Included here are notices of lectures, conferences and other gatherings or events of Antarctic interest that appeared in 2015 and 2016 in 'Antarctic Events' but are now history.
Last updated: 20 December 2016.
The Roald Amundsen Memorial Lectures 2 & 3 December 2016. Fram Museum, Oslo.
Tom Crean: Unsung Hero of Antarctic Exploration 23 November 2016. School of Natural & Social Sciences, University of Gloucestershire, Francis Close Hall Campus, Cheltenham., UK.
James Caird Society. AGM & Members' Evening and Lecture 4 November 2016. Dulwich College, Dulwich, UK.
16th Annual Shackleton Autumn School Athy, Ireland, 28-31 October 2016.
Icons of Antarctic Exploration London, Royal Geographical Society, 24 October 2015.
Rediscovering the Antarctic Feat of Shackleton and Pardo London, Royal Geographical Society, 5 October 2015.
Unveiling of the Shackleton statue in Athy, Ireland. 30 August 2016.
Visions of the Great White South Bonham's, London. 2-19 August 2016.
Shackleton Endurance Exhibition Dun Laoghaire, Ireland. Closed January 2016.
Westminster Abbey Service of Thanksgiving 20 May 2016. Westminster Abbey, London
James Caird Society. Members' Evening and Lecture 13 May 2016. Dulwich College, Dulwich, UK.
The Enduring Eye: The Antarctic Legacy of Sir Ernest Shackleton and Frank Hurley Royal Geographical Society, London. 27 November 2015 - 28 February 2016.
Friends of SPRI AGM 7 November 2015. Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge.
James Caird Society AGM, Members' Evening and Lecture 6 November 2015. Dulwich College, Dulwich, UK.
Antarctic Circles 1-28 October 2015. Barbican Library. London.
15th Annual Shackleton Autumn School 23-26 October 2015. Athy, Ireland.
Ernest Shackleton Loves Me 20 September - 4 October 2015. Paramount Theatre, Boston.
James Caird Society, Centenary Lunch 9 May 2015 aboard HQS Wellington, London.
SouthPole-sium v.2 1-4 May 2015, Craobh Haven, Scotland.
The Crossing of Antarctica 12 January 2015. London, Royal Geographical Society.
Events associated with the centenary of Scott's Terra Nova expedition 2010-2012
Friday 2 DecemberFor this and more information go to: eventsfram2016.pdf
17:30 Registration
18:00 Exhibition opening Captain C.A. Larsen Ð Explorer, Whaler & Family Man
Launch of C.A. Larsen's diaries from Jason (1891-94) and Antarctic (1901-04)
Reception
20:30 Film: Trapped at the End of the World. Argentinian documentary from 2004 about the Swedish Antarctic Expedition 1901-04. English subtitles. 83 min.
22:00 EndSaturday 3 December
10:00 Geir O. Kløver—Welcome. Launch of Gustav Juel Wiik's and Peder Ristvedt's diaries from the Gjøa Expedition (1903-06)
10:30 Joe O'Farrell—The Ross Sea Party 1914-17: Tragedy or Triumph?
11:30 Break
11:40 Robert Stephenson—A Low-Latitude Antarctic Gazetteer (Antarctic Sites outside the Antarctic—memorials, statues, houses, graves and the occasional pub)
12:00 Lunch in the Gjøa Building
13:00 Aant Elzinga—Otto Nordenskjöld and the Swedish Antarctic Expedition 1901-1903 in scientific context
14:00 Break
14:10 Robert Burton—Captain C.A. Larsen at South Georgia: Launching the Antarctic whaling industry
15:10 Coffee break
14:40 PJ Capelotti—Polar Opposites: American and Norwegian voices in the exploration of Franz Josef Land
16:40 Break
16:50 The Polar Exploration Game ©The Fram Museum
Reception in the C.A. Larsen exhibition
19:45 Recreation of the City of Kristiania's dinner 10 September 1896 for Fridtjof Nansen and his men to welcome them home
from Fram's drift across the Polar Sea. The same 9-course menu and similar wine will be served, the same speeches will be held and the same music played.
Click here to download the brochure.
Friday, 28th October
7.30pm - Official Opening of the Shackleton Autumn School by the Norwegian Ambassador to Ireland, Her Excellency …Saturday, 29th October Lecture Series, Athy Library8.00pm - Book Launch in Athy Heritage Centre - Museum. In association with Thames & Hudson, London, the school is delighted to host the launch of Explorers' Sketchbooks: The Art of Discovery and Adventure, published by Thames & Hudson, also released in several foreign languages. Rare journals, sketchbooks, art and more from the great exploratory journeys in history, and much here that has never previously been seen. Authors Huw and Kari are long standing supporters of the Athy School and we welcome them back this year.
9.00pm - Book Launch in O'Briens Public House, Emily Square, Athy. A first for the social heart of the Shackleton weekend when O'Briens will host the launch of Finding Franklin: The Untold Story of a 165-Year Search published by McGill-Queens University Press. In compelling prose Russell Potter details his decades of work in tracing the more than fifty searches for traces of Franklin's ships and his men.
Exhibition: "By Endurance We Conquer: Shackleton and his men"
Daily at the Athy Heritage Centre - Museum
Saturday & Sunday 10am - 5pm.
Bank Holiday Monday 10am - 2pm.
The exhibition is about Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1914-1917 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition 1914-1917. It tells the story of the loss of the Endurance in the ice and how Shackleton and his men overcame the challenges they faced. The exhibition text was developed by the Polar Museum, Cambridge and is complemented by artefacts from the Museum's own and private collections.
10.00am - Explorers' Sketchbooks: The Art of Discovery and Adventure. Dr Huw Lewis-Jones. Admission €10Sunday, 30th October Lecture Series, Athy Library10.50am - TEA/COFFEE
11.20 - Triumph from Disaster: Shackleton and the Endurance Expedition. Meredith Hooper. Admission €10
12.10 - White and Green Warfare in 1916: the story of Tom Crean & Thomas Ashe. - Frank Nugent. Admission €10
1pm - LUNCH
2.30pm - Finding Franklin - The untold story of a 165 year search. Dr Russell Potter. Admission €10
3.30pm - What makes a successful explorer? Mick Conefrey. Admission €10
4.30pm - 'Icebreakers.' A series of short presentations on topics relevant to the Shackleton Autumn School, presented by those with a passion for their subject. Admission Free.
8 pm - Autumn School Dinner at the Clanard Court Hotel, Athy. Tickets €40
10.00am - The Last Husky Dog Journey on the Antarctic Continent - John Killingbeck. Admission €10Monday, 31st October 201610.50am - TEA/COFFEE
11.20am - Life after Shackleton: The Conservation and Travels of the James Caird. Simon Stephens. Admission €10
12.10pm - The 9,000 mile museum: Caring for our Antarctic Heritage Camilla Nicholl. Admission €10
1pm - LUNCH
2.30pm - Ernest Shackleton and Adrien de Gerlache - A Belgian Connection. Dr Jozef Verlinden
3.30pm - Film: Towards the Coldest Place on Earth.
Once a year Russian Polarnics set out in tracked vehicles fit for scrap to reach the Cold Pole of the Earth. The convoy takes fuel, provisions and spare parts to the station Vostok at the heart of the Antarctic—if they arrive. The veteran vehicles from the Brezhnev era and temperatures below minus 50 degree Celsius make the 1410 kilometres a nail-biting affair. It is the most extreme operation in the Antarctic. The trek from Mirny to Vostok lives from the spirit of the men who undertake it and whose souls are deeply bound to this extreme landscape and its challenges. Join Leonid and his brigade on their way into the unknown. As the only non-Russian Andreas Sanders was an official member of this Russian Antarctic Expedition. He succeeded in what no one had dared for decades: The documentation of The Convoy. He is presenting his documentary with live narration.5.00pm - Open Forum - Chaired by Bob Headland.
Admission €108.30pm - Cultural Evening at the Athy Arts Centre. TBC
'Polar Bites' - A literary smorgasbord of prose and poetry inspired by the polar regions. Admission Free
10.00am - Field Trip. Assemble at The Heritage Centre - MuseumInformation on Contributors
Bus tour through Shackleton country. A Visit to Ballitore and the home of Mary Leadbeater, writer and ancestor of Ernest Shackleton and Quaker Meeting House. Fare €10.
Dr Huw Lewis-Jones
Huw is a historian of exploration. He was curator at the Scott Polar Research Institute and the National Maritime Museum in London. He is an award winning author who travels in the Arctic and Antarctic each year working as a polar guide and he has a fascination with wilderness environments and remote islands. His books include Ocean Portraits, The Crossing of Antarctica, The Conquest of Everest, which won the History award at the Banff Mountain Festival, and most recently Across the Arctic Ocean.Kari Herbert
Kari is an author and publisher whose work has featured widely in newspapers and magazines including The Sunday Times, the Guardian, Geographical and Traveller. Her late father was the polar explorer Sir Wally Herbert and her first book, The Explorer's Daughter described her childhood growing up in an isloated community in the north of Greenland. Her latest book, Heart of the Hero, drew attention to the remarkable achievements of the wives of celebrated explorers.Meredith Hooper TBC
Frank Nugent
Frank Nugent is an alpinist with many visits to the Alps and four expeditions to the Himalayas. He was the deputy leader of the first and successful Irish Everest Expedition (Stelfox 1993); joint leader of South Aris Antarctic Expedition 1997; sailed the Northwest Passage with the Northabout Expedition 2001; and climbed many first ascents during the Irish Lemon Mountains Expedition to Greenland in 2003. He has since climbed and trekked in the Andes, Iceland, Norway and in Colorado and Wyoming in the USA. A member of the Alpine Club, Frank is author of Seek the Frozen Lands - Irish Polar Explorers 1740-1922 and In Search of Peaks, Passes & Glaciers-Irish Alpine Pioneers. A former Chairman of Mountaineering Ireland, he is currently Chair of the Irish Uplands Forum, a voluntary body that promotes the sustainable management of the Irish Uplands.Dr Russell Potter
Russell Potter is Professor of English and Media Studies at Rhode Island College. He's written about Hip-hop (Spectacular Vernaculars, 1995) and the history of polar exploration (Arctic Spectacles, 2007), as well as a novel, PYG: The Memoirs of Toby, the Learned Pig. His newest book, Finding Franklin: The Untold Story of a 165-Year Search, has just been published by McGill-Queen's University Press.Mick Conefrey
Mick for the last twenty years has worked mainly in television, principally for the BBC and most of the major British broadcasters and US channels, including Discovery and the History Channel. He has made made a variety of films, ranging from experimental documentaries such as Small Objects of Desire to the landmark series Icemen and Mountain Men. More recently he worked with the Harvard philosopher Michael Sandel on JusticeÊand has just made a biography of Lionel Bart. Several of his films have won international and British awards, at festivals such as Trento, Telluride, Banff and Kendal. He is currently working on History Connections, a new series for Discovery. As a writer, Mick has co-authored Icemen and Mountain Men and has written three further books: The Adventurer's Handbook, How to Climb Mont Blanc in a Skirt and Everest 1953, The Epic Story of the First Ascent.John Killingbeck
John worked with the Falkland Islands Dependency Survey,the forerunners of BAS, from 1960-63. During this period, large areas of the Antarctic Peninsula were being surveyed using dog sled teams for transport into the field. Survey trips would last for two to three months. The surveyors worked in teams of two men—each man with a sled and nine dogs. John's work is acknowledged by Killingbeck Island (67°32'S 68°7'W), a small island east of Rothera Point, off the south-east coast of Adelaide Island. John has continued his connection with the Antarctic, lecturing on Polar cruise ships and to school and adult groups. He is also an active member of the Devon and Cornwall Polar Society.Simon Stephens
Simon Stephens, Curator of the Ship Model and Boat Collections at the Royal Museums Greenwich (NMM) was behind the preservation and restoration of the James Caird at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, and more recently oversaw the successful transfer of the Caird to its fresh home in the newly built Laboratory at Dulwich College, and supervised the stepping of the mast and re-erection of the sails as they would have been in 1916.Camilla Nicholl
Camilla Nichol is the Chief Executive of UKAHT having joined the Trust in 2014 from a career to date in museums and heritage. Camilla studied Geology at the University of Edinburgh followed by Museum Studies at the University of Leicester. She has had a varied museum career working with collections as diverse as geology, scientific and medical instrument, anatomy and pathology, Scottish football and the early oil industry. Previously she was Head of collections for Leeds Museums and Galleries, led the science team at York Museums Trust as Keeper of Geology, worked at the Hunterian Museum at Glasgow University—where she was fortunate to curate the Antarctic rock collections including specimens collected from Elephant Island by the marooned men from Endurance and the first rocks collected from the Antarctic mainland by Carsten Borchgrevink in 1895.Dr Jozef Verlinden
Jozef Verlinden was born and educated in Belgium. He studied sciences at the universities of Louvain and Antwerp and holds a PhD in Chemistry. After his studies he worked in the pharmaceutical industry and became director of a pharmaceutical company. He has long had an interest in polar history. He wrote several books, in Dutch, about Belgian and Dutch polar exploration, including a biography of Belgian explorer Adrien de Gerlache. Jozef visited all the regions discovered by Adrien de Gerlache. As guide and lecturer on cruise ships, he went seven times to Antarctica and two times to Northeast Greenland and Spitsbergen.Andreas Sanders. TBC
Bob Headland
Bob is a senior research associate of the Scott Polar Research Institute of the University of Cambridge. He specialises in the history and geography of both polar regions. His work with the Antarctic Heritage Trust involves the preservation of the historical huts and other aspects associated with the exploration of the discovery of the Antarctic. His most recent publication is A Chronology of Antarctic Exploration.Ed O'Loughlin
Ed O'Loughlin grew up in Kildare town, Ireland, where he moved from his native Toronto, Canada, aged six. After completing his studies at Trinity College Dublin and Dublin City University, he reported from Dublin and Africa for The Irish Times, and was Middle East correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age of Melbourne. His first novel, Not Unrue and Not Unkind was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2009 and shortlisted for the Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award. His second novel, Toploader a darkly comic vision of the "war against terror", was published by Quercus in 2011. All you can Eat a novella satirising the Irish economic crash, appeared in 2013. His third novel, Minds of Winter, was published by Riverrun in August 2016.
In August 2016 "Visions of the Great White South", an exhibition to be held at Bonhams, 101 New Bond Street, will reunite the iconic photography of Herbert Ponting with the evocative watercolors of Edward Wilson over a century after the two men first dreamt up their plan for a joint exhibition.
The British Antarctic Expedition, better known by the name of its ship the Terra Nova, took place from 1910-1913. Captain Robert Falcon Scott appointed Dr Edward Wilson, a close friend and a fine watercolourist, as his chief scientist. He also invited camera artist Herbert Ponting to join the expedition as official photographer, in a bold move in an era when high quality photography required great skill and careful attention in ordinary circumstances, let alone in the extreme environment of the Antarctic. Both Wilson and Ponting captured expedition life as well as keeping a visual record of scientific phenomena that the crew were studying.
Making use of the Scott Polar Research Institute's historical collections, the exhibition will also show examples of Captain Scott's photography from the expedition in a series of beautiful new platinum prints of his work, produced by Belgian photographic publishers Salto Ulbeek in collaboration with the Scott Polar Research Institute. Scott was taught photography by Ponting during the expedition, and, in the images he produced, the influence of both Ponting and Wilson can be discerned in the ways he captured the vast and compelling landscapes of the Antarctic.
Both Ponting and Wilson hoped to hold a joint exhibition, however the catastrophic loss of the South Pole party including Scott and Wilson made that impossible.
Owing to the death of Dr. Wilson his pictures could never be reproduced for sale, as he had intended. His widow, therefore, considered it better that they should be exhibited separately. The whole beautiful series of his water colors was shown at the Alpine Club, whilst my photographs were exhibited at the Fine Art Society's galleries, London.
Professor Julian Dowdeswell, Director of the Scott Polar Research Institute, comments, "It is a great privilege to hold the remarkable paintings of Edward Wilson and the striking photography of Herbert Ponting in the Scott Polar Research Institute's historic collection. By reuniting their work in this special exhibition we are pleased to give the public the opportunity to see their works together and at their best."
Alongside the historic artworks, visitors will have the opportunity to see contemporary interpretations of the 'great white south'. For several years the Friends of Scott Polar Research Institute, with the support of Bonhams and the Royal Navy, have run an artist in residence scheme which sends an artist to the Antarctic on board the icebreaker HMS Protector. Artists including Captain Scott's grand-daughter Daphila Scott and renowned wildlife artist Darren Rees will exhibit their responses to the frozen wilds of Antarctica.
Robert Brooks, Chairman of Bonhams, comments, "It is an honor for Bonhams to exhibit the art of two such extraordinarily talented and brave men and to be able to hang works together publicly for the first time ever. The Terra Nova expedition is famous, of course, for the tragic loss of Captain Scott and his companions. But its purpose was primarily scientific and Wilson and Ponting's work reminds us of the pioneering quest for knowledge that underpinned the venture."
International collaboration in the Antarctic by Dafila Scott will be exhibited along with works by other contemporary artists from the SPRI residency The chairman of the Friends of Scott Polar Research Institute, Rear Admiral Nick Lambert, comments "The Friends are extremely grateful for Bonhams' and the Royal Navy's ongoing support of the Artist in Residence Program enabling five artists to experience and record Antarctica's fabulous environment hosted by HMS Scott and HMS Protector over the past five years. The exhibition is a brilliant opportunity to display modern works alongside those of the Terra Nova expedition." The Friends are also pleased to announce that this summer their first Arctic artist in residence will be traveling to Svalbard, with the support of One Ocean Expeditions.
Exhibition details:
Visions of the Great White South will be open to the public from 2 August until 19 August, Monday to Friday, 10am-4pm. Entry will be free.
An account of the British Antarctic Expedition (Terra Nova) is available at http://www.spri.cam.ac.uk/picturelibrary/catalogue/bae1910-13/
About the artists
Five artists will be exhibiting work produced on the Friends of SPRI artists in residence scheme, supported by Bonhams and the Royal Navy.
Lucy Carty (2015/16)
Darren Rees (2014/15)
John Kelly (2013/14)
Emma Stibbon (2012/13)
Dafila Scott (2010/11)
—From an e-mail press release.
Ferry Terminal, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland. Exhibition open every day. Admission.
"The exhibition tells a survival story like no other: Irish-born explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic expedition of 1914-1917. Today it's rightly seen as perhaps the most remarkable in exploration history: a tale of extraordinary leadership—of the triumph of the human heart and spirit when faced with the most terrible odds. But it was years before its true significance emerged.
An exhibition at the Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London.
Running 27 November 2015 - 28 February 2016.
Preview for Fellows and members of the Society on Friday, 20 November.
Saturday, 7 November 2015.
SPRI Lecture Theatre, Cambridge. Time and program TBA.
Friday, 6 November 2015, 6pm, Great Hall, Dulwich College, London. Preceded by the AGM at 5:30pm in the South Cloister.
A special reception around the James Caird will be followed by talks from Dr Jan Piggott and Sebastian Coulthard.
Dinner will be served at 7pm in the Great Hall.
Adele Jackson e-mailed to say: "There's an exhibition of my sculptural books, photographs and songs by Lucy Bergman on at the Barbican Library, London—all our work is inspired by the Antarctic Treaty. The show is on until the 28th October.
I thought some of the people in your network would be interested.
Here are some details:
https://www.barbican.org.uk/library/event-detail.asp?ID=18643
ANTARCTIC CIRCLES A Barbican Library Exhibition, 1 - 28 October 2015. Library. Tickets: FREE Artists Adele Jackson & Lucy Bergman present an exhibition of songs, photographs and sculptural books inspired by the environment, wildlife and cultural heritage protected by the Antarctic Treaty: the international agreement that preserves Antarctica as a place of peace and collaborative scientific research.
Library Opening Times: Mondays & Wednesdays 9.30am to 5.30pm; Tuesdays & Thursdays 9.30am to 7.30pm; Fridays 9.30am to 2pm; Saturdays 9.30am to 4pm; Closed on Sundays.
7:30 pm. Official Opening & Exhibition Launch 8:00 pm. Book Launch. In association with the History Press the school is delighted to host the launch of From Ice Floes to Battlefields: Scott's 'Antarctics' in the First World War by Anne Strathie. From Ice Floes to Battlefields draws on previously unpublished journals, letters and other archive material to throw new light on the Terra Nova expedition and on 'what happened next' to Scott's 'Antarctics', men who had taken part in Scott's 1910-13 Terra Nova expedition and, in several cases, in Shackleton's Nimrod and Endurance expeditions.SATURDAY 24 October
10:00 am. "Shackleton's Crossing of Antarctica—Could they have done it?" Robert Burton. Admission €10 10:50 am. TEA/COFFEE 11:20 am. "Captain Scott, The Modern Traveller" Dr Phillip Sidney. Admission €10 12:10 pm. "Lessons from a Polar Explorer about Success" Dr Jesus Alcoba. Admission €10 1 pm. LUNCH 2:30 pm. "Survival and Sacrifice in Mars Exploration—What we know from Polar Expeditions" Dr Erik Seedhouse. Admission €10 3:30 pm. "Scurvy and Polar Exploration" Dr Kevin McKenna. Admission €10 4:30 pm. 'Icebreakers' A series of short presentations on topics relevant to the Shackleton Autumn School, presented by those with a passion for their subject. Admission Free. 8 pm. Autumn School Dinner. Clanard Court Hotel, Athy. Tickets €40SUNDAY 25 October
10.00 am. "Penguin legs are good cold—Notes from the Scott Polar Archives" Naomi Boneham. Admission €10 10:50 am. TEA/COFFEE 11:20 am. 'Wintering over in Antarctica—15 months at the French station Dumont d'Urville' Samuel Blanc. Admission €10 12:10 pm. "Over by Christmas? Back by 1915? New worlds for Scott's and Shackleton's men." Anne Strathie. Admission €10 1 pm. LUNCH 2:30 pm. Film, Athy Library. Antarctica—A Year On IceMONDAY 26 OctoberThis is a visually stunning film that lets you experience what it is like to live in Antarctica for a full year, including winters isolated from the rest of the world, while enduring months of darkness in the harshest place on Earth. Anthony Powell has been working in Antarctica with his wife Christine for many years. After over 10 years of filming, his documentary is now complete. Anthony has had his work appear in numerous films, exhibits and TV shows. He most recently featured in the Emmy Award-winning BBC series, The Frozen Planet. Admission €104:00 pm. Open Forum. Chaired by Bob Headland 8:00 pm. Cultural Evening. Athy Dominican Church. MusicShackleton's Endurance tells for the first time the story of the 1914 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition through words and music. Brian Hughes' composition and John MacKenna's narrative capture the facts and feelings underlying key stages of the expedition, from the optimism and hope at the departure in August 1914, through to the joy as Yelcho hoves to off Elephant Island. The performers will be joined by Kildare County Orchestra and Monasterevin Gospel Choir, while Craig Blackwell's backdrop will complete the full sensory experience. Admission €15
10:00 am. Field Trip. Assemble at The Heritage Centre-MuseumINFORMATION ON CONTRIBUTORS
Bus tour through Shackleton country. A visit to Ballitore and the home of Mary Leadbeater, writer and ancestor of Ernest Shackleton and Quaker Meeting House. Fare €10
Dr Jesus AlcobaPHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION:
Jesus Alcoba MsC, MBA, PhD is the Dean of La Salle International Graduate School of Business. He is also a member of the Board of La Salle University College, which is affiliated to the Autonoma University of Madrid. He has authored several scientific papers and books. His latest one is La Brujula de Shackleton (Shackleton's Compass), a book that combines his research in personal success with the legendary Endurance expedition that was awarded as one of the best 2014 business books in Spain. He the author of ernestshackleton.es, a website that narrates the Endurance expedition following Shackleton's "South", and he has travelled to Antarctica to retrace some of its more breathtaking passages. Cristian Barnett
Cristian is a professional photographer with over 15 years experience working with many of the best cookery book publishers and magazines as well as restaurants, hotels and other commercial clients. His recent book titles include Tom Kerridge's Best Ever Dishes and Hope and Greenwood's Sweets Made Simple. Magazine work includes Country Living, Saga and House and Garden. His long-term project Life on the Line, a series of portraits shot along the Arctic circle, was published in September 2014. Samuel Blanc
Samuel Blanc 29 years of age, was born in the Chartreuse mountain range in the heights of Grenoble in Isère. It is in this universe of the mid-range mountain, that his passion for nature in general and for the fauna in particular was born. Manager of pedagogical projects targeting public schools, adults or students, he lead conferences, headed naturalist visits, and participated in audiovisual shows. It is after this enriching experience, that he left for fifteen months in the Adélie Land in Antarctica, on behalf of the CNRS and of the French Polar Institute in the framework of a research program on biology and ecology. On site, he was in this way responsible for the study and monitoring of populations of birds and of marine mammals. Naomi Boneham
Naomi Boneham is the Archivist at the Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge. After studying mainly European history at University Naomi moved on to much more local records working in County Archives both before and after qualifying as an Archivist. In 2006 she switched from estate records to the frozen world of Arctic and Antarctic exploration. The SPRI Archives have provided an opportunity to combine her interest in cataloguing theory with the ability to remain in daily contact with researchers. Robert Burton
Robert Burton is a natural history writer who has been involved with South Georgia for many years. He visited the island for the first time in 1964 and returned in 1971 to study albatrosses and fur seals. From 1995 to 1998, he was director of the museum at Grytviken and started to collect information on the island's history. This included researching the time that Shackleton spent on South Georgia. Bob now visits annually as a lecturer on cruise ships. Bob Headland
Bob Headlandis a senior research associate of the Scott Polar Research Institute of the University of Cambridge. He specialises in the history and geography of both polar regions. His work with the Antarctic Heritage Trust involves the preservation of the historical huts and other aspects associated with the exploration of the discovery of the Antarctic. His most recent publication is A Chronology of Antarctic Exploration. Dr Kevin McKenna
Dr Kevin McKenna was born in Belfast. He trained at Queen's University Belfast and Harvard Medical School, Boston. He is currently a consultant at the Belfast City Hospital. He has a life long interest in history and polar exploration. He is married to Gail and has five children. Dr Erik Seedhouse
Erik Seedhouse is a Norwegian-Canadian suborbital astronaut. After military service Erik pursued his Ph.D. at the German Space Agency's Institute for Space Medicine. He found time to win Ultraman Hawai'i and the European Ultraman Championships as well as completing the Race Across America bike race. Erik won the World Endurance Triathlon Championships in 1995 and 1996, the World Double Ironman Championships in 1995 and the infamous Decatriathlon, an event requiring competitors to swim 38km, cycle 1800km, and run 422km. Non-stop. In 1997 GQ magazine nominated him as the 'Fittest Man in the World'. Erik works as an astronaut instructor, professional speaker, triathlon coach and author. Between 2008 and 2013 he served as director of Canada's manned centrifuge and hypobaric operations. Dr Phillip Sidney
Philip Sidney is a freelance writer and researcher, currently at work on a literary history of Scott's last expedition. He completed his PhD thesis, Scott's Last Expedition and the Literature of Cold, at the University of Cambridge in late 2013. Philip has frequently presented on polar topics, most recently at the 'Heroes' conference held at the Royal Geographical Society; his writing has appeared in Polar Record, Critical Quarterly, Church Times and The Junket. Philip was a shortlisted candidate for the International Scott Centenary Expedition 2012. Anne Strathie
Anne Strathie was born and educated in Scotland and now lives in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Before embarking on researching and writing Birdie Bowers: Captain Scott's Marvel, she worked in business and the arts and heritage sector, including at Cheltenham's Wilson Art Gallery & Museum. In the course of her research for Birdie Bowers and From Ice Floes to Battlefields, she travelled to New Zealand, Antarctica (Ross Sea) and World War One sites; she has given talks and taken part in events in Britain and New Zealand.
"Life on the Line" celebrates the variety of existence in the circumpolar Arctic, in the face of overwhelming environmental and cultural change. Over a number of years, photographer Cristian Barnett has journeyed to the Arctic Circle, an invisible line of latitude 66 degrees and 33 minutes north of the Equator. The line intersects eight countries and is home to a rich diversity of peoples for whom the sun never sets in high summer, nor rises in deepest winter. All the photographs were taken on film within thirty-five miles of the Arctic Circle.
20 September - 4 October 2015. Performance times vary (some matinees, some evenings). Emerson College's Paramount Center, 559 Washington Street, Boston, MA. See http://www.emerson.edu/news-events/featured-events/artsemerson-ernest-shackleton-loves-me. Be sure to click the 'Ernest Shackleton' link below for far more information, videos, etc.
"Ernest Shackleton Loves Me is a geeky, high-tech musical adventure starring GrooveLily's fierce and funny electro-violinist Valerie Vigoda and the dazzling and hypnotic Wade McCollum, with a tongue-in-cheek script by Tony award-winner Joe DiPietro. This show kicks off ArtsEmerson's 2015-2016 season! Kat is a sleep-deprived single mom who has just been fired from her day job as a video game music composer. When legendary gentleman-explorer Ernest Shackleton makes contact with Kat through a dating website, the two embark on an Antarctic quest, conquering new horizons and forging a time-traveling love affair for the ages."