Janet Biggs Updates

Hong Kong

2011-10-09T20:45:00.001-04:00

Survived a full day in the air. Now waiting in noodles shop at Hong Kong airport for 9 hour layover (with free WiFi! Shame on NYC airports).

If this is Friday

2011-10-07T21:29:00.002-04:00

Back from Tampa! Thanks so much to everyone who helped and supported me!

Now packing for Indonesia, leaving tomorrow. Will be a long journey

NY to Vancouver: 5:50
Layover: 1:15
Vancouver to Hong Kong: 13:19
Layover in Hong Kong: 9:00 (hmm. enough time to go to town?)
Hong Kong to Surabaya: 4:47
Surabaya to Ijen via car: 8 to 10 hours

Total journey: 10,150 miles in air, 150 miles of rutted mountain roads, 42 hours total (assuming all connections are made, and the car doesn't get stuck).

Indonesia

2011-10-06T21:03:00.002-04:00

Heading to Indonesia next week!

Here's some information/links about the area we're exploring.

We'll be in the area of Bondowoso

Here's some weather links:

In town
On the volcano

Info on the Arabica Homestay (our base)

Some interesting photos of the miners

I hope to post my own pictures once we're there!

NO LIMITS: JANET BIGGS

2011-10-05T23:38:00.003-04:00

The opening of my Tampa mid-career retrospective is tomorrow, October 8. It's up until January 8, 2011, so hope lots of friends can come down and see what I've been up to for the past ten years!

Wet Exit Documentation

2011-10-05T23:35:00.005-04:00

Here's a link to a 5 minute video, showing highlights of the WET EXIT performance on Saturday, September 23, 2011.

VIDEO -->

Performance this Friday and Saturday - Under Manhattan Bridge

2011-09-21T19:47:00.003-04:00

I'm very excited about this performance, hope you can make it! It's in the park right outside Smack Mellon in DUMBO.

WET EXIT / Multimedia Performance by Janet Biggs

Friday and Saturday, September 23 & 24 at 8:30pm, weather permitting. Free!

Waterfront Amphitheater in the Brooklyn Bridge Park,
entrance at Main and Plymouth Street.

Smack Mellon presents artist Janet Biggs' premier of Wet Exit, a multi-media performance that looks at loss, chaos and control. Wet Exit combines projected video images, vocalist and musicians, with choreographed kayakers performing in the East River.

Press release and more information >

Garbo Talks!

2011-03-09T20:16:00.001-05:00

I was interviewed by "This Week in NY" - check it out!

L Magazine

2011-03-06T09:58:00.003-05:00

L Magazine Review of show at Winkleman

Exploration Art: Janet Biggs and Duke Riley Scout Forgotten Islands and Dark Tunnels
by Benjamin Sutton

The artist as not just an aesthetic explorer, but an actual traveler discovering uncharted or unauthorized places, is a notion that by necessity involves not just performance but storytelling. We see this, for instance, in land art like Michael Heizer's 1969 desert incision "Double Negative," wherein the piece becomes inseparable from the artist's labor and subsequent visitors' pilgrimages to discover the work. Two young artists doing away with the artwork at the end of the journey, Janet Biggs and Duke Riley, turn the act of exploration and discovery into their medium. Biggs, in a trio of documentary videos on view at Winkleman Gallery, uses a very dramatic mode of presentation. Riley's two mock-historical installations at Magnan Metz Gallery, meanwhile, acknowledge the strange, nearly kitschy novelty of becoming an explorer at a time when Google Earth and similar tools let anyone travel to the farthest reaches of the globe. Both artists document enigmatic journeys in rarely-traversed waters towards obscure islands.

Biggs's first solo show at Winkleman Gallery, The Arctic Trilogy (through March 12), follows three different sorts of explorers in the little-known Svalbard islands in the Arctic Ocean. The shortest, "In the Cold Edge" (2010), shown in an appropriately cavernous rear alcove, follows a spelunker into a seemingly endless glacial cave. Though copiously edited, it's the least complex documentary of the trio. The two larger projections play in alternating loops in the main gallery. "Fade to White" (2010) follows an arctic explorer navigating a 100-year-old sailboat and his kayak through icy waters. Biggs edits the short so that it seem as though the explorer is the only person on the vessel, and conceals whatever research mission is behind this solitary, slightly insane excursion—despite the bearded man's calm demeanor, one can't help but worry for his safety when he's kayaking in icy rain and heavy snow, or near polar bears. This extreme flâneur's Arctic wanderings in majestic, serene landscapes beneath stunning mountains are intercut with countertenor John Kelly—dressed in white against a white backdrop—whose ethereal voice emphasizes the journey's metaphysic rather than scientific power. Not the conventional excursion into wilderness for the sake of self-discovery, "Fade to White," as the title implies, involves a kind of self-erasure.

Its companion piece, "Brightness All Around" (2011), is the best of this very good exhibition. Linda Norberg is a coal miner working several miles beneath the frozen tundra at reinforcing the ceiling of a newly excavated tunnel. She operates a heaving, clattering, buzzing machine in a science fiction setting barely lit by her headlamp, water gushing down all around her. Biggs cuts between the mining machinery's incredible clamor and vocalist Bill Coleman, all in black leather against a black backdrop, singing about near-death experiences over an über-masculine rock guitar instrumental. Biggs inverses the gendered dynamics of exploration in these two major videos, portraying a male traveler as a passive, vulnerable figure in an all-enveloping white landscape, while Norberg drills and transforms the black depths of the planet. The juxtaposition of pristine landscapes in the former and a moon-like mining operation in the later further complicate the exhibition's power dynamics by underlining its environmentalist resonances.

Unlike Biggs, who remains almost completely absent from the excursions she films—she appears at the end of "In the Cold Edge" firing a flare over a frozen lake—Duke Riley stars in his projects. The expeditions brought together in Two Riparian Tales of Undoing at Magnan Metz Gallery (through April 9) involve the cities in which they were first presented: Cleveland and Philadelphia. In the former installation, titled An Invitation to Lubberland and occupying the front half of the gallery, Riley explores the grid of tunnels beneath Cleveland to rediscover an ancient spring called Kingsbury Run, long ago buried beneath the city. Stylized videos of Riley's sub-urban exploration done in Chaplinesque costume and with silent movie title cards lead visitors through a circular hallway lined with mosaics made of glass, tile, coins and cigarettes portraying the homeless communities that inhabit the Run, and the string of murders that led it to be condemned. Part clowning explorer—filming his costumed companion sliding down the gushing tunnel on his belly and marching back upstream—Riley also does some earnest anthropology, rediscovering and dramatizing the practices of the displaced communities that lived along the Run.

Reclaiming the Lost Kingdom of Laird, first shown at the Philadelphia Historical Society, concerns the fate of a small island in the Delaware River between Philadelphia and Camden. An Irish immigrant named Ralston Laird occupied Petty's Island for the second half of the 19th century with his wife and ten children. They were eventually joined by several other immigrant families. He farmed and raised cattle until his home burned down mysteriously, forcing the Lairds and other families to leave the island, which was being eyed for industrial development. The Venezuelan oil company Citgo has occupied the island for decades, building large oil silos on its north end that are now abandoned; Hugo Chavez announced plans in 2009 to donate the island to New Jersey, though contamination clean-up issues have left the island in limbo and off-limits—Riley wrote Chavez an open letter in the Huffington Post demanding that the island be returned to the Laird family. In the meantime he and the Laird Kingdom Liberation Army made an expedition to the island by kayak, retrieving archaeological objects from the burned-down home and—as shown in an informative short documentary—painting a portrait of the forgotten king on the roof of an abandoned Citgo silo. Nearby hand-written charts and faux-historical drawings remind of Treasure Island, although here the island itself, and the curious story that lies buried within, are the treasure.

For both Biggs and Riley, then, these journeys are primarily about strange, little-explored places and the people who seek them out—Werner Herzog's Encounters at the End of the World continually comes to mind, especially in the Arctic shorts. But both are also telling fascinating stories that conflict with official histories and dominant narratives. Linda Norberg, piercing her way through frozen rock in search of raw fuel, is the epitome of the phallic woman. Riley's fond rediscoveries of a homeless-inhabited waterway and immigrant-governed island reveal little-known havens that are both countercultural and profoundly American. Their solitary, enigmatic journeys document fascinating new frontiers of human endeavor.

More Press

2011-03-01T22:39:00.003-05:00

Charlie Finch, "Coal Miner's Daughter" in Artnet

Doug McClemont’s Top 10 Shows in New York: March 2011 in Saatchi Online

"Fade to White" video by Janet Biggs shown at Winkleman gallery

New York Times Review

2011-02-18T08:35:00.006-05:00

The New York Times' Holland Carter has written a lyrical review of my Arctic Trilogy show at Ed Winkleman Gallery.

Art in Review
JANET BIGGS: ‘The Arctic Trilogy’

By HOLLAND COTTER
Published: February 17, 2011

Winkleman Gallery
621 West 27th Street
Chelsea
Through March 12

The three short, related videos that make up Janet Biggs’s debut show at Winkleman were filmed on glacial islands between the top of Norway and the North Pole. Playing on separate screens and in overlapping sequence, the pieces can be viewed in any order, though a gallery news release, which I assume represents the artist’s intentions, suggests starting with “Fade to White,” which was filmed mostly outdoors and serves as an atmospheric scene-setter.

It opens with a shot of an antique schooner. On its deck a man suits up against the cold and launches a kayak. For most of the rest of the video we travel with him through ice-floe-clogged waters, catching glimpses of bears and other wildlife that make up the Arctic’s fragile ecosystem. As if to emphasize fragility, these scenes alternate with studio shots of the performance artist John Kelly, dressed in white and singing a mournful Baroque madrigal. The video moves back and forth between the singer and the seaman, until the kayak heads toward the horizon and the screen goes white.

Most of a second video, “In the Cold Edge,” is a space-distorting tour of an ice-cave interior, its fantastic forms illuminated only by the lights of mining helmets. The third piece, “Brightness All Around,” takes us deep down into the earth where a solitary coal miner and machine operator named Linda Norberg oversees a thunderous array of drills and extractors. As a counterpart to their unearthly clamor, Ms. Biggs has folded in shots of another performer, Bill Coleman, dressed in black leather, and delivering a demonic, death-tinged chant.

As I said, the viewing sequence is optional. I watched “In the Cold Edge” last and was glad I did. It concludes on a stirringly ambiguous note. After we emerge from the ice cave to a terrain as bleakly beautiful as a moonscape, a woman — Ms. Biggs — shoots a flare into the sky. The sudden flash of color, heat and energy comes as a relief in a frozen world. At the same time it implies a condition of emergency, which takes us back to Mr. Kelly’s rendition of a love song that sounds like a lament.

Arctic Trilogy on View

2011-02-02T23:11:00.002-05:00

The arctic work will be exhibited at Winkleman Gallery -- see info at www.jbiggs.com/arctic !

Miami Sun and my Roommates Blog

2010-11-20T19:02:00.006-05:00

I've been going nonstop since I've returned from the Arctic, making new work and traveling for exhibitions. I've finished my first piece from this year's Arctic trip (which required a few all nighters to complete in time for the Miami art fairs). It will be shown with Conner Contemporary Art at Pulse Art Fair .

These images are from my new piece titled "In the Cold Edge."

My video from last year, Fade to White will also be there as part of a curated program titled "Pulse Play ". Todd Smith, director of the Tampa Art Museum (where my mid-career survey show will open next year) curated the program. My new NASCAR video will also be in Miami at Winkleman Gallery as part of the new fair/exhibition "Seven".

All this activity has made it difficult to upload my journal from the Arctic. "Bear" with me ... it will come, but in the meanwhile check out my roommate from the Noorderlicht's blog. Urszula Dawkins is a beautifully lyrical writer that does justice to the region and experience that I never could. Her blog is http://urszuladawkins.blog.com/. I couldn't recommend a better read!

Back ... in Charlotte

2010-11-05T00:20:00.005-04:00

Apologies for lack of updates. I got back to NYC, decompressed a bit, then had to finalize materials and fly to Charlotte for my show at the Mint Museum.

I give a talk at the museum today, and the show opens on Friday (November 6). The show includes four videos, including Fade to White (which features footage shot in Svalbard in 2009) and DUET, a new piece built around NASCAR pit crews!

Information about the show is on the Mint Museum's website.

While I've been in the Arctic, things in the real world have stayed busy. I was happy to come back to find that my recent show at Conner Contemporary Gallery was reviewed in the November ARTnews and the October ArtForum.

I'll post more updates and photos from Svalbard here soon. Just have to catch my breath!

Barentsburg

2010-10-21T00:25:00.003-04:00

Got a call from Janet today. She's in Barentsburg, home of rotgut vodka, dangerous industry and better celphone reception than midtown Manhattan.

Sounds like a good trip - polar bears, auroras, violent storms. I'm hoping that she'll be blogging from Longyearbyen in two days or so to fill us all in!

Message from Janet

2010-10-18T07:15:00.003-04:00

Got a message from Janet - the Noorderlict has a "very low-speed radio link", so the folks onboard the ship are only allowed one short message during the trip.

"All ok up here. We have a bit of sea tonight. I've been shooting off flares and bangers whenever i get the chance. I've woken up a polar bear and a fox so far.

Went out in the kayak today. The sea was so full of ice that we pushed our way through by hand. The landscape is unbelievable beautiful and otherworldly. We have been up in the Love Fjord for the past couple of days. Went to Moffen and visited the walrus. Now heading back down the coast.

Will stop at the island where Swedish explorer Andres set off in his balloon tomorrow. Then ny alesund so i should be able to call you in a couple of days."

On the Town

2010-10-16T14:20:00.007-04:00

Saw this today on the webcam -- looks like the Norwegian Navy is visiting Longyearbyen. Unless I'm mistaken, that's the KNM Otto Sverdrup, a Fridtjof Nansen-class frigate. It's a 120-man boat, primarily used to detect and destroy submarines.

So if Janet's ship runs into any rogue Russian subs, they have backup.

Here's a nice shot of (almost) the entire town of Longyearbyen:

Still in the Dark

2010-10-15T22:10:00.004-04:00

No news from Janet, but I haven't expected to hear from her. I'm hoping she can get a word through if they get into Ny-Ålesund, but not sure if or when they'll get there.

Good news is that the winds are much lighter than last year -- but it will pick up early next week (predicted windspeeds of 30MPH/50KHP). It's cold up there -- 0F at night, 25F during the day. Daytime is disappearing, too. Two weeks ago, there was 12 hours of sunlight in Svalbard. It's below five hours now, and will be gone by the time they return to Longyearbyen. And even during those five hours, the sun is low on the horizon.

I'm sure they're having fun, can't wait to hear about their adventures!

Signal from Dark Side of Moon

2010-10-12T07:16:00.006-04:00

Got a short, enigmatic text message from Janet. "Hey we. Cel reception because passing barentsberg. Elkhound well. Really Kline. Janet."

So the Elkhound is doing well. I'm guessing she isn't so good at texting in sub-freezing temperatures on a rocking boat.

These are pictures Janet shot last year in Barentsburg.
Barentsburg is a little lost bit of Soviet-era Russia, frozen in time. There is still mining going on. It probably isn't economically viable -- the population has dropped from over 2000 in 1990 to under 300. Unlike Longyearbyen, where there is a thriving post-mining economy, there are almost no tourist spots in Barentsburg except for a hotel and its bar.
The Russians probably keep it going in order to maintain mining and property rights.
Barentsburg is only 55km from Longyearbyen, but there are no roads. During the cold war, visitors from Barentsburg to Longyearbyen were required to have KGB chaperones. Now, they just need Kroners, which are just as difficult for the locals to acquire.

Snow

2010-10-10T22:48:00.003-04:00

Looks like the weather is finally appropriate for the Arctic. Snow started falling tonight, weather for the Noorderlict is predicted at about -15C (5 degrees F), clear skies, light wind.

Leaving Longyearbyen

2010-10-10T12:46:00.003-04:00

We are 19 artists, sprawled across the communal living space of MaryAnn's Polarigg, all frantically skyping and typing away. The bus picks us up in 10 minutes. It's dead silent. Everyone is nervous, but excited to get underway.

Once the bus gets here there will be a made rush to get all the bags on board. Our luggage takes up a sizable room. I remember last year, looking at all he bags getting carried onto the Noorderlicht and thinking ... No way! There is no way all this stuff can fit on that small boat. It's amazing how it's managed and eventually feels spacious on board. There is a light snow falling. Perfect for heading off on our adventure!

That's the Noorderlicht on the far left side of the webcam picture.

I'll be off the grid till we return to Longyearbyen...

Mining and Filming in Sveagruva

2010-10-09T18:21:00.012-04:00

I just got back from an amazing couple days at Svea. I hopped the miner's flight down just in time to meet Linda as she got off of work. Linda was outfitted in a jumpsuit and completely covered in coal dust. She took me into the miner's locker rooms, equipped with showers, sauna, clothing (including helmet's, head lamps, and boots). Since there are only three women in the mine, the women's area is completely surrounded by the men's locker rooms. One turn of the head, and you get quite an eyeful!

Linda completely outfitted me (not for safety to keep my clothes relatively clean). We headed out for one of the entrances to the mine.

There is a tall crane that comes out of the mine with a conveyer belt running up it. The coal is transported out of the mine on this belt and dumped in a huge pile. We climbed out to the end of the crane on a narrow walkway. The walkway was made of grating with big holes. Not only was it tough to set up a tripod, but looking down sent my heart racing.

We hopped back into the truck and set off for another mine entrance. Driving at about 60km, the trip took 15 minutes. The road heads up into the mountains and is built on top of a glacier. They have had to rebuild the road annually as the glacier keeps melting. The entrance to the mine is a gaping hole in the side of the mountain. I had permission from the mining company to film around the entrance, but not to enter the mine. I filmed Linda for a couple hours and then we made our way to the mess hall for dinner

That night I taught Linda and a couple of the miners how to use my camera. Since I wasn't allowed into the mine, they had offered to take my camera in and film for me so I could get the footage I wanted.

The next day, they brought me amazing footage of an environment that is so extreme it's hard to imagine. Not being allowed to film in the mine had been such a frustration, but ended up creating a fantastic collaboration with the miners!

Sveagruva

2010-10-06T21:51:00.009-04:00

Janet flew off on Wednesday to the "closed" mining settlement of Sveagruva. The only way to get there is via the mining company's daily flight. On a 17-seat prop-driven plane. I spoke with Janet, she said it was an amazingly beautiful 15 minute trip.

Sveagruva is an old-fashioned company town. The mining company, Store Norske, owns everything -- the dorms, the kitchens, airport, and of course, the mines.

Miners fly in to work 14-day shifts, then head back to Norway (or Longyearbyen) for a 14-day break. The mine itself is about 3.5 km deep (a little over two miles!)

[note -- these aren't Janet's pictures. We'll have to wait until she posts some.]

Mine 7

2010-10-05T06:45:00.011-04:00

Between the jet lag I can't seem to kick and my cold, I was moving pretty slow on Sunday. I slept late and didn't get out to film until the afternoon. I was half way up a mountain when my phone rang (Longyearbyen may be a small town, but it has amazing cell reception). Linda, the woman coal miner who is the focus of my project was calling. I finished up filming and walked over to her house.

Here's a picture of Linda in her amazing sealskin coat.

Linda works at Svea, the larger of the two Norwegen mines. Svea is about 60km to the south of Longyearbyen. The miners there work a 14 days on, 14 days off schedule. They fly in for their shifts. Linda was just finishing up her 14 days off.

We made plans to go to Mine 7 Monday morning. Mine 7 is just north of Longyearbyen and reachable by car. Longyearbyen has two main roads that run perpendicular to each other. Both roads just end, one at the mine and the other at a glacier.

I headed back to my residence at Galleri Svalbard and spent the evening charging batteries and doing laundry.

Linda had borrowed a car and picked me up Monday morning. We had permission to film around the entrance to the mine, but not inside. We entered a large garage looking building. Inside the building was a lot of machinery, vehicles, and a huge hole into the mountain. I spent a couple hours filming Linda and the miners who work in Mine 7.

To celebrate a successful day of filming, Linda and I had dinner at Funken, a hotel and restaurant with a view over Longyearbyen. The restaurant seemed to think my "reservation for two" was for a romantic dinner - note the hearts on the table. After too many courses of things like Arctic Char tartar and reindeer, I went to bed swearing I'd never eat that much again.

Santa Claus Mine

2010-10-02T14:31:00.007-04:00

Yesterday, I climbed up to an old abandoned mine above Longyearbyen. The locals call it the Santa Claus mine It's also rumored to be the summer home of Santa.

The locals say that this is the summer home of Santa. Mr. Klaus needs to make more money and do some rehab. Every Christmas season a mailbox is placed on the road below the mine. The local kids write their letters to Santa and place them in the box, hoping that Santa will come down from the mine and give them the toys they've asked for.

And it's very scary. Like, horror movie scary. And yes, there are haunting whistling noises coming out of the mine shaft. Luckily, it's frozen over, so I assume the monsters can't come out. Yet.

The climb is deceptively long and tough. The steep incline is covered with loose gravel and mud. I was hauling two backpacks with camera equipment and a tripod (which I regretted within seconds).

This mine was originally opened by Americans in the 1900s. In 1916 the Store Norske Spitsbergen Kullkompani (SNSK) became established, and they bought the mine from the American owner (Mr. Longyear).

The tall wooden structures are cable trestles, and are considered cultural monuments of the old manual-labor coal mining days in Longyearbyen. Back when the mines were working, the coal was transported in "kibs" (carriers) on the cable way to the cleaning plant.

I finally got up to the mine and heard a dog barking inside. I called out, but no answer. I hiked around the mine looking for the dog. I returned to the lower part and heard the dog again. It was totally creepy! We're talking horror movie creepy. I had to take a few moments and calm my terror. I wanted to run back down (not a good idea with the terrain). I finally convinced myself that the barking was just some old metal flapping in the wind (yeah, right). What finally made me set up and film was the thought that if I didn't do it then, I would have to haul all that equipment up some other day ... the shots were just too good to miss.

After a few hours of crawling in and around the mine, I slowly made my way back down, happy to leave the ghost dog behind.

Longyearbyen Pics

2010-10-01T22:05:00.011-04:00

Here's some pictures from Janet.

Downtown Longyearbyen

UNIS - The University Center in Svalbard (big building, eh?). UNIS is the world's northernmost higher education institution, and offers high quality courses at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate level in Arctic Biology, Arctic Geology, Arctic Geophysics and Arctic Technology.

The locals are complaining about the lack of snow - it's been hovering just above freezing, with lots of rain. So the snowmobiles remain parked:

Coal hoppers from the good old days - these were used to bring coal down from the mines above town:

View up the valley. Janet's residency is in a house about a mile up this road - a bit of a walk back into town!

Another view up the road:

This is a shot (not taken by Janet) of the artist residency house. It has three bedrooms and a shared kitchen/living room. It's currently being shared by three artists.

Click on the pictures to get bigger images.

2010-10-01T15:26:00.005-04:00

Today I moved from the Polarigg to Galleri Svalbard's artist residence. It took much of the day just repacking and hauling my stuff from one place to the next. I may be short on clothes, but not on equipment. I have two primary cameras and three back-ups ... all insured with a "bring back a carcass and we'll give you a new camera" policy. The Arctic can be tough on cameras.

After finally getting settled in my new home and talking to some of the artists who have studios here, I walked the ~~1 1/2 km~~ very long 2.5km into town. It was actually raining, a rare occurance for this time of the year. It should be snow.

I met Karianne and her children at the Radisson for an early dinner. It was so great to see her after a year's time. We met last year when she volunteered to be one of the paddlers for the synchronized kayak piece I've come back to finish.

I didn't film today, but scouted some locations and made plans to start tomorrow.

Made It

2010-09-30T21:46:00.005-04:00

Janet's in Longyearbyen. Only took about 30 hours. Weather is cool, but just above freezing.

She's staying in the Polarrigg again, at least for one night. Tomorrow she moves to an artist residency, a bit up the valley.

Oslo with Katja

2010-09-30T17:47:00.006-04:00

After a couple days of travel, I'm finally back in the Arctic! I left NYC on Tuesday, and arrived in Oslo Wednesday morning. My amazing friend and roommate from last years trip, Katja, flew from Stockholm to spend the day with me. We visited gallerys, museums, and the opera house, but most of all we got to catch up. Katja and I became each others assistants and collaborrators last year. It was great to start off this trip with her feedback and perspective on my project for this year.

An artist and friend from NYC, Hanneline (who is Norweigen) is spending half a year in Oslo. She kindly invited Katja and me to join her and her daughter for dinner. She made an amazing risotto with chanterelle mushrooms that she picked herself in the Norweigen forest.

Speaking of food, I got on the plane this morning for my flight north and Anna, our cook on the Noorderlicht from last year, was a couple rows behind me! To say I'm happy that she will be on board again this year would be an understatement. I spent the flight dreaming about her cinnamon buns and rack of lamb.

Oslo

2010-09-29T07:18:00.004-04:00

Janet's now in Oslo. She's spending a day there, will fly to Tromso, then on to Longyearbyen tomorrow (Thursday).

Should be an interesting trip. She'll be in Svalbard for about ten days before sailing. She's hoping to get new footage on land - she has a few shots set up. More on this soon.

Katja (her roommate from last year's trip) flew over to Oslo from Stockholm to spend the day with Janet.

Heading Back Soon

2010-09-20T20:25:00.002-04:00

Janet will leaving for Svalbard in just a week. Should be an interesting year -- the Noorderlicht was stuck in the ice this week. They're sailing free again, but looks like a bit more bergs this year.

Here's a link to a Google tranlation of the story.

Shooting Training for Arctic 2010

2010-08-08T22:46:00.004-04:00

I'm heading back to the Arctic!

Everyone on Svalbard is required to carry a rifle -- in case of polar bear attacks. Since it's cheaper to rent a rifle than to hire an armed guard, I'm getting certified as a marksman. Marksperson. Whatever.

Today I learned safety and technique and fired off a box of 30-06 - big bullets, they give a big kick. Happy to say all my shots hit the target.

Arctic Video Premiere

2010-04-30T12:29:00.003-04:00

"Fade to White" - a new video using my Arctic footage - will premiere at Conner Contemporary Art in Washington DC.

There will be an opening night reception, Saturday, May 15th from 6 to 8pm. The show will run until July 3.

Conner Contemporary Art is located at 1358 Florida Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20002.

Gallery hours are Tuesday - Saturday 10-5pm

Here's the press release for the show:

In new video and photographs, Biggs delves into the desire to explore remote lands. To create this work, the artist embarked on an expedition in the high Arctic, traveling aboard an ice-class, 2-masted schooner, built in 1910. During the voyage, Biggs filmed Fade to White, focusing on a crew member as he navigated the ship through iceberg filled seas, and paddled a kayak past glacier walls and polar bears.

As she photographed the explorer, Biggs tested her own will and endurance. The visual tension of her uncompromising imagery bespeaks their mutual struggle to maintain balance and purpose. Yet, the video also reveals the use of extensive rigging, exposing the myth of the solitary white male explorer. Biggs explains, "The desire to hold onto the notion of the 'great white north' as a blank space awaiting interpretation only reinforces the idea of the colonial polar hero. The 'virgin' north has now been mapped, surveyed, and mined, but increased knowledge has not replaced endless fantasies of discovery."

Loss and change are implicit in the video's title, Fade to White, which refers to an editing technique used to evoke death or transcendence. Biggs integrated her Arctic imagery with sound and video footage of counter tenor John Kelly, whose age, androgyny, and mournful voice parallel the vanishing Arctic landscape and signal the waning of male dominance.

Vanishing Point, the artist's recent video, featuring biker Leslie Porterfield and the Harlem Addicts Rehabilitation Center Choir, will be on view in the media room.

Forthcoming exhibitions include The Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, NC (November 2010) and the Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, FL (survey, traveling, spring 2011).

Additional information may be found at: http://www.connercontemporary.com/.

Reliving the arctic!

2009-12-19T23:49:00.004-05:00

Blizzard in New York!

We're all waiting for Janet to finish the details of the Svalbard trip. She's been busy reviewing and editing the many, many hours of footage from the trip. She describes herself as a "mono-tasker" - once she's ready to take some time off from looking at the amazing footage of the Arctic, she'll continue this blog.

In the meantime ... here's shots of Janet putting on her arctic gear and playing on our Manhattan roof during the great blizzard of December 2009.

Day 15

2009-11-18T21:52:00.013-05:00

October 20th

After two hours of sleep, I woke at 6am and frantically packed my gear.  Not only did I have to pack my cameras, hard drives, computer, etc., but also the kayaks and all their gear (drysuits, neoprene skirts, poggie hand grips, life jackets, paddles, etc.).  It's a good thing I hadn't brought many clothes.  Even going to the Arctic, I had to prioritize what to bring since we had a weight limit.  Cameras and kayaks took top priority.

I raced around for a couple of hours, stopping once to gulp down our last breakfast cooked by Anna.  I had to get drysuits back from both Audun and Amy Witta (a social scientist who was studying our responses to the environment).  

The drysuits were mandatory for kayaking - they were hard to get on, but they kept the ice-cold water off your skin. Without them, a flip of the kayak (a very common occurance) would lead to hypothermia and probable death in under five minutes.



Amy had borrowed my drysuit a couple of times during the trip so that she could take a swim!!  The first time she climbed down the ships ladder and swam out to an iceberg a few feet away.  From that point on, if the weather permitted, we could usually find Amy floating around off shore or somewhere near the ship with a big smile on her face!

Once everything was packed the lugging began.  Jan helped me get the kayaks to land.  I had made arrangements with a produce delivery truck driver to transport the kayaks the mile and a half (3km) back to the Svalbard Sailing Club.  

I was lucky to find someone with a truck, without this lift, I would have had to carry the heavy kayaks by hand. The night before, I spotted the driver bringing pallets of food on board for the Noorderlicht's next trip to Tromso.  I bolted up on deck and asked how big their truck was.  Kindly, he didn't think I was a crazy woman, and agreed to come back the next day and move the kayaks for me.



We all had most of our luggage on the dock when we realized that Raphaele wasn't with us!  We raced back in and woke her from a sound sleep.  I've never seen such speed packing!  Just as she got her last bag off the ship our bus arrived to take us and our luggage to the Polarrigen.  



This was the first moment all morning that any of us had had a moment to breath and face the fact that we were leaving our beloved Noorderlicht and her crew.  With tight throats, and eyes brimming with tears we said our goodbyes.  The crew stood on the dock in front of the Noorderlicht and waved goodbye.  No one spoke on the bus.  I avoided all eye contact, afraid that a glance from anyone would start the tears again.  



Once back at the Polarriggen we unloaded our luggage and went to our rooms.  We were all so sad that our adventure at sea was over.  Eventually hunger drew some of us out of our rooms.  We decided to walk to a "downtown" Longyearbyen cafe for a late lunch.  As we were climbing over a hill Ian said, "Look!"  The Noorderlicht, with her sails raised was leaving the fjord.  It was the most beautiful and saddest sight I think I've ever seen.  

During our voyage, whenever Jan was on shore he would call out to the Noorderlicht on his walkie-talkie in a special way - he would sing her name three times.  I will always hear that song in my head and my heart.  

Here are some shots of my beautiful Noorderlicht.

Last Night Aboard Ship

2009-11-16T21:38:00.016-05:00

October 19th - pm



The deck was completely iced over and the sleet was still falling. The crew and any artist with prior sailing experience worked together to raise sail. 



Not an easy feat under these conditions. At one point the bowsprits sail became tangled. The Captain left the wheel and made it to the bow in about six strides. He slipped only once, righting himself with ease. (everyone else had gone down repeatedly). 



He climbed out on the bowsprits and wrestled the sail into submission, and returned to the wheel with a smile on his face.

For the next couple of hours we lived at a forty five degree angle or better. Lunch was a challenge. Food, dishes, glasses, and people were all sliding downhill. Moving about the living quarters took a lot of planning. 



To get from the lower saloon onto deck I started by hanging onto the table ... running downhill to the wall next to the galley, pushing off and grabbing onto the railing at the bottom of the stairs, dragging myself up the stairs at a forty five degree angle, pausing at the top to get my breath and plan the rest of my path, use Osman as a ricochet point to come back around and brace off the mast that ran down through the upper saloon, push off the mast to hang onto Matt who was trying to get back downstairs, run towards the door to deck, glance off the bar and finally make it to the three stairs that led onto deck. This was all done with good footing. The deck was covered in ice.



Once outside, the howling of the wind was matched by the howling of our group! We were all out in force and loving it! We had to hang on to each other and to the ship to keep ourselves from being blown overboard. I had grabbed the Sanyo underwater camera as I was heading out on deck and it was a good thing! 



The waves were flying over the ships railing, hitting us full force. I was hanging on to the uphill side of the boat with one arm and filming with the other. I looked down at Osman who was on the downhill side of the ship. It was like he was standing on a floor below me! It was exhilarating!!!! 



Even Willie, who had experienced real fear on some early "nights of terror", was hanging over the rail, camera in hand and a huge smile on her face. It's amazing how much we've all changed in a couple weeks at sea.



We arrived back at the Longyearbyen dock in the early evening. We will spend one last night on board and then it's back to the Polarriggen tomorrow. Most of us are in complete denial that this is the end of our voyage.

We invited the crew to be our guests at dinner. We chose the Polarriggen since it was close to the dock and large enough to handle our group. We walked to dinner feeling the ground undulate under our feet. It was tough to walk on solid ground after so many days at sea. Dinner was festive, but tinged with the knowledge that tomorrow the Noorderlicht and her crew would head to Tromso without us.



We slowly straggled back to the ship after dinner. As more and more people showed up the night felt more and more like a party. It finally kicked into gear when chef Anna showed up. She had kept to herself and kept us in fear throughout the trip. Tonight she was ready to party with us. Soon the Captain, Jan, and Sebastian arrived and the Captain started pouring drinks. It was getting late (actually early, as in 3am early) and most partiers had wandered off to bed. We had to be packed and off the ship at 9am. Katja, Ian, Raphaele, and I were reluctant to let the night with the crew end. We hung on as long as we could and then finally made our way down to our cabins.

2009-11-16T12:10:00.007-05:00

Later that morning ....

While I had been filming onboard a group of artists and scientists had joined Jan in the Zodiac and traveled to shore.  They had hiked up a big hill and disappeared from sight into the sleet and fog.  Sebastian was willing to take Katja, me, and Ian Burns to shore with Audun as our armed escort.  The Zodiac slammed across the waves and we squinted against the sleet.  



I had thought that days like this would be the norm for our trip.  We had been pretty lucky with the weather ... up to this point.  Once on shore I set up to film Katja's performance.  Half way through, I saw a flare flash in the fog behind Katja.  I turned to Audun and said, "I think I just saw a flare gun flash!".  As the words were leaving my mouth we heard a gun shot ... and then another!!

We had left the Noorderlicht without a walkie-talkie so there was no way to reach the ship.  We yelled from shore and swung our arms in the air, but no one saw us.  We gathered the life preservers that the group had left on shore and started down the beach towards the gun shot sounds.  It was standard practice to take off our life preservers once we reached shore.  

With thoughts of polar bears we rushed along, occasionally stopping to try to get the attention of someone on board the Noorderlicht.  My heart was racing and the color had drained out of all our faces.  None of us was sure what one more gun, four more people, and a dozen life preservers would do to help if the group was in serous trouble.  Even so, we continued to rush towards the gun shot sounds.



Suddenly, we saw the outline of a person heading towards us out of the fog and sleet ... then another.  Still short of breath from fear, we realized that they were walking calmly!  Eventually, the entire group could be seen walking casually towards us.  We called out to them saying we heard gun shots.  Jan sheepishly answered that he had fired off a couple rounds of flares and gun shots (that were out of date and needed to be discarded anyway) so that some of the artists could photograph it, and Matt Holzman could get the sound for his NPR piece.  Jan had thought his group was too far away for anyone to hear or see what they were doing.

I considered requesting CPR, but instead we requested they call the Zodiac for a pick-up.  The ride back to the ship was wild, with everyone holding on for their lives.  

We use a rope ladder to get from the Zodiac back onto the deck of the Noorderlicht. We tried to hang onto the ladder, but would loose our grip as the boat rocked and bucked.  



It was a crazy scene!  With Jan, Sebastian, Audun, the Captain, and everybody else on board helping, we finally got everyone out of the Zodiac and safely on the ship.  The Zodiac is usually hoisted aboard at the stern of the ship.  The sea was so rough this day that the crew wanted to get the Zodiac aboard as soon as possible, so they decided to just haul it up from the side.  The entire crew tried to muscle it up by ropes, but the weight of the motor made it impossible.  

With Herculean strength, the Captain reached over the side of the ship and grabbed the motor in one hand.  He lifted the motor up onto the ship and then grabbed the ropes and brought the Zodiac right up after it.  We had all suspected that the Captain was superhuman ... this confirmed it!

Ship's Log: Day 14 - Morning

2009-11-15T21:29:00.024-05:00

October 19th - A.M.


We woke up to the ship rocking and rolling, while at anchor!  The wind was howling outside.  The Captain had heard that the wind was going to pick up and it was living up to the prediction.  

I had been thinking about the shots I needed for my project.  This was the last day I would be able to film Audun kayaking.  As much as I personally wanted to get out one last time in the kayak, the shots I needed had to be taken from the ship or the Zodiac.  I had to make a choice between indulging my desire to kayak one last time or to stay focused on my project.  

I was also struggling with a kind of apathy.  The thought of my Arctic experience coming to an end was sapping my energy.  I didn't even feel like filming.  I've felt this way before when I've spent extended time on location so I knew I needed to push past my apathy and get out there and shoot.  I also knew that I was in the Arctic to make art, not enjoy paddling in the wild.  When I told Katja how I was feeling, she understood, but pushed me to get out there and film (she's been an amazing help and a true friend).  I found Audun and asked him to go out in the single.  He also seemed a bit sad that we wouldn't enjoy one last time out on the water together.



I went up on deck and realized that none of us should be kayaking!  The sea was rough with whitecaps and the wind too strong to go out safely.  I went back below deck to let Audun know.  He insisted that he would be okay, and that we should just go for it.  He has gone from being a somewhat reluctant participant to a real collaborator in the project.  He has a great sense of adventure and truly loves this region -- suggesting locations that we could explore for shots  -- and now seems to really enjoy being in front of the camera.  He is also taking a lot of kidding about his future Hollywood career and his need for an agent.



With Audun, Jan, and the Captain all saying that it should be no problem to go out in a kayak in these conditions, we decided to go for it.  I wanted overhead shots and planned to start filming from the ship and then move out onto the water in the Zodiac.  Fighting the pelting sleet and rough sea Audun got into the kayak.  We planned for him to circle around the ship so I could film from above.  This close to the Noorderlicht, Jan didn't need to follow him in the Zodiac.  

I set up my tripod at the stern and waited for Audun to come around the back of the ship.  It seemed to take him forever so I went to the side to look for him.  He was paddling hard and hardly moving.  The sea and wind was very strong, and pushing against him!  He made it to the back of the ship and I started filming.  It looked as if the ship was underway and Audun was struggling to catch up to it, but we were still at anchor!  



The wind was blowing my tripod over as I struggled to stay upright.  I took my big Sony camera off its tripod thinking it would be easier to film that way, only to have the camera come apart in my hands.  I was holding two separate pieces!!  The camera has a button to release the lens on the bottom of the camera.  In my struggle to hold onto the camera and not fall over I must have hit the button (I still have no idea how this could happen).  With the inner workings of the camera exposed to the sleet and high winds, I frantically tried to screw it back together.  The whole thing jammed and was unusable.  



I bolted for my cabin and grabbed my Canon so I could keep shooting.  If Audun was going to risk his life for this piece there was no way I was going to stop shooting now.  I got some amazing footage of him battling the wind and waves.  

The Captain called Audun back in.  The Zodiac, which was tied to the side of the ship, was banging so hard against the ship that the motor was at risk.  Audun paddled for all he was worth and finally reached the Zodiac.

Ship's Tour

2009-11-14T17:38:00.006-05:00

Today I thought I'd take you on a tour of the ship's living quarters.

My first impression was that there was no way we would all fit. The Noorderlicht turned out to be a comfortable home for the time we spent aboard.

The cabins were downstairs. All cabins slept two people. There were five cabins towards the bow of the ship and five starting midship and heading towards the stern. Most cabins had a great view of the cabin across the way.

The crew had a chart room and private quarters in the stern as well as quarters in the bow that were reached by a bulkhead on deck. There were two toilet/shower rooms towards the bow on the starboard side and two toilet/shower rooms towards the bow. One on the port side and one on the starboard.

The galley and lower saloon was in between the bow and stern cabins.

There were two tables in the lower saloon. One sat eight and the other six. The smaller table was where the crew sat for meals.

The bench seating against the walls was also storage for food. Occasionally I'd be happily downloading footage when Anna would stand over me with "the look." I immediately lept up so she could get into the storage under my seat ... the last thing anyone wanted was to get on Anna's bad side.

During the day that table did double duty as Anna's bread board. She would kneed and roll out the bread, pizza dough, and pastries that she cooked daily.

A set of steep stairs led to the upper saloon.

On rough seas, these stairs were responsible for broken dishes, glasses, and many bruises. The upper saloon had two tables, one that could seat eight and one that seated six. Across from the two tables was a bench that ran the length of the wall. There was a bar in the corner with a map of our journey on the wall.

Every morning as we were eating breakfast, Jan would go from table to table saying, "The plan..." "The plan" was the discription of where we were going and what we could expect once we got there. He would then go to the map behind the bar and draw on our progress from the day before.

Here's the map behind the bar.

Here's a more detailed map of our journey. Red lines are going north, blue lines are the return trip.

1. Longyearbyen
2. Skansbukta
3. Fourteenthofjuly Bay
4. Sallyhamna
5. Moffen Island
6. Woodfjorden
7. Hornbaekpolten
8. Worsleyhamna
9. Magdalenafjord
10. Ny-London / Konigsfjorden / Ny-Alseund
11. Kongsvegan / Kongsfjorden
12. Poolepynten
13. Barentsburg
14. Longyearbyen

Ship's Log: Day 13

2009-11-11T21:55:00.015-05:00

October 18th.

The next morning was tough after the previous evening's festivities. I slept through breakfast, assuming everybody else would too, only to be woken by Katja saying Jan was taking us on a tour of town in 5 minutes.

Ship's Log: Day 12

2009-11-11T21:54:00.012-05:00

October 17th


We got underway at around 7am.  The passing mountains are a really rugged mix of black and white points.  The sea looks dark and uninviting.  We are heading for Poolepynten, a rocky sandbar island on Prins Karls Forlandet.  We are all feeling anxious about having the time to get our work done.  Aaron assured us that there would be time for projects once we arrived at Poolepynten.

Just off Poolepynten the Captain canceled any attempt to go ashore as the wind and sea were too rough.  He thought there might be an alternative landing location later in the afternoon, but that was canceled as well due to the increasing stormy weather.  The Noorderlicht  was moving via motor power today as the wind is against us and we can't raise sail.  The time at sea today, without the opportunity to get to shore, has increased the feeling that we are in some mad rush to return to Longyearbyen and then back home.

The Captain decided to head for Barentsberg, where several of the shipmates are eager to reach  -- so they can hit the pub.  Barentsberg is an old working Russian mining town.  The Captain radioed ahead to request that they open the pub for our arrival and they've agreed.  Ever since Ny-Ålesund we had hit some kind of tipping point and our return to civilization seems inevitable.  Between the physical strain of trying to stay upright on a ship in rough weather (at one point, four of us lined up in the lower salon, all standing at a perfect 45 degree angle due to the tilt of the ship) and the psychological strain of approaching the end of my time in the Arctic I decided to spend most of the day in bed.

Ship's Log: Day 11

2009-11-10T23:21:00.013-05:00

October 16th

We left Ny-Ålesund at first light.  Everybody was moving pretty slowly from the night before (including some of the crew).  I slept through breakfast for the first time (missing any of Anna's meals was a real hardship).  I finally popped out of my bunk around 10am. Aaron said that we would be reaching our new destination of Kongsvegen/Kongsfjorden, by 11.  He said I could have an hour of kayak time before lunch.  I really need to get some detail shots so I jumped at the offer.  I first filmed Audun putting on his drysuit and then lowering the kayak off the ship's side.


I then climbed out onto the bowsprits (the pole that sticks out very front of the ship) so I could get some overhead shots of Audun paddling.  I had to get the Captain's OK for this since keeping one's balance on the bowsprits can be tough without all the ice that had formed on the ropes.




After filming from the bowsprits I joined Jan in the Zodiac and we followed Audun who was paddling off towards a glacier.  The water was dark, menacing and full of ice.  The closer we got to the glacier, the thicker the ice.  At one point I asked Audun to paddle out a few meters and then turn and head back towards us.  He started paddling away and just kept going.  I thought he misunderstood me when he came to a halt.  He then magically stepped out of the kayak onto a flat piece of floating ice!!!  It looked like he was walking on water.  He stood there for a minute, getting his balance, and then raised his arms above his head and smiled!  He then gracefully got back into the kayak and paddled towards me as I had asked.

Our hour was up so we went back to the ship ... just in time for lunch (meat plate, cheese plate, mustard soup, salad, sardine pizza, and pasta with cheese and ham).  After lunch, we all lined up to go ashore.  I was in the third Zodiac trip.  Sebastian was driving.  We all looked heroic with our Arctic gear and cameras as we started motoring off towards the shore.  We had gone about four feet when I looked out over the front of the Zodiac and called out, "Iceberg!" just as we hit it!  This caused fits of laughter as we picked ourselves up off the Zodiac's floor.  The Zodiac was punctured! As the air hissed out, Katja repeated, "there's a bloody hole in the Zodiac!".  Crewmembers Jan and Sebastian clung to each other saying "we're scared" ... which sent us all into new fits of (somewhat hysteric) laughter.  FYI ... a Zodiac is made of multiple inflated cells.  Any number can be punctured without risking the buoyancy on the vessel.  This is something most of us didn't realize until later.

Kongsvegen/Kongsfjoden was the most rugged landscape so far!  Once we reached shore, we were able to walk right up to the narrow inlet in front of a massive glacier.

The spit of land that we were standing on was covered with all shapes of ice.  Jan told us that the ice was due to the glacier calving and warned us to run (and leave our equipment behind) if we heard or saw the glacier calving.  If a piece of the glacier falls ("calving") a large wave would completely cover the piece of land where we were all standing.  With this warning in mind, I set up to document another of Katja's performances.  Jan and Audun hiked to the top of a hill to watch over all of us.


Once we were all finished with our work for the day (this was such an amazing and dramatic landscape, many artists wanted to work on projects here) we started to walked back to the Zodiac pick-up point.  As we were leaving I stopped, put down all my cameras and looked around ... telling myself, REMEMBER THIS!


Before dinner, I downloaded the footage I had shot onto the external hard drives that I had brought along (downloading was a time-consuming daily activity).  Anna topped off this incredible day by serving rack of lamb.  After dinner, Katja, Willie Somma (who was filming on the ship and hadn't made it ashore that day) and I asked Aaron if we could stay here for one more day.  This will be our last glacier of the trip and we weren't ready to leave the dramatic ice behind.  Aaron said it wasn't possible as rough weather was approaching and the Captain wanted to be sure we would arrive back at Longyearbyen on time (this alone was enough of a reason for all of us to be sad, but the thought of no more ice and returning to civilization reduced us all to tears).  I'm living in a confusing state of mind ... I'm so attached to this landscape that I'm mourning its loss even while I'm still here and at the same time I'm really looking forward to seeing Bob and home.


That evening I got all set for a nice hot shower (soap and shampoo all in place), just to find out that the water was cold!  I refused to take a cold shower, so I abandoned the idea for the moment, got dressed and joined the group watching a sci-fi film in the lower salon.  After the film and a quick test of the water temperature, I happily enjoyed a hot shower.  I've adopted a strategy of wearing all three thermal underwear shirts that I brought every day.  I layer them, moving the one closest to my body to the outside layer each day in the hope that this would keep them "clean".  This is why hot showers were so appreciated by me and the others who have to share such close quarters with me.

Ship's Log: Day 10

2009-11-10T23:19:00.008-05:00

October 15

We arrived at Ny-London, an uninhabited former settlement which is the sight of a mine started by a British miner, Ernest Richard Mansfield in the early 1900s.  He thought that he would be able to quarry for marble and make a fortune.  


The marble was under the permafrost so when he brought it back to the UK it all cracked.  This was not his first failed endeavor.  He had tried to mine for gold as well which didn't pan out.


The whole group went ashore after breakfast.  After debarking from the Zodiacs we climbed up a steep, rocky embankment.  We followed some stone paths (laid by Mansfield's crew) that led to abandoned quarry equipment and huts.  Eventually, some of the group decided to head back to the Noorderlicht.  Katja and I opted to stay on land and film another of her performances.  It was a cold day and the stone paths were treacherous with ice.  After filming, we skated our way back toward the site where the Zodiac would pick us up.  We met up with some others who had stayed behind to work.  One by one, we sat on our butts and slid down the steep embankment onto the narrow stretch of beach.  As I was waiting my turn my feet went out from under me and I started sliding away from the Zodiac and toward a rocky drop to the sea.  Jan yelled out, "Grab her!"   With amazing loyalty, dexterity, and super human strength, Katja reached out and caught my sleeve, dragging me away from the precipice and back to safety!  



In the afternoon we motored down Kongsfjorden and docked at Ny-Ålesund.  Ny-Ålesund is the world's furthest north settlement, populated by 27 international scientists. At present, Norway, The Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom, France, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea and People's Republic of China all maintain research stations at Ny-Ålesund, although not all are inhabited year-round.It's the home of the world's northernmost post office. After a week aboard the Noorderlich it was strange to be around other people and a society other than the one onboard ship.  


Jan said that we can buy phone cards and call home.  After being completely cut off from civilization for ten days it felt strange to be able to finally contact the "real world." Katja and I walked up to the one tourist shop that said they were out of phone cards and that there was no internet access either.  What ever hesitation we might have felt disappeared at the thought that we wouldn't be able to call home!  Jan saw our distress and suggested we try the information office.  They had three cards left!  We each bought one.   Jan had shown us the pay phone, which was a plywood box on the dock.  It had the phone inside and a broken window which let the outside in.  Katja and I were both relieved to learn that this public phone wasn't our only option -- we could use the phone in the information center after hours (so I could talk to Bob when he was awake and alert, rather than waking him at 4am). 


Jan took a few of us for a guided tour of the town.  We saw the mooring tower where Roald Amundsen began the first flight over the Arctic.  

 
We next visited a small graveyard for miners killed in a mine explosion and a memorial for the Italian who accompanied Amundsen.  


We walked a little further out of "town" to a camp ground.  The scientists keep tourists well out of their way by requiring all visitors to overnight at this campsite. There was a toilet on a bridge with a "direct deposit" system into a stream far below.  The campers were also expected to collect their drinking water at the point where this stream met the fjord. Not very welcoming!

Jan spoke with the scientist/technician at the German station and asked if he would give the whole group a tour in the evening.  We had a fantastic inside look at the life and work of the German scientists who were studying atmospheric light refractions and weather changes.  They sent up a daily weather balloon and had a beam of light that shot up into the atmosphere.  It reminded me of the memorial beams of light that mark the location of the twin towers every September 11th in NYC.  After the tour, the German scientist joined us back at the ship for dessert and drinks.  Katja and I snuck off to the information center's phone and each called home.  It was SOOOOO GREAT to talk to Bob!!!  I can't believe how much I've missed his voice!!!

Once back at the ship, everyone including the scientist was in good spirits ... from lots of spirits.  At about 2:30am I decided to head down to my bunk ... just when the dance party was hitting full swing.

Ship's Log: Day 9

2009-11-09T21:05:00.008-05:00

October 14th



We sailed through the night.  At breakfast, Jan told us that we would arrive at Magdalenafjorden by 11am.  Shortly after breakfast the ship started rocking and rolling, throwing us about as if we were ping pong balls.  I went up on deck to film the rolling seas.  I've never seen anything like it.  Aaron had to hang on to me while I was filming so I wasn't blown overboard. When I came back in, Willie (one of the artists) was in a complete state of panic, saying "please just make it stop."  



It finally did when we arrived at the protected bay of Magdalenafjorden.  Audun and I decided to take out the kayak even though there was a frozen rain falling and the swells were still pretty big for kayaking.  Audun started out in the single and I shot from the Zodiac thinking that it would be easier to film that way ... it wasn't!  I was thrown around in the boat and couldn't hold the camera steady at all.  I had rigged the rain cover from my big Sony camera to fit my Cannon SLR.  It required using electrical tape to secure the cover around the lens.  This seemed like a good idea, but made it impossible to get to the focus ring.  Most of what I shot was out of focus and jumpy.  The few shots that I did get definitely show what rough water kayaking looks like, although my favorite shots are when I'm flying around yelling "I have no control of the camera!"




In the afternoon I filmed a project for  Kuang-Yu Tsui while a large group took a hike to the glacier. Kuang-Yu stood on an iceberg (a dangerous move that had to be OK'd by both the Captain and Aaron) with a sign as if he were standing at a bus stop.  Sebastian was driving the Zodiac.  He would pull up to the iceberg, sort of ramming into it, and pick him up as if the Zodiac were the bus and he was the bus driver (even down to accepting the fare).  It was difficult to shoot since it was raining and sleeting.  I found it impossible to keep the lens clean and was frustrated at not being able to get a good shot.  I was also wishing that I could have gone on the walk to the glacier.
  

Today was a tough day full of frustration.  I'm realizing that the trip is coming to an end and I am missing shots that I need for my project.  I'm feelings are so conflicted.  I miss Bob and my life back in New York so much, but I also realize that this is the most amazing time and landscape that I've ever experienced and I don't want it to end.  Matt Holzman described it well when he said he was experiencing "present nostalgia."  I'm already missing the moments I'm living.

We raised sail about 3am and started to make our way to Ny Alesund.  Shortly after our departure we hit some major weather.  The ship was rolling like crazy.  Both Katja and I woke up from being thrown about in our bunks and from the noise of things crashing around us.  It sounded like every piece of glass on the boat was smashing.  Katja and I played a guessing game of name that thing that just flew across our cabin ... tripods, pelican cases, boots, etc. 

We have a porthole in the top of our cabin.  We could hear all the people who had gone out on deck to get air.  People were laughing (somewhat hysterically), screaming, and occasionally crying.  Willie was freaking repeating "Oh la la, Oh la la!"  Matt and a couple others were trying to make light of the fact that the ship had turned into a rollercoaster.  Katja and I could hear Matt laughing (trying to sound reassuringly calm, but actually sounding a bit like a crazy man).  A lot of Xanax was used that night -- people were just putting it in each other's mouths.  It was definitely a night of Arctic hysteria and would forever after be referred to as the Night of Terror!

Ship's Log: Day 8

2009-11-08T17:56:00.008-05:00

October 13th

In the morning, I checked on my poor, frozen camera.  It seemed that a night tucked in under the covers had done the job and had brought it back to life.


We had moved to the other side of the fjord, near a massive glacier, Hornbaek polten/Liefdefjorden.  My kayaks were again given to another artist who wanted to photograph a high powered light beam shining through the morning fog.  He planned to put the light in the Zodiac and photograph its effects from the kayak.  I was worried about the danger of bringing a high powered light and a generator out in a Zodiac in really rough iceberg-filled water.  Thoughts of hairdryers falling into bathtubs (ten times over) filled my head.  I decided the best way to deal with my fear for the crew and artist was to go back to sleep after breakfast.  I woke up and they still weren't back.  About half an hour later the kayak and Zodiac arrived back at the ship.  Electrocution was avoided!


We then moved our location to Worsleghamns/Liefdefjorden.  Worsleghamns has rolling hills, an old hunters hut, and is ringed by majestic mountains.  A landing party climbed into the Zodiac.  We were warned that it would be a rough, wet landing.  True to the warning, it was hard to keep the Zodiac from flying out of control and shooting away from the shore.  To avoid having the Zodiac flip over we all needed to get out and on to shore before the next wave came in. We employed a D-day kind of tactic, complete with everyone yelling "GO Marine,GO, GO!"  

My turn came.  I was wearing my big, new snowsuit which is incredibly warm ... so warm that I was sweating just sitting in the Zodiac, but also so bulky that I could hardly move.  My back foot got caught in a Zodiac rope and I fell forward right into the freezing water.  It brought a whole new meaning to the phrase wet landing.  Luckily I had my camera and some spare gloves in my waterproof backpack.  I changed into dry gloves, but my hands really cold for the rest of the day. 

I filmed Katja close to the shore.  Each time she performs the Fluxus instructions she has to deal with new challenges from the landscape.  This time she was thigh deep in snow and had to fight to stay upright against gale force winds.


When Katja was finished we both hiked up the hill to film Audun who was watching over the group from the top ridge.  It was rough going in the deep snow (and with my bulky snowsuit on), but I got some great footage of Audun watching for polar bears.  After slogging back down the hill board the Zodiac, my body was dripping in sweat and my hands were ice cold.  


The Zodiac ride back to the ship was really exciting ... huge waves and lots of spray.  The wind caused the front of the Zodiac to rear almost straight up so we had to hang on for dear life.  I couldn't wait to get into a hot shower!  

Showering on the ship presents many challenges.  First, timing ... with limited hot water it's tough to find a time when it hasn't all been used up.  Second, movement ... it's hard to keep your balance when the ship is rocking and rolling. The toilet and shower are one small room.  You pull a curtain across in front of the toilet to keep it dry.  I would put my shampoo and soap box on the floor.  As the ship rocked, these items would shoot under the curtain.  If you waited a minute the ship would rock again and they would all come shooting back.  If you timed it just right you could grab the shampoo, soap up, rinse and be ready for the conditioner the next time it came rolling back under the curtain.

Ship's Log: Day 7

2009-11-07T12:33:00.013-05:00

October 12th

[click images to enlarge]



I woke up with only minutes till the breakfast bell.  Anna, our amazing cook, is very strict regarding attendance at meals and enforces the "don't touch it till the bell has rung" rule with deadly looks.  We all live in fear of pissing off Anna and missing out on her amazing culinary skills

Right after breakfast we took the Zodiac back to the same location where we were the day before to try and film Katja's performance ... this time minus the ice on the lens.  The piece of land that we had crossed yesterday to get to the cove with all the bitty bergs was thigh deep in snow.  We had trampled a path across the day before so the going was much easier today.  As we were retracing out steps we noticed some yellow snow.  Thinking it was probably an artist who had just had to go the day before, I didn't think much about it until Jan came striding up and said that it was from a polar bear, marking his territory.  A little farther along we found HUGE tracks in the snow, complete with claw marks.  A polar bear had checked out all the locations where artists were working yesterday.  It was eerie knowing that our movements had been seen and explored by a bear.  I spent the whole time looking over my shoulder as I was filming.



We went back to the ship for lunch.  After lunch I joined the group heading out for a walk on shore.  We landed at another location where we had spotted bear tracks from the ship.  We all hoped that the tracks were old.  Jan and David Rothenberg (a musician and composer who was recording the sounds of the Arctic) both had snow shoes so they struck out first.  The rest of us without snowshoes slogged through knee deep snow.  Hiking up and down steep slopes in knee deep snow was pretty tough.  Occasionally we would just drop to our knees and just crawl.  One of the scientists -- Dr. Yi-Ching Chung -- was short enough that we worried that we would lose her in the deep snow.  


The going was tough, we were all sweating in no time.  We hiked to a cabin called "Texas Bar" on the northern coast of Liefdefjorden.  The hut was build by the Norwegian hunter Hilmar Nøis in 1927. It was in amazing shape and is still used by hunters, explorers, and recently, a BBC film crew. We had decided to heed the name and had brought a bottle of whiskey with us.  

After passing around the bottle we scrambled up a few hills to see the view.  It's hard to keep describing views -- adjectives like beautiful, amazing, and awe inspiring are starting to feel inadequate.  We celebrated the amazing view with frozen Twix candybars! We spotted what Jan and Audun thought might be a bear on an island nearby that seemed to be tracking us so they decided to head back to the ship.  



The going was much easier on the way home as we had already cut a path through the snow.  We stopped for Leigh and Yi-Ching, two scientists on board, to collect samples.  Once back on the Noorderlicht I just had time to warm up my cameras before heading out to film Tomislav Brajnovic's (from Croatia) performance.  We have all become each others assistants on this trip.  Tomislav is representing man's ego by wearing a custom made bodygear with lights that light up his face.  Katja and I joined Sebastian in the Zodiac and circled the ship for the next half an hour, with both of us filming Tomislav's performance onboard.



Dinner was just being served as we returned to the ship.  The sky was clear and the new moon was out.  Katja is also working on a night sky piece so we loaded up new batteries and storage cards in all our cameras and hit the deck.  The sky was full of stars with faint northern lights.  Unfortunately, the cameras had a hard time picking up any detail in the night sky.  We kept filming with my new Canon SLR (which doubles as a high-def video camera, and showed the most promise in catching detail).  After about a half an hour or longer, the Canon shut down.  I changed the battery and tried to take a picture.  I heard sounds coming out of that poor camera no one should ever hear from a camera.  With a great deal of panic, I put the camera to bed, under my covers and vowed to let it sleep till the morning ... desperately hoping that it would be OK tomorrow!

Ship's Log: Day 6

2009-11-06T21:27:00.013-05:00

October 11th 


We woke in the morning to a Caspar David Friedrich painting ... so many shades of white, pink, and blue.  Just after breakfast we heard the ship's bell ring.  The bell is used to call us to meals (we have all become some part of a Pavlovian experiment) and to alert is to exciting events on deck ... like polar bear sightings and the aurora borealis at night ... which we've saw last night!   


Anyone who wasn't on deck ran up to see a young, thin male polar bear walking along the shore.  These are the most dangerous bears.  They are young and unpredictable and hungry enough to go after anything that might be a meal.  The captain decided it was too risky to go ashore, but OK'd a kayak trip! 

To my surprise another Arctic Circle Project participant asked to use the kayak to get an "on the water" perspective for one of his photographs.  I was pretty hesitant to agree (actually I was downright disagreeable as he'd never kayaked in his life, which is dangerous enough in calm, warm water, but can be deadly in freezing water.  I also view the kayaks as my art material which took months of planning to find and rent in Longyearbyen, and even more difficulty to get them on board).  After a discussion with Aaron (read fight here ... that I lost) the other artist and Audun suited up in MY drysuits and set off.  I waited impatiently for them to come back so I could go out in the kayaks and get some footage.  I also felt bad for Audun who had to do double paddle duty ... although he didn't seem to mind.  When Audun signed on as crew of the Noordrlicht he didn't know he was also signing on as a daily kayak paddler and star of my project.  


When the other artist and Audun returned a thick fog had set in which created an amazing, otherworldly landscape for filming.  I jumped in the Zodiac and filmed Audun first in the single, and then we pulled out the double.  I sat behind and we struck out for the location where the polar bear was spotted (seems we both have a bit of the thrill seeker spirit).  We couldn't find the bear so instead we headed towards the fjord's opening to the sea.  Looking through the viewfinder, the image of Audun paddling hard looked amazing.  I looked up from the view finder for a moment and found myself far from the ship, out in the bay with the waves and wind getting bigger by the minute. We had gone from water that looked like glass to white-capped waves washing over the kayak. To stop myself from freaking out I glued my eyes back to the viewfinder.  It was a struggle to get back to the ship since we had the rudder up for better maneuverability.  Eventually we had the Zodiac come alongside and Jan put the rudder in the water.  I had to pop my kayak skirt to get to the rudder control cables ... something I was reluctant to do in rough water since I wasn't keen on taking in a lot of freezing water.  Once we had the rudder down, Audun paddled hard and got us back to the ship safely.

Over lunch the ship sailed to Harnbaek polten/ Liefdefjorden.  Anytime we sail or motor during a meal it's an event.  Out come the sticky mats that help hold the plates and glasses on the table.  Depending on how the boat is listing or rolling certain seats are tougher than others.  On the downhill side, you have to hold on for all your worth and hope that the chair doesn't go out from under you.  On the long benches, you prop one leg out to help hold you in place, which never quite works so you end up sliding up and down the bench.  Meals usually have at least one or two crashes where glasses go flying.  We also have learned that you can use bread to prop up one side of a plate to stop soup from spilling.     


That afternoon Katja and I went ashore with a group of artists so she could perform another Fluxus instruction.  We walked across a thin piece of land and found a beautiful cove full of ice and bitty bergs (bigger bitties than we've seen so far).  It was an amazing location!  A light snow was falling, which soon turned into freezing sleet which completely covered my lens.  I tried to clean off the lens with a cleaning cloth, but it was more like using a scraper.  After essentially chiseling the ice off the lens a couple of times we decided to call it a day and head back for the ship.

Ship's Log: Day Five

2009-11-05T20:58:00.003-05:00

October 10th

We left Sallyhamna at 3am and headed farther north to Moffin Island which is at 80 north!  Walrus came to meet us shortly after we arrived. The walrus may be responding to small boats as competition or reacting to human invasion of territory and past encounters with things like boat propellers.  They have a strong history of aggression with both kayaks and zodiacs.  They have been known to rear up out of the water and come crashing down with tusks and full body weight on small boats.  Kayaking was cancelled for the day, but the Captain felt that we could use the zodiac safely to get to shore.        


My roommate Katja and I joined a couple other artists who were heading to shore in the zodiac to work on projects.  Katja's project was developing in a really interesting way and I was enjoying my role as her assistant.  I had met Katja, who lives in Stockholm, during her Lower Manhattan Cultural Council residency in NYC few months before we left for the Arctic.  Our program director, Aaron, had brought some of the participants together socially when time and location allowed.  Katja and I hit it off immediately at one of these get togethers.  

While she was in NYC I helped her film a segment for one of her ongoing projects that looks at light pollution's effects on the night sky.  Unlike many participants, Katja and I had had the opportunity to become friends before the trip started and knew that we worked well together.  What we didn't know was how quickly we would refer to ourselves as and act like an old married couple.  She put up with my nightly freak out and hysteria when I couldn't find a certain cable and became sure that I wouldn't be able to film for the rest of the trip.  She also graciously ignored the fact that I was usually holding the "lost" cable in my hand during my freak out.  In our cramped quarters we moved seamlessly and usually ended up on deck with the life jacket that the other one had forgotten.  I really value our conversations about our specific projects and look forward to continuing them after our return to the real world.


So, Katja and I headed off to Moffen Island to film another of her Fluxus instruction performances.  Moffen is a completely flat island.  It is protected breeding ground for walrus and eider ducks.  For most of the year humans are not allowed to visit the island.  Our timing was perfect since all breeding was over for the season and we were able to land.  As we approached the island we saw large brownish shapes scattered on the beach.  There were 25 walrus lying about.  We had to take a long, indirect route, employing evasive maneuvers to avoid the walrus that were out swimming.  


We hit the beach and I started filming Katja's performance.  Four walrus swam along the shore and stopped just off the beach where we were filming.  There were three adult males and one calf.  They lined up four abreast and bobbed up and down, snorting and blowing.  Svalbard tourist rules state that people are supposed to stay at least 30 meters from any walrus.  We were less than 10 feet away!   Both Audun and Jan came up behind us with guns ready, but they didn't ask us to move back and we all enjoyed the up close interactions.

We went back to the ship for lunch and then a larger group set out for the island in the afternoon.  We took a hike across the island and saw a ton (literally) of walrus ... actually a few tons (one adult male weights two tons)!  The snow was just below our knees for much of the hike, but it felt good to get some exercise.


Back on board we had yet another amazing meal.  We traveled to Woodfjordan/ Mushamna in the evening, but it's was too dark outside to see what the area looks like.... have to wait till the morning.

Ship's Log: Day 4

2009-11-04T23:01:00.006-05:00

October 9th


We sailed again through the night arriving at Sallyhamna in the morning. After breakfast, I was sorting through my equipment when someone shouted "bear!"  We all rushed out on deck.  On a nearby shore, eight polar bears were feeding on a dead whale carcass!  


Polar bears are usually solitary animals.  Normally, when a male bear runs into another male they attack each other.  But the bears we watched eating the whale carcass all had big, full stomachs and no interest in acting aggressively towards us or each other.  They slid around on their bellies, with legs stretched out behind, and playfully boxing each other.  A couple of bears wrestled and rolled down the snow covered hill.  It was an amazing sight.  Our guide said he has never seen so many bears in one place in the twenty years he has been working in the Arctic.  Nearby, an Arctic fox and grey fox waited a good distance away from the whale carcass, hoping the bears would leave some of the whale for them.

Needless to say, any plans to go ashore were cancelled due to the polar bears.  It only took one quick glance from Audun to send me off to the Captain and Aaron (the program director) asking for permission to take out the kayak.  Unbelievably, they said OK as long as Jan (and the gun) stayed nearby in the zodiac!!  Katya, my co-conspirator, bravely came along in the zodiac, ready to document any encounters. 

Audun and I threw on our drysuits (not an easy or pretty feat) and jumped into the double kayak.  In Arctic waters it is mandatory to wear a drysuit while kayaking -- in a drysuit, one can be submerged in the icy water with much less risk of hypothermia. Drysuits are loose enough to get lots of clothes underneath, important, since they are made of thin non-insulating material. They have rubber feet, and gaskets at wrists and neck to completely seal out freezing water incase you go overboard.    Just getting my arms in, contorting enough to get my head through the rubber neck gasket, and the zipper up usually takes me 20 minutes.  To get into the kayak to see the bears, I think I did it in 120 seconds.


Two bears had entered the water and were swimming close to shore.  We paddled to within 40 meters of the bears before Jan called us back.  I still can't believe that I went kayaking with polar bears swimming nearby!  I was up front in the kayak and had popped my skirt (the neoprene skirt seals me into the kayak) so that I could twist backword to film Audun as he paddled.  He paddled even closer to the bears that were eating and wrestling onshore and spun around to get shots of him paddling with a bear in the background.


The weather was cold and gray with snow falling.  My camera was wearing its raincoat so we decided to keep paddling through the ice and snow.   We traveled away from the bears and towards the end of the bay where a huge glacier met the sea.  It was an incredible sight!  Yet again, we were called back by Jan.  Even Audun, who has had years of experience with ice, quietly mentioned that if the glacier calved we would be in big trouble. (When the ice on a glacier's face crashes into the sea, it's call "calving".)  Calving glaciers cause HUGE waves which are never good for kayaks!  Knowing the risk, Audun and I decided to ignore Jan's warning and continued on towards the glacier ... it was fantastic and terrifying all at the same time. I got some great footage of Audun paddling hard as snow and ice formed on his beard and eyebrows, glacier in the background.  


The bay had filled with pack ice and "bitty bergs" (little icebergs).  The captain decided we should move to another part of the bay to anchor for the night.  The ship was carefully moving through the ice obstacle course when it suddenly came to an abrupt halt, sending people flying.  We had hit a rock that was covered with ice.  No one was hurt (other than some big bruises), but the incident caused another sleepless night.  I heard sloshing noise from below and spent the night worrying that the rock had caused a hole ... needless to say the steel hull held fast.  The sloshing I had heard was only the fresh water reserve kept below the passenger deck.

I later learned from the crew that there were two times when they actually worried about hull breaches (this was after the crew had had quite a few drinks).  The crew always acted as if banging into rocks and huge icebergs was something they did for fun so we wouldn't worry.

Ship's Log: Day 3

2009-11-03T22:56:00.012-05:00

October 8th

We had a tough night at sea. Thankfully I had applied patches for seasickness all over my body.  The ship rocked and rolled and crashed through the ice.  No one slept well due to moments of sheer terror ... and total disorientation.  Our bunks have boards that we put in so that we don't fall out during rough seas, but these don't prevent us from banging about.  Between the seasickness patches and the bruises, I've got a kind of Appaloosa horse look going on.

I have the bottom bunk, which on first viewing may not look like the best choice. It feels more like a cubby hole.  It is about 30 inches tall which means no sitting up in bed.  We both ended up sleeping with a lot of our stuff in beds ... both to cushion us when we were thrown about on rough seas, but also because there was just no where to store the stuff.  To move about in bed and, say, reach the clothes that were stored at the foot of my bed, I had to shimmy and snake around.  Most mornings I would POP out of my bunk in what we started to call my morning births.

After a little time at sea I was happy to have that bottom bunk.  With it so cold above deck and all our hot bodies below there was a lot of condensation which formed around our ceiling porthole and rained down on Katja's top bunk.  She had to keep the porthole slightly open to stop the drips, which made the top bunk really cold!

At 5am the ship finally arrived at 14th of July bay (named for the French holiday).  The water was like glass and the sun came out for the first time since I've arrived in the High Arctic!

Audun Tholfsen, a Norwegian crew member has agreed to paddle the kayak and let me film him.  He has had a lot of experience with cold water kayaking and looks great through the camera lens.  He was part of the French Tara Expedition, which spent 9 months frozen in close to the North Pole.  He is a total hard core Arctic explorer and guide.  

We started out with Audun in a single kayak.  Jan (who carried the BIG gun and drove the zodiac), Katja Algert (my roommate who had agreed to document the project), Matt Holzman (from NPR Studio 360), and me all piled into the zodiac.  We struck out for the glacier at the far end of the bay.  I had a hard time shooting because my jaw kept dropping over the incredible beauty.  After an hour we went back to the ship and swapped the single for the double kayak.  I got into the rear of the kayak, Audun took the front, and off we went.  After all the kayaking lessons I took in New York, hours of practice, and kayak polo games played in the Hudson, it was fantastic to finally be paddling in the Arctic!!

After a couple hours of filming, Katja and I switched roles and I became her assistant, filming her perform a series of Fluxus instructions.  It was an amazing day which ended with cocktails over glacier ice on the deck of the ship and a birthday celebration for Katja (the cook made an obscenely rich chocolate cake with nuts, cherries, and fresh whipped cream ... did I mention that I'm gaining weight in the Arctic?)

Ship's Log: Day 2

2009-11-02T19:21:00.011-05:00

[Click on photos to get larger images]

October 7th

We woke to calm seas after sailing all night. We had laid anchor in a beautiful cove off the fjord called Skansbukta.  After breakfast, Jan (our guide and rifleman) gave a talk on how to go ashore safely ... "don't fall out of the zodiac, and stay near the guys with the guns to avoid becoming polar bear food" (this is my paraphrased version of his much more technical and professional talk).  

The threat from polar bears is real.  I heard lots of stories of people who didn't take it seriously and didn't survive.  No one (including the crew) is allowed on land without either carrying a bolt action rifle and a flare gun or having someone with them who is carrying the guns.  Only two people other than the Captain are certified to shoot, our guide Jan and my kayaking crew member, Audun.  When ever I would head out with the kayaks, a armed escort was required. Since I had one in the kayak being filmed, my escort was always Jan.  This meant that I monopolized all armed escorts when I was filming, so no one else was able to go ashore ... something that probably didn't make my project all that popular with the other participants.   

Our whole group shuttled to shore in our one zodiac.  We visited an old Russian mine, abandoned long ago.  There was a small wood trapper hut that was still intact.  The mine entrance had collapsed and what was left of the railroad tracks leading to the mine were twisted into a roller coast ride.  We took a hike around to the opposite side of the bay, crossing a frozen river.  We had a wet entrance and exit from the zodiac (which means they can't get all the way to shore and we have to wade out to the zodiac), but the wind and the water were calm so it wasn't bad.  I'm very happy to say that my boots really are waterproof.

In the afternoon we headed back to Longyearbyen to pick up Dr. Leigh McCallister, one of the scientists who had missed her connecting flight and came in late.  We left Longyearbyen for the second time, this time leaving Isenfjord as well.

Anna, the cook on the Noorderlicht, is amazing!!!  How am I going to explain gaining weight on an Arctic expedition?  She combines flavors in unexpected ways that always surprise us and are absolutely delicious all in a galley that makes my New York City apartment kitchen seem spacious.  She’s working on a cook book that I hope is translated into English!

Ship's Log: Day 1

2009-11-01T21:12:00.010-05:00

Now that I've finally recovered from jet lag and am emerging from culture shock, I'm ready and eager to relive my time at sea. I kept a diary at sea, and will post it here daily.

October 6th Evening


A couple of participants and I went to a restaurant for lunch and had our first taste of seal and whale meat. It didn’t taste like chicken!

Andreas Eriksson (one of the Longyearbyen kayakers who saved my life by transporting the kayaks 2 km from the Svalbard Sailing Club to the Nooordelicht's dock) picked up the kayaks in a borrowed trailer, met me at my hotel, and we drove to the pier. My first view of the Noorderlicht was through a blowing wind and falling ice -- exciting and terrifying at the same time. As beautiful as the ship was, it was hard to imagine 23 people being able to fit on board. I stowed my stuff and took some photographs of the ship. The rest of the group showed up and the mass luggage lugging began. We had more camera equipment than all of CNN.

We received a welcome talk from Gert Ritzema , Noorderlicht's Captain, and then a "rules for safe behavior" talk from Jan Belgers, our guide. Jan has an amazing amount of knowledge about the region and can answer any question we throw at him. He is also a crack shot with a bolt action rifle ... both he and the gun came with us anytime we left the ship.

That evening, we were served a fantastic meal ... which unfortun- ately for some was revisited as the sea got rough. I heard from some Longyearbyen friends that the night before we sailed our Captain was in local bar boasting that we set sail at 6pm and he would have us all sick by 6:15. I think we actually made it to 6:30. I had taken some Dramamine early so I wasn’t sick, but the fear of rough seas kept me eating light. To ease the dread of getting sick we had put together a pot of cash ($5.00 each) to be given to the first to fall (over the toilet bowl). We all paid into the pot in whatever currency we had so the lucky winner (who will remain nameless ... it wasn’t me) collected in Euros, Swedish and Norwegian kroner, Russian Rubles, Canadian dollars, US dollars, and Taiwanese dollars.

Jet Lag

2009-10-24T22:02:00.006-04:00

Well, I'm finally home in NYC after some 32 hours of travel ... happy to be back with Bob and Lulu, but fighting some mean jet lag. It was an amazing expedition and experience! I've just started sorting through images and memories. I kept a diary on board, although life at sea challenged my connection with time. At one point I was reading through my diary and found that I had recorded an experience as having happened repeatedly for three consecutive days. It was an impressive experience ... the ship hit a rock which sent us all flying as the crew ran to see if we had breached the hull ... but one that only occur ed once (although we had some impressive run-ins with icebergs).

I remember how I felt the first time I saw the schooner Norderlicht. I think pure terror would be a good description. She seemed so small in the big Arctic sea and was bobbing so much I was sure I would be sick as a dog for the next couple of weeks. I couldn't imagine how we would all fit, let alone live and work on her.

I grew to think of her as a safe, beautiful home that I really miss! I'll continue to update this blog with images and descriptions of my time in the Arctic.

Coming Home

2009-10-22T09:35:00.004-04:00

Janet hasn't had web access in Longyearbyen. She's in the air now, flying through Tromso, will be in Olso tonight. Not sure, but she planned to spend the night in the Oslo airport.

It's a long way back: Longyearbyen to Tromso, Tromso to Oslo, night in airport, Oslo to Copenhagen, then finally over the Atlantic and back to Newark.

Back in Longyearbyen

2009-10-19T14:55:00.003-04:00

Got a txt from Janet - the boat is back in Longyearbyen harbor! They're spending the night there, then they'll move back onshore. Hopefully, the next update will come from Janet herself!

Packing

2009-10-18T00:57:00.009-04:00

Here's a shot of Janet as she was packing for the trip. She left with about 75 pounds of stuff, which I'd estimate at 60% video/camera equipment, 15% kayaking gear, 15% clothing, 10% toiletries. She didn't take any books, or much other than video equipment, in order to save weight.

Lulu asked to go with her, but her passport was expired. It's for the best, she wouldn't have liked the cold weather.

As I type, it's 7:22am in Svalbard. I was just checking the Longyearbyen webcam - it's still dark. The sun won't come up there today until 9:56am. And it sets at 3:27pm. By Friday, the sun will rise at 11am, and they'll only get about 3 1/2 hours of sunlight.

Dasher Dancer and Vixen

2009-10-17T16:07:00.004-04:00

Message from the North

2009-10-15T17:45:00.012-04:00

Got a call from Janet today! They're docked overnight in Ny Alesund. She called from the town's one payphone.

The group has invaded the town - the most northerly permanantly inhabited spot on Earth. Population is usually 24 scientists, but tonight there's 15 artists driving the locals crazy.

Over the past few days the group weathered stormy seas just fine (although one passenger had to be given Xanax to handle the swells). They spent some time battened in their bunks, as seas have been quite rough -- she said she heard objects falling all over the boat (her cameras are fine).

They made it to Moffin island (past 80 north), where they had a close encounter with a walrus - one swam out to their boat, and tossed seashells to them. They've been in Kongsfjorden (near Ny Alesund) the past few days.

On the way to Moffin, they passed many polar bears -- including eight adults feeding on a dead whale. The crew said that this was the most bear they've ever seen in one place. Janet enjoyed watching them -- they gorged on whalemeat, sunned their full tummies, and played with each other -- including belly slides on the ice!

She's been kayaking almost every day -- with polar bears, in sleet, even through a snow storm! She's using her new Canon SLR camera, which acts as a high-def video camera. She also has a small waterproof Sanyo camcorder attached to the nose of the kayak (thanks to George Najar, photo-tech genius).

Food has not been a problem - there's a chef on board, and their chow has included Moroccan lamb on couscous, cod with orange cream sauce, and salmon on squid-ink pasta! She says the desserts are even better.

Sounds like they've had quite an adventure. Yesterday she hiked through show up past her knees (tracked by yet another curious polar bear).

They're going to spend the next four days sailing back to Longyearbyen. I'm looking forward to her next update!

Sled Dog Kennels

2009-10-14T10:01:00.002-04:00

Stormy Weather

2009-10-13T10:09:00.012-04:00

No new word from Janet. I'm still worried about the weather (tomorrow's wind still predicted to be 50mph/80kh), but looked up some previous voyages of the Noorderlicht. In 2007 they sailed with a group of Brit artists/writers through a gale. Sounds uncomfortable, but they came through just fine. I noticed that some participants brought their own sat phones - next time Janet goes into the wild, I'll be sure she can stay in contact!

This picture is from the 2007 voyage.

Some folks have asked if it's dark all day in Svalbard.

Well, not yet.

On September 24, Longyearbyen enjoyed over 12 hours of sun -- about the same as in New York.

However, the length of day reduces dramatically up there. Throughout October, each day gets 15 to 20 minutes less sun. Today there will be about 7 hours of sunlight.

This shortening gets faster in the coming weeks. Next Tuesday, the day will be about four hours long.

Then on October 26, the sun will be seen above the horizon for the last time until mid-February.

Longyearbyen Highway

2009-10-12T08:56:00.001-04:00

80 North

2009-10-11T19:24:00.007-04:00

Got a message from Janet today!

We’re allowed 100 words via ship satellite. No reply to email allowed. Amazing footage and trip. Kayaked today with swimming polar bears! Eight bears total and two Arctic foxes eating a dead whale! Paddled through pack ice, icebergs to glacier. Four walrus on shore. Tomorrow we reach 80 north – Moffen Island – breeding place of Walrus. Sea quiet in bays off of fjords - one day and one night of rough sea. Seen northern lights for past two nights. Played with herds of Walrus. I’m being careful – only kayak with armed escort.

"Kayaked with swimming polar bears." Hmmm.

Wow, sounds like an amazing voyage so far, can't wait to see the footage! Bears! Auroras! Rough seas and armed guards!

Moffen island is about a 370km/230mi sail north from Longyearbyen. At 80 degrees north she's in explorer-only territory, not many have been up that far. Here's a map, and I'll also put a link to this map in the link section.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, there's a weather forecast for gale-force winds, with gusts up to 50mph/80kpm. I'm sure the crew has been through these before, but I'll be happy when she gets through that weather.

Knut

2009-10-11T01:28:00.013-04:00

Many people think polar bears are cute, furry animals. In reality, they are the world's largest carnivores, and they're one of the most dangerous of humans' predators. An adult male weighs as much as FIVE football linemen (1500 lb/700kg) -- and is less smelly and much smarter.

They're one of the last of the "mega fauna", and will probably join the sabre tooth and mastodon very soon.

They're amazing adroit. They can swim 320km (200mi) from land, can smell prey from a mile away, and are smart enough to catch beluga whales by holding a paw over their breathing holes. They hunt via stealth, and are smart enough to catch humans if needed.

They can live past 40 years, and like to fall asleep while holding each other.

Most will be gone in another 30 years due to reduction of habitat. Arctic ice is disappearing, and with it goes the polar bear's hunting grounds.

In Svalbard, polar bears are a big danger to humans. It's easy to overstate the issue, as there have been "only" four fatal encounters in the past 35 years. This number would be much higher if there was not a huge focus on safety. Most locals are always armed, and are quick to scare bears away using flares, snowmobile backfires, and warning shots. 24 bears have been killed in defense in the past eight years. As food and hunting grounds continue to dwindle due to global warming, interactions between polar bears and humans will increase, necessitating more shootings.

I'm hoping that if Janet sees any bears, it will be from a far distance. These pictures were taken just this week - a bear visited another ship exploring Svalbard. Happily for all, and perhaps inspired by Norway's Nobel Peace Award, the interaction was non-violent.

All that being said, they're cute as dickens.

Summer Houses

2009-10-10T02:25:00.012-04:00

Summer houses, about an hour out of Longyear- byen. I guess city life is too hectic for some folks.

Click to see the entire picture.

No word from the Arctic Circle team, but not expecting to hear from them for at least another day. They're probably about 150km out from Longyearbyen, which means the nearest civilization is at the outpost Ny-Ålesund , another 100km (60 miles) away.

If they don't stop in Ny-Ålesund , it's likely that they'll be out of contact for another 10 days.

According to Norwegian Weather Service, they've had cold and fog, but no snow and not much wind. The wind they are getting is blowing against their direction of travel, so the crew is probably getting a good workout. They'll get a fresh breeze next week, but it's forecast to swing around and come from the south. I hope they'll still have some Dramamine left.

Composition with Seals

2009-10-08T16:07:00.005-04:00

Long Distance Information

2009-10-07T18:22:00.005-04:00

I got a call from Janet today at about 10AM. The ship spent the night east of Longyearbyen, and passed back into cel phone range on the way out to sea today.

They overnighted in a sheltered cove, and went out in a zodiac this morning to visit an abandoned Russian mine. Not sure exactly where, but for those who are cartographically-inclined, here's a map. On shore, two of the crew stood by with rifles as they hiked around.

Janet was happy to see flat water in the coves, as she's planning on videotaping from kayaks. Should be interesting. They'll need to drop the kayaks into the water from the ship, then enter them from the zodiac. For those who haven't been in kayaks, they're very easy to capsize. For those who haven't been in the arctic, the water is very cold. She'll be wearing a drysuit, but it's still a bit dangerous.

These are shots of Janet playing kayak polo in the Hudson, where she spent plenty of time in the water. She wasn't crazy about getting into the Hudson, but at least it was warm.

Janet says the participants are spending more time falling down aboard ship than standing up. A concern, as they're in relatively still water -- the much rougher open ocean should be interesting. Her bunk is small but cozy -- and there's a large board across the side so that she doesn't fall out in rough seas. Not much storage, so she's sleeping with her cameras and books.

They're heading down Isfjorden tonight, then they plan to sail north for three days - straight through open sea, day and night. They plan on exploring Woodfjorden, near the northwest shore of Spitsbergen.

They're off!

2009-10-07T05:31:00.014-04:00

Now that Janet is out of reach, I'm going to fill in for a few days. I have some pics from Janet, and will provide some information regarding the project.

Janet called just as they went out of cellphone range, sounds like the team is doing fine. There were numerous reported cases of seasickness at the beginning, but all but a couple people were ok after a few hours.

The Noorderlicht sailed on to a protected fjord for the night. Weather looks good for this week - I've been monitoring the Norwegian weather service and the local webcams. Here's a cam photo from yesterday, showing the ship just before they sailed - into a snowstorm.

They plan to sail to the uninhabited northern reaches of Svalbard -- above the 80th parallel, about 600 miles (1000km) from the pole. (Point Barrow Alaska is 1,250 miles from the pole). There's one more outpost as they head north, so I'm hoping for another update from Janet at that time.

The Noorderlicht is a steel-hulled two-masted schooner, built in Germany in 1910 to be able to handle icy waters. About 150 ft (46m) long. The 15 participants and five crew stay in small 8'x4' (240 x 125) two-bunk cabins. There are four toilet/bathrooms. These guys are really going to get to know each other.

This is the last voyage north this year for the Noorderlicht - and this is the latest she's ever headed this far north. Most winters, she's iced-in near Longyearbyen where she acts as a hotel for sled dog expeditions.

Off the Grid

2009-10-06T09:58:00.009-04:00

All participants are gathering their bags, equipment, and nerves ... swallowing ginger and Dramamine, rushing out to the local clothing store for extra long johns and waterproof shells ... we sail tonight.

I went down to the Svalbard Sailing Club this morning and packed up the kayaks, paddles, drysuits, and life vests that we'll bring on board. I realized that I didn't have a way to transport the kayaks from the sailing club about a mile to the sailing ship. Eike, who runs the club (and has been the main reason why my project has gone well so far ... lining up paddlers and renting the equipment) only has a bicycle. He suggested I try the local post office to see if I could use their delivery truck. I'm thinking this would be a LONG day, when Andreas (another Svalbard Sailing paddler) showed up and suggested we use a truck that is owned by the construction company he works for. Totally saved! I'm heading down to the dock to meet him now.

Once we sail tonight the ship will be off the grid. I will keep writing posts with the hope that I will be able to upload at a research station we will reach in a few days. Bob will post images I've sent to him and keep the story going.

Till then ... I'm off the grid and off to the NORTH!

Bear Territory

2009-10-06T06:28:00.007-04:00

These signs are posted on all the roads leading out of central Longyearbyen, reminding travellers that Polar Bears are active -- although the sign says that this is the case throughout Svalbard.

In Svalbard, when travelling outside settlements you are required to carry a rifle at all times to protect yourself from bears (although many locals carry weapons in town, too). Which may explain the lack of crime in Longyearbyen.

We have a gunman on the boat just in case. Hopefully, we'll all live in peace.

Maps

2009-10-05T20:09:00.005-04:00

Reading the last post, I realize that some folks may not know the driving patterns around Longyearbyen. And if you're like I was until recently, you probably have no idea of Longyearbyen's position on the globe. Here is a google image of the outskirts of town, the red dots show appx where we went today. ("X" marks town. Basically, the entire island outside of town belongs to polar bears, so everywhere we went today we needed to be armed).

The other map shows the whole Svalbard archipelago in reference to Greenland and Europe. As you can see, we're just about off the map, and after tomorrow, we'll be somewhere in the blue.

The End of the Road

2009-10-05T17:57:00.008-04:00

Karianne Steen, one of the kayak paddlers, offered to take me on a tour around Longyearbyen today. She picked me up in the morning and we drove past UNIS, the polar institute university, heading out of town. We visited two sledge dog kennels which were about 100 meters apart. Most of these dogs were owned by local residents. Eider ducks chose the area between the kennels to breed, since the Arctic foxes stay away from the dogs.

We stopped at an old airstrip and research station and found reindeer grazing through the snow. Along the road, we drove by old coal mines and headed up a mountain. Half way up was another sledge dog kennel (owned by the hotel in town called Base Camp). There was also a hunters cabin with dead seals hanging outside (dinner for the dogs).

We reached the top of the mountain (the literal end of the road) and looked back down all of Advent Valley and out over the fjord. The view and light were just incredible.

We head back into town and Karianne suggested that we continue on past town out towards Bear Valley (I'm using the English translations as there's no way I'm going to be able to spell the Norwegian names). There were some small houses scattered along the valley. These houses are for Longyearbyen residents who find town too hectic and like to get away for the weekends! We arrived at yet another end of the road and took a walk down into the valley to look at one of the houses up close (with Karianne packing a flare gun to scare off any polar bears).

It was a fantastic day and I'm really thankful for Karianne's generosity. I finished up the day buying more warm clothes and sampling whale and seal meat at a local restaurant.

I have lots of great shots, but my web connection isn't letting me upload the pictures. I promise lots of great images when I return!

The whole Arctic Circle Program gang is all here now and tomorrow we board the sailboat and head north! Once we're on the boat, no web, no phone, basically, we'll all be in 1910.

Seal Watching Humans

2009-10-04T20:40:00.006-04:00

Day three fiming kayakers was the best day so far! A seal showed up to see what we were up to ... or at least check what was caught in the local fishing nets. The sea cooperated and the kayakers were really skilled in preforming synchronized movements! Great footage! As soon as the kayak paddlers started doing underwater rolls (in Arctic seas!) the seal was front and center wondering what we were doing.

Tonight I went to the indoor Svalbard swimming pool to watch the my kayaker friends play a game of polo. They would give the NY national team a run for their money. One of the polo players gave me a ride back to the hotel, and told me about local polar bear sitings. A mother bear and two cubs were recently seen hiding under under one of the houses on the upper road of town. It made me pause as I remembered that I ran up that same road this morning. Happily I didn't run into any polar bears, but I did pass a couple with baby stroller -- who had a rifle slung across across their back.

Kayaks on Isfjorden

2009-10-03T14:25:00.010-04:00

You can see hi-resolution versions of these photos by clicking on the pictures.

Arctic Kayak Paddling-Day2

2009-10-03T13:43:00.017-04:00

Today the sea was as smooth as glass. Five members of the Svalbard kayak polo team arrived ready to paddle. They were skilled paddlers and performed the synchronized movement really well ... although they were requesting that I photoshop perfect precision into the moves once I return to NYC.

After a couple of hours filming, the paddlers were all warmed up and I was FREEZING! To warm up I went for a run up by a church at the base of a mountain. Jaw dropping beauty where ever you look ... as I'm constantly looking out for polar bears.

One of the paddlers told me he has seen 5 so far this year. One was in the center of the road. He had his one and a half year old daughter in the car so he slammed it into reverse and let the bear own the road.

I'm still the only one in the hotel. Tonight I thought I'd make a movie ... Shining II. Finally a money maker!

Kayak Paddling in Isfjorden

2009-10-02T14:30:00.009-04:00

Today was my first day of filming kayak paddlers. The sea was pretty rough ... rough enough that 3 of the 4 paddlers had never been out in these conditions. It was also cold enough that the drysuit's rubber gaskets had frozen. Once these were thawed, and we had gone over the patterns to be paddled, we head out to the sea. I rigged one camera on the strongest paddler, Eike's kayak. The other camera was set up on a tripod on top of a barrel for height. Just as we were about to launch the kayaks, the local press arrived and asked for an interview. Happily, the reporter agreed to talk after the kayakers had paddled and just took photos of the event.

A few minutes after all the kayaks were in the sea and had started the first pattern, a huge wave came in and capsized the strongest paddler. He was not able to roll his kayak upright since it was so rough. After what felt like years of Eike being inverted, he did a wet release and swam back to shore. Even in a drysuit hypothermia sets in within minutes so I was amazed when he said he would take a few minutes to dry off and try again!

I'm happy to report that the day ended with everyone safe, patterns preformed, and great footage in camera (especially from the camera mounted on Eike's kayak)! Tomorrow we try again...

Studio 360

2009-10-02T11:20:00.003-04:00

A preview of the Arctic story has gone live on Public Radio's Studio 360. Here's an excerpt of their piece about the Arctic Circle project.

jet lag

2009-10-01T22:43:00.005-04:00

I seem to be suffering from a bit of jet lag so I'm updating at 4am Svalbard time.

Last night I checked out the bar in the hotel ... I say hotel, but think polar outpost. Mary Ann's Polarrigg was an old Russian mining dorm. It is a series of long, low buildings, strung together, each on a slightly different level...so there is a lot of going up and down steps to walk through the buildings.

I left my wing of small rooms, past the office, communal kitchen, through the common sitting area (one stuffed polar bear here), through the restaurant's kitchen, through a dinning room with old mining hats, boots, and pick axes left from when it was a working dorm, through what looks like a rock cave and into a long,candle lit, greenhouse style dinning room full of plants and a waterfall (three stuffed polar bears here and a few Arctic foxes too). This is a new addition to the old structure.

There were three people in this huge dinning room having dinner. It's off season. I sat at the bar and talked to the bartender, who was also the woman who checked me into the hotel on the first day (everybody does everything). She is third generation Svalbard (although each generaton was born on the mainland as required). The table of diners left and the chef and her assistant came out and joined me at the bar. The chef is from Thailand and her assistant is from Croatia. We taught each other words from our native languages, but they were all much better at English than I was at Norweigen, Thai, or Croatian.

[These aren't my pics, I should have some up soon.]

Radio Story About the Trip

2009-10-01T20:42:00.008-04:00

Matt Holzman is an independent radio producer who will accompany us on our voyage aboard the schooner Noorderlicht. While on board, he will work on a radio piece which will air on Public Radio Internation's "Studio 360" once we return.

Matt has done a fun little radio piece about getting ready for our trip - featuring excerpts from his conversations with some of the Arctic Circle participants. It will hopefully set up the Peabody-prize winning epic he’ll put together if and when we get back.

It airs next week - check www.studio360.org/listings.html for local times and stations. You can stream and podcast the show beginning this Friday at http://www.studio360.org/.

I'll try to alert readers when the show goes live. In New York, the show airs Saturdays at 10AM on 93.9 FM and Sundays at 7PM on AM 820.

Out the Polarrigg Hotel Window

2009-10-01T12:15:00.005-04:00

Here are some pictures out my window of the Polarrigg hotel. It's near the docks of Longyearbyen. These are low-resolution images from my netbook's camera, hopefully, I'll have better pictures soon.

Arctic Running

2009-10-01T05:09:00.004-04:00

I got up and went for a run this morning ... not like my normal lower east side of Manhattan runs. The roads, where paved are snow and ice covered with a bit of gravel on top which helped keep me upright.

It's cloudy today and the tops of the mountains are disappearing into the clouds...still unbelievably beautiful. I checked out the Svalbard Sailing Club (a small clubhouse on the water) and looked at the color of the kayaks for filming. I'm waiting to hear from Eike when the four paddlers will be available to be filmed ... till then I'm assembling tripods and reading manuals for all my new camera equipment.

Arctic Info

2009-10-01T03:28:00.004-04:00

Skype is working well (my ID is Janetbiggs1). Bob and I have been video chatting up a storm. This is a picture of me in my small but warm room.

Here's some links to Svalbard info:

Travelling to Svalbard

2009-10-01T03:23:00.004-04:00

Here I sit in the most beautiful place I've ever seen. I knew it was going to be amazing, but to see Svalbard from the air as we flew in was incredible...corny as it sounds it brought tears to my eyes.

I've checked in at the Polarrigg hotel, walked around town, shopped at the local grocery, and met with Eike Müller and fellow paddlers. Mary Ann's Polarrig is perfect for the group...full of character, stuffed polar bears and endless hallways (since I'm the only guest it has horror film written all over it). The communal space is great and the rooms will acclimate us to life shipboard (they can't be much larger than the boat's cabins).

The shopping area here has lots (considering the size of town) of sport outfitter shops so if anyone is lacking clothes they can pick them up here. There is an hardware/electronic store, but I haven't checked it out yet.

The hotel has wifi, but charges for it ($20 US for 24 hours access and about $1.50 per hour). Eike told me that there is a coffee shop in town with free wifi and it's also free at the library.

There is a communal kitchen here (that can be used for a small fee) which is great for me staying for a couple of days.

It takes about 15 minutes to walk into the town center (depending on how much ice is on the roads...there are two main dirt roads with smaller roads off to private residences.)

Great facts I learned tonight about Longyearbyen ... you can not retire here so all people of retirement age must return to the mainland. There is no unemployment and housing is expensive (most owned by mining companies who will only rent, not sell. To buy a house here costs more than in Oslo). No children are allowed to be born here as they don't have the medical care for births at the hospital and the child wouldn't have a nationality since the treaty makes Svalbard neutral (a great book in the making ... the birth the government doesn't catch). All pregnant women are flown to the mainland at about 6-7 months.