian Maier Aichen are, in my eyes, artists who are an interesting place between art and science.
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Snapshots from Athabasca
Taking a tongue-in-cheek look at the tourism phenomenon that is Canada’s Athabasca glacier, Andrew Querner captures the surreal juxtaposition of pristine white ice and brightly-attired visitors in his ‘Athabasca’ series. Project Pressure caught up with the Vancouver-based photographer to chat about the glacier and his work…
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Video: Exploring the Pallin glacier tunnel
Working with Stockholm University glaciologist Per Holmlund to identify sites of interest, Project Pressure recently travelled to the far north of Sweden to document glaciers in the Scandinavian Mountains, north of the Arctic Circle. During the expedition, which was supported by Polaroid Eyewear, photographer Klaus Thymann and Project Pressure 50% Director Christopher Seeley undertook an exploration of the Pallin Glacier tunnel, recently uncovered by melting ice.
Adventuring for science
The first results of our collaboration with Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation are now in, with Carl Hancock capturing some superb images like these ones of Snæfellsjökull in Iceland, which Project Pressure originally visited in 2011. Thanks to Carl for taking the time and care to contribute these images and data, and to Gregg and Erin at ASC for setting this up. If you’d like to contribute to Project Pressure, please visit our Get Involved page.
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Inside the Pallin tunnel
Project Pressure recently partnered with Polaroid Sunglasses to mount an expedition to Arctic Sweden. Among other sites, the team had an opportunity to explore the Pallin glacier tunnel. Uncovered by melting ice after being hidden for fifty years, this incredible natural wonder is one of the few glacial tunnels in the world that are safe to access.
A video about the tunnel with some background from glaciologist Per Holmlund is currently showing on The Guardian’s environment page.
Northern exposure
Renowned photographer and commercial fisherman Corey Arnold is currently documenting glaciers in Svalbard for Project Pressure, thanks to a grant from the Lighthouse Foundation. Beyond stunning shots of the ice, he’s also capturing a taste of what life is like for scientists living and working at the Polish research station in Hornsund. We’ll be posting more soon, or check out Instagram for a little preview.