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The Polar Retrospective looks at stories of the past week that are related to the Arctic and Antarctic and focuses on one or more aspects. This time, the focus is on the Swiss capital, where a number of events have heralded the start of an autumn that highlights the Arctic in all its diversity.
The Kornhausforum kicked things off with its vernissage for the exhibition “Polewards – Deep Insights into the Far North”, which runs until October 13. Visitors can dive into life on Svalbard, Greenland and Nunavut with the help of photographs, videos and objects. Topics such as architecture, history, climate change, research and tourism are highlighted, with part of the exhibition being specially tailored to children and young people.
The five exhibitors Markus Bühler, Gianna Molinari, Devora Neumark, Christoph Oeschger and Marcel Schütz have lived or are still living in the regions depicted and can therefore offer an incredibly deep insight into the reality of the Arctic. In addition, the connection between Switzerland and parts of the Arctic is also highlighted. On the one hand, the country in the middle of Europe has some geographical similarities with regions such as Svalbard and Greenland. On the other hand, Swiss researchers have been active in these regions for over 100 years and continue to make an invaluable contribution to understanding and everyday life in the Arctic. In addition to the exhibition, talks with one of the exhibitors and a film and discussion round await Arctic fans.
The Forum also brought children closer to the Arctic and declared September 15 “Polar Kids’ Day”. More than 70 children and adults took advantage of the Swiss Polar Class Team’s offer to learn more about the Arctic and Antarctic and research in Greenland and Svalbard.
Arctic voices in Bern
At the same time, the event series “Arctic Voices” which started on September 27 and will run until October 22, 2024 at the Museum of Contemporary Circumpolar Art (MCCA), various cinemas and concert venues. The series offers a platform for indigenous voices and stories from the Arctic and presents a diverse program of films, panel discussions, museum tours and workshops. The focus is on contemporary indigenous films and stories from Sápmi and Arctic Northern Europe, Kalaallit Nunaat/Greenland, Canada, the USA (Alaska) and Russia.
The idea behind the platform was born last year in discussions between Marta and Natasha Cerny from the MCCA and Nimal Bourloud from the University of Bern. According to the organizers, “Arctic Voices” is not only intended to offer a cultural insight into the diverse world of the Arctic peoples, but also to pose critical, contemporary questions such as how indigenous Arctic peoples portray themselves and, above all, how they are portrayed by others in the past and today. The aim is to invite the audience to reflect critically on their own views and ideas about Arctic peoples and indigenous people in general.
Link to the website of “Arctic Voices”
ALPS Museum brings Greenland to Bern
However, the fall of 2024 has even more Arctic highlights in store. Starting on October 25, the Alpine Museum of Switzerland (ALPS) will be presenting the exhibition “Greenland – Everything is changing”. This exhibition highlights the rapid changes in Greenland: melting glaciers, booming tourism, new airports, growing mountains of waste, global investors and a self-confident Greenland on the way to its own indigenous identity and independence. A moving video installation with original Greenlandic soundtrack and an extensive program of events and guided tours will explore the exhibition themes in greater depth and offer visitors the opportunity to engage intensively with the subject matter.
From fall 2025, the ALPS exhibition will be expanded to include a special insight: visitors will then also be able to explore the Greenland collection of the Bernisches Historisches Museum. This collection includes a wide range of objects documenting the history and culture of Greenland, from archaeological finds to contemporary art. The combination of both exhibitions provides a comprehensive view of Greenland, from its past to its current challenges.
Link to the website of the ALPS Museum
But it is not only the various museums and institutions that are inviting visitors to Switzerland’s capital for Arctic topics. We at Polar Journal AG will also be making a contribution. Together with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists APECS Switzerland, we will be running a workshop on ways of disseminating information and communicating polar topics. The aim is to provide researchers with an insight into how their work on polar topics can be shared with a wide variety of different groups. The workshop, which will be held on October 12 at the Pädagogische Hochschule am Helvetiaplatz, is open to all researchers working on polar topics.
Link to the website of APECS Switzerland
With all the activities that have either already taken place or will take place in the future, Bern and Switzerland are sending out a strong signal for the Arctic and inviting people to engage with this fascinating and endangered region. The diverse events offer the opportunity to learn more about the Arctic, to get involved in its protection and to hear the voices of its inhabitants. We will continuously announce upcoming events on our website.
Dr. Michael Wenger, Polar Journal AG
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