This symposium presents outcomes of Åsa Stjerna’s postdoctoral artistic research, "Sonic Visions of the Arctic," (2021-2023) and brings together scholars from different Nordic regions who critically engage with established representations of the Arctic through sonic arts, environmental photography, art history, and sound studies.
Ever since its "discovery," the Arctic has served as a stage where the past, present, and future of the planet's environmental and geopolitical dynamics are enacted. Recent years have witnessed an intensification of these imaginations and projections, propelled by anthropogenic climate change, rapid resource exploitation, geopolitical maneuvering, mass tourism, and heightened global awareness and activism concerning environmental issues (Körber, MacKenzie, and Westerståhl Stenport, 2017). However, the Arctic image itself is far from uniform; it is a complex and diverse concept that defies any singular narrative, particularly a Western-centric one. As Körber, MacKenzie, and Westerståhl Stenport assert, the Arctic has never existed as a homogeneous entity.
Consequently, depending on whose perspectives and images are privileged in shaping our understanding of the Circumpolar North, different interpretations emerge, influencing our perceptual awareness.
This symposium present findings and engage in discussions about ongoing research from art and humanities, spanning a wide range of critical perspectives related to the Arctic, such as "artistic imagination and dystopia", "sensorium", "photographic testimony," "indigenous knowledge," "scientific construction," and "geopolitical and environmental site of great global significance" among others.
Through this symposium, diverse viewpoints will have the opportunity to visually and audibly articulate alternative perceptions and counter-narratives of the Circumpolar North, thereby crafting new alternative cartographies.
We envision this symposium as a platform for fostering connections, sharing insights, inspiring others, and being inspired in return.
The symposium is in English.
Everyone is welcome to join.
Schedule
9.30-9.40 Welcome & Introduction to symposium
9.40-10.30 Åsa Stjerna, Artist, Postdoc. University of Gothenburg,
Sonic Visions of the Arctic
10.30-10.45: Break
10.45-12.00: SENSUOUS CARTOGRAPHIES
- Ania Mauruschat, Journalist, scholar and lecturer, focusing on sound and Environmental Humanities
Re-turning to Sila in Times of Global Climate Emergency
- Michael Kjaer, PhD., Teaching associate professor at Department of Arts and Cultural Studies, University of Copenhagen
Surfacing Extreme Marine Environments in the Arctic Region
- Stephanie von Spreter, PhD researcher in art history UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsö
Destructed Environments, Gendered Spaces and Colonial Legacies. Contemporary Art Practices Sensing the Arctic and the Circumpolar North
Moderator: Åsa Stjerna
12.00-13.00: LUNCH
13.00-14.00: PHOTOGRAPHIC TESTIMONIES
- Tyrone Martinsson, Professor of photography at the Artistic Faculty, University of Gothenburg
Virtual Arctic Archive Svalbard
- Hanna Horsberg Hansen, Professor of Art History, Academy of Arts at UiT, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsö
“Home” – On the concept of “home” in Emilie Demant Hatts (1873-1958) photographs
Moderator: Åsa Stjerna
14.00-14.15 BREAK
14.15-15.00 MAPPING AS WORLDMAKING
- Elin Haugdahl, Professor in Art history at UiT, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsö
Indigenous cartography
- Hanne Hammer Stien, Professor of Art History at Academy of Arts, UiT, The Arctic University of Norway.
The Urgency of Mapping and Mapmaking
Moderator: Åsa Stjerna
15.00-15.30 CONCLUDING REMARKS
See attached document for abstracts and biographies
