Narratives of North

NARRATIVES OF NORTH

02 CREATE ENVIRONMENTAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE ARCTIC BY CONNECTING PEOPLE TO THE MELTING ICE. MAKE CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE ARCTIC A MORE TANGIBLE EXPERIENCE IN THE EVERYDAY LIFE OF SCOTTISH PEOPLE.

STORY 2.1

With satellite and digital technology, it is possible to track and monitor icebergs from their moment of calving until their dissipation or disintegration in the ocean. As the Northern Sea Routes are increasingly used for international trade, it could become ever more essential to follow the icebergs and their smaller parts; bergy bits, to avoid collision.

What if this monitoring could be used to form relationships between people in Scotland and the icebergs, creating new ways to think about and sense the environment? What if there were a device in the home that could document the moment of an iceberg’s birth, and then follow its life until it perishes at sea? The device might be given a ‘human’ voice, as if the iceberg were treated as a companion. Could the device read out a weekly horoscope for a selected iceberg? What would the iceberg encounter on its journey to an inevitable fate?

As the iceberg meanders in currents to the open ocean, the device could report on its trajectory, speed and location. Perhaps a partner app could allow the people following the berg to view its current position, acting as a portal into an other, Arctic world.

The story of the iceberg’s life might be recorded in different ways and used to document the evolving relationship with citizens and the environment.

How the berg is followed, sensed and shared amongst the community who participate in this relationship could shape future environmental relationships between Scotland and the Arctic.

STORY 2.2

Speculation over ‘undiscovered’ resources in the Arctic is leading to a ‘cold rush’ and international interest in exploiting the region. If the Arctic increases in economic value, then so too might the systems in place to monitor and control the unpredictable factors at play in the Arctic, such as the increase in the number of icebergs calving from glaciers and becoming potentially hazardous to economic activity.

What if people could buy shares in an iceberg to fund research in preserving the polar ice caps? What if, as each berg calves, funds were raised through selling ‘shares’ in the berg? The funds could cover the cost of monitoring the berg, and further research into climate change. The more people buy shares in a particular iceberg, the cheaper the donation cost for the individual. This system could turn into a form of gambling, or a game. The icebergs form a kind of distributed network across the North. Shares could be bought and sold on an iceberg exchange and evidenced through virtual ownership platforms.

How would the value of an iceberg be measured? Would icebergs that pose increased threat to economic activity lose value faster? What happens to shares when the iceberg eventually melts? Could owning a piece of ice with perceived value change they way people think about the diminishing amount left?

STORY 2.3

Icebergs are unpredictable and with warming seas we can expect to see ever greater flotillas of ice on the surface of the Arctic Oceans. While many Scottish people are aware of the effects of climate change and their impact on the environment through domestic activities, the thought of melting ice remains quite abstract.

What if it were possible to follow the meandering journey of an iceberg visually in your home? What if a device were embedded in a piece of furniture, and could alert people to imminent calvings? It could then enable people to drift with the ice, following it through its violent early days, to mundane weeks on the open water and encounters with Arctic fauna. On rare occasions the berg might even roll, and the recording device would become submerged, offering the viewers an opportunity to visit sub-marine Arctic topographies. Recording the journey of a particular iceberg could leave its mark on the device, its trajectory traced or its location mapped. When an iceberg melts completely, the location of a new iceberg could be searched for using the device, a bit like fishing.

How would the perception of the environment change for those experiencing berg-life on a daily basis? Would watching the destruction of the icecap from the comfort of the living room conjure up feelings of concern or pleasure?

Would new communities form around people watching calving live? A spectator sport emerging around the demise of the Arctic?

STORY 2.4

The melting of the polar ice caps is a direct result of global warming, something that we are all aware of and contribute towards to varying degrees.

While some people in Scotland are concerned for the environment and make concerted efforts to live more sustainably, others are indifferent. As the Arctic ice continues to recede, it might be that our relationships with the environment become more pertinent.

What if we took more ownership of the problems facing the Arctic and there were a way to ‘adopt’ an iceberg? What if this service could be a way to raise funds to support research in Arctic ice? Upon subscribing to the service, an adopter could be assigned a newly calved, individual iceberg. They could receive regular updates on the statistics of their berg, learning about its size, shape, trajectory and life expectancy. This information could be provided either digitally, or via the post in the form of a berg-zine or artefacts. As its volume diminishes over time the adopter would become aware of the limited time the iceberg has remaining, and would ultimately be notified at the ‘death’ of their berg.

How would artefacts evidencing the adoption process help construct a narrative around an individual iceberg? Would the adopter feel a sense of loss, and question their relationship with the environment? Would the closer relationship with the iceberg encourage the adopter to modify their behaviour, or would donating money through the subscription service alleviate any feeling of duty to protect the environment?

STORY 2.5

The ice in an iceberg can date back to the ice age, being thousands of years old.

When an iceberg calves from a glacier it embarks upon a journey into the sea.

Some icebergs may live for weeks, months or even years. Once they reach the open ocean however, they can quickly melt and break apart. With technology today it is now possible to monitor icebergs to ensure they don’t collide with ships or oil rigs, and preventative measures can be taken.

What if it were possible to use the data from the iceberg monitoring database to predict the lifespan of an iceberg? What if a device could act as an iceberg ‘clock’, counting down the time and iceberg has left and making people aware of the ongoing melting effect? Alternatively a device could be used to count the number of icebergs calved from a single glacier over a period of time.

What would happen upon the early termination of an iceberg? Would the acknowledgement of the melting ice via the domestic device make us think differently about our environmental relationship with the Arctic? Would simplistic knowledge of the rate of the glacier receding increase the pressure on Scottish people to make behaviour changes?