Whispering Glaciers — log
Hello world! This is Whispering Glaciers’ development log.
We will be sharing updates on our ongoing research, including insights about Svalbard, the planning of our field trip, artistic and design inspirations, the various testing phases of the project, personal reflections, and, of course, a detailed diary documenting our 10-day expedition in the Svalbard archipelago.
The Whispering Glaciers project takes inspiration from recent observations on the transformations taking place in Svalbard’s ecosystems. Studies suggest that Svalbard is warming four times faster than the global average and is experiencing a severe fast-ice decline. (Rantanen, M., Karpechko, A.Y., Lipponen, A. et al.) This change in weather not only affects the landscape but the ecosystem and the world as a whole.
In the coming years, Svalbard may undergo radical transformations. Sounds, shapes, textures, ecosystem dynamics, and other less visible phenomena could shift into something else. As a consequence, in recent years many have rushed to the archipelago, eager to experience its unique ecosystem before it changes forever.
Whispering Glaciers seeks to create an immersive experience that allows participants to explore the landscapes of the archipelago. This experience will attempt to bring them into close contact with the intricate shapes, textures, colours, ambient tones, and subtle, often inaudible sounds that define this fragile environment. Whispering Glaciers will look into balancing realistic visual representations with more abstract interpretations, challenging conventional perspectives shaped by wildlife films and cinematic portrayals of Svalbard.
Svalbard, Norway, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, June 7, 2001
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Svalbard, an Arctic archipelago between Norway and the North Pole, is a critical region for studying climate change due to its vast and diverse ice areas. These include glaciers, sea ice, permafrost, and icebergs, each playing a vital role in the global climate system.
Glaciers cover 60% of Svalbard, with over 2,100 present. Key types include tidewater glaciers, like Kongsbreen, which calve icebergs into fjords; valley glaciers, such as Longyearbreen; and large ice caps, like Austfonna. These polythermal glaciers contain both cold and temperate ice, influencing their dynamics and response to warming.
Sea ice around Svalbard varies seasonally, peaking in winter and retreating in summer. The extent of sea ice has declined in recent decades, impacting ecosystems and serving as a critical climate indicator. It provides a habitat for species like polar bears and Arctic cod, which are under threat as ice diminishes.
Permafrost, which underlies much of Svalbard, is thawing due to rising temperatures. This leads to infrastructure instability, carbon release, and hydrological changes. The ground ice within permafrost plays a key role in maintaining landscape stability.
Icebergs, originating from calving glaciers, are significant for marine ecosystems as they release nutrients while melting. However, they pose challenges for navigation and provide clues about environmental conditions through their shapes and melt rates.
Svalbard is warming six times faster than the global average, causing accelerated glacier retreat, reduced sea ice, and permafrost degradation. This Arctic amplification makes Svalbard a critical site for climate research.
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USYNLIG NISSE
(2022-23)
"USYNLIG NISSE" or "Invisible Gnome" is an Android smartphone game crafted with the purpose of improving our ability to blend seamlessly into natural environments while traversing its trails. Inspired by explorations and strolls in Norwegian forests, this experimental game is a direct response to the rising imprint of human presence and its detrimental effects on non-human ecosystems. Enhanced by an AI system and combined with Augmented Reality, the app possesses the capability to analyze and categorize various human-made sounds generated by the player during their expedition. Upon completing each trail, participants are rewarded with points and corresponding rewards in proportion to their concerted efforts to maintain discretion and harmonize with the natural surroundings.
USYNLIG NISSE is a work in progress, conceptualized and designed by Dr. Erik Geslin. Christian Kollbaer, a NUC alumni has also actively contributed as a Unity developer.
BBEE (2023)
"BBEE," or "Becoming Bee," is a PC and VR video game that invites players to step into the shoes—or rather, the wings—of a bee. This virtual experience offers a unique glimpse into a bee's challenging life amidst the Anthropocene era. While primarily designed for online gaming, its adaptability makes it suitable for exhibitions in museums, galleries, and other public spaces.
Guided by a bee's viewpoint, players immerse themselves in a day's labor within the microcosmic world of this vital insect. Visualized through intricate point clouds, this perspective reveals the bee's struggle to distinguish healthy plants from those tainted by pesticides. "BBEE" is intrinsically biocentric, drawing us to center our awareness on the existence of even the tiniest life forms. It confronts players with the striking reality of these creatures, presently imperilled due to human activities and lack of care.
BBEE is a work in progress, conceptualized and designed by Dr. Erik Geslin in collaboration with Dr. Filipe Pais.
Playmode
(2019—2023)
Early on, artists recognized the transformative power of play and began integrating it into their works for diverse purposes – from escapism and social construction to subversion and criticism of society, politics, and even gamification systems.
Playmode, a collective exhibition curated by Filipe Pais and Patrícia Gouveia, brings together a diverse range of artworks that explore social, political, environmental, and existential issues, viewed through the lens of games and playfulness. Featuring the contributions of over 40 international artists, the show made its debut at MAAT in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2019, and subsequently went on a journey to CCBB in Belo Horizonte (03.2022), Rio de Janeiro (07.2022), São Paulo (10.2022), and Brasília (02.2023), in Brazil. The two iterations of the exhibition attracted more than 245,000 visitors.
Among the showcased artworks, pieces like "Everything" by David O’reilly (2017), "Phone Story" by Molleindustria (2011), "San Andreas Streaming Deer Cam" by Brent Watanabe (2016), and "Huni Kuin" by Guilherme Meneses, Bobware, and Beya Xinã Bena, are deeply connected with the non-anthropocentric research strand at the core of CNAP. Hence, this show, and the research behind it, are one of the inspiring foundations of the CNAP.
Noroff School of Technology and Digital Media
Noroff Education AS, Tordenskjoldsgate 9
4612 Kristiansand S
Norway
Dr. Filipe Pais
filipe.pais@noroff.no
Website design by Joana Pestana and Nuno Maio
Dr. Erik Geslin
erik.geslin@noroff.no
Noroff School of
Technology and Digital Media
Noroff Education AS, Tordenskjoldsgate 9
4612 Kristiansand S
Norway
Dr. Filipe Pais
filipe.pais@noroff.no
Dr. Erik Geslin
erik.geslin@noroff.no
Website design by Joana Pestana and Nuno Maio