Arctic Perspective

The Arctic Perspective Initiative (API) is a non-profit, international group of individuals and organizations whose goal is to direct attention to the global cultural and ecological significance of the polar regions. These are zones of contemporary geopolitical conflict and at the same time potential spaces for transnational and intercultural cooperation and collaboration. The exhibition Arctic Perspective documents the development of a mobile work and habitation system which can be used for nomadic dwelling, environmental monitoring and media based work “on the land”, away from the established Arctic settlements as well as its connection to traditional knowledge and culture. The exhibition focuses on the notions of architecture, geopolitics, autonomy, technology, and landscape, while featuring other positive, northern initiatives and projects that reflect these notions and values of API.

In view of the effects of climate change, the economic exploitation of untapped reservoirs of energy and natural resources in the polar regions is beginning to seem increasingly feasible. By contrast, the cooperative project Arctic Perspective – Third Culture 2008-2010 emphasizes that the significance of the polar regions is not exclusively economic. Rather, the (inhabited) Arctic and the (uninhabited) Antarctic, as well as the radical cultural and ecological changes taking place at the North and South poles, are central to a critical understanding of the complex planetary system that involves a dynamic relationship between culture, economy, geopolitics, and ecology.

The partner organizations from five different countries – HMKV (Dortmund, Germany), The Arts Catalyst (London, Great Britain), Projekt Atol (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Lorna (Reykjavik, Iceland) und C-TASC (Montréal, Canada) – are working jointly on enhancing public awareness of the cultural and ecological significance of the Arctic. The project aims to bring closer to a wide audience the urgency of the problems emerging in the Arctic with particular clarity: the changing cultural landscape of the region, the potential for new intercultural dialogue, conflicting economic and territorial interests, ecological problems, climate change, and the effects of ecological changes on the life of the Inuit.

With the means of (media) art and interdisciplinary artistic research (“third culture”) the project examines the complex global cultural and ecological interrelations in the Arctic, develops concepts for the construction of sustainable tactical communication systems and infrastructure and sustainable art/science research stations aimed at the furthering of interdisciplinary and intercultural dialogue and cooperation. The jointly obtained results will be presented in the framework of European Capital of Culture RUHR.2010 as well as the international media-art conference ISEA 2010 RUHR.

Arctic Perspective
HMKV at the PHOENIX Halle Dortmund
June 18 – October 10, 2010

Curators
Inke Arns, Matthew Biederman, Marko Peljhan

Venue
HMKV at the PHOENIX Halle Dortmund
PHOENIX Platz 4 (Hochofenstraße / corner Rombergstraße)
44263 Dortmund, www.hmkv.de

Opening hours
Wed – Fri 15:00 – 20:00
Sat – Sun 11:00 – 20:00 (and bank holidays)
Closed Mon - Tue

During the 10th Dortmund DEW21 Museum Night (Sept 25, 2010), the exhibition "Arctic Perspective" at the PHOENIX Halle will be open until 11:00 p.m.

Admission
5 € / 3 € (concessions)

Guided tours
Each Sunday at 16:00
and by appointment

Publication
Accompanying the project, a four volume publication is published by Hatje Cantz.
Series editors: Inke Arns, Matthew Biederman, Marko Peljhan, Nicola Triscott
Designed by Ziga Testen
English, 16,50 × 24 cm, Hatje Cantz, Ostfildern 2010, www.hatjecantz.de

Arctic Perspective Cahier No. 1: Architecture
edited by Andreas Müller, 148 pages, 92 Abbildungen (16 in Farbe), 2010, Englisch, ISBN 978-3-7757-2679-5
€ 19,80 Available

Arctic Perspective Cahier No. 2: Geopolitics and Autonomy
edited by Michael Bravo and Nicola Triscott, 2010, Englisch, ISBN 978-3-7757-2681-8
€ 19,80 Will be published in November 2010

Arctic Perspective Cahier No. 3: Technology
edited by Adam Hyde, 2011, Englisch, ISBN 978-3-7757-2682-5
€ 19,80 Will be published in Spring 2011

Arctic Perspective Cahier No. 4: Landscape
edited by Inke Arns, Matthew Biederman, Marko Peljhan, 2010, Englisch, ISBN 978-3-7757-2680-1
€ 19,80 Will be published in Summer 2011

Open space conference
PHOENIX Halle Dortmund, Sep 24 – 26, 2010

Partner institutions
HMKV, Dortmund (DE), Projekt Atol, Ljubljana (SI), The Arts Catalyst, London (UK), C-TASC, Montreal (CA), Lorna, Reykjavik (IS)

Support:
API in the Aviva Commu-
nity Fund 2009

Video:
API Foxe Basin 2009

Conference:
Arctic Perspective Open Space Conference
September 24 - 26, 2010

Arctic Perspective is funded by:
Culture Programme of the European Union
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the views only of the authors and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Kulturbüro der Stadt Dortmund
PHOENIX / dortmund-project
NRW.URBAN - Partner für Land und Stadt
Der Ministerpräsident des Landes NRW
Kulturministerium der Republik Slowenien
Stadt Ljubljana
Arts Council England
Canada House, London
University of California, Institute for Research in the Arts (UCIRA)
Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung

Generously supported by:
Gravis
C-ASTRAL d.o.o.
Grow NRW
National Film Board of Canada / Office national du film du Canada
Bäckerei Böhmer, Dortmund
Microhard Inc.
Southwest Windpower
Technology Review (Heise Verlag)
Potsdam-Institut für Klimafolgenforschung e.V.

Media partner
coolibri, De:Bug, city life