About
I trained as a marine scientist in Scotland. We looked at the whole ocean system and it was evident in every subject that the oceans are changing. All of the aspects of the oceans – from seaweed to whales, from fish farms parasites to the geology of the seabed, from the poles to the equator – are being altered by humans. Plastics are everywhere and we have already changed ocean currents, decimated marine organisms, and even altered the very chemistry of the seawater.
I chose to focus on the physics when I looked for a PhD – how water moves around the planet, transporting heat and salt, and modifying the environment as it goes. This led me to the Arctic, where the effects of our impact on the climate becomes most apparent. I found the place both beautiful and sad.
I traced the retreat of glaciers by satellite and traveled north to survey the fjords at the peak of each melt season. We watched great plumes of melt-water eroding the glacier fronts and tried to measure them with submarines. I witnessed huge chunks of ice crumble and fall to the water, and I saw a hungry, mud soaked polar bear be chased from the settlement, returning each day in a vain search for food.
I was moved. I found it difficult to continue the work knowing that even if we can measure the rate of change, it will have very little effect (if any) on the politics and decision making that has led us into this position. So I began to make art.
Initially it was a form of escapism – it was just nice to get out of my head and use my hands. Get lost in the clay. However, my science project and my love of the Arctic weaved it’s way into my art. I found it hard to make anything else.
The work shown here is the continuation of my journey and the beginning of a project I have thought about for some time. The Cryosphere Project. I want to channel my thoughts and frustrations about our climate and the high-latitudes, and use my art as a means to bring the Arctic into peoples consciousness, particularly people who haven’t had much exposure. I want to have conversations, make connections, and share my perspective. I want to share some sense of the beauty which we are at risk of losing.
James