Naoki Ishikawa - Svalbard

Naoki Ishikawa
Svalbard

Published by Super Lab, 2017
Book size 22.3cm x 29cm
Hardcover, partly clothbound
120 pages - 97 images (b/w)
ISBN: 978-4-908512-07-0
First Edition

“Northeast of Greenland, far north of the Scandinavian Peninsula, there is a group of islands called Svalbard. A part of Norway located in the northernmost part of the Arctic, this area is the northernmost point where human beings live today. Needless to say, summer nights are filled with the light of the midnight sun, and very dark polar nights are experienced during winter. The environment is so severe that the daily lowest temperature in winter is as low as -30℃.
I have visited Svalbard twice so far. The first time was in April 2007 when the winter was not yet over, and the second time was from June until July of 2017, in mid-summer. Over a decade of time had passed between my two trips.
Summer in the Arctic confuses my sense of time. Time over thousands of years, my life span shorter than a hundred years, and the cycle of 24 hours in a day.
A polar bear is biting on a seal somewhere I do not know. And at the same time, someone is calling my cell phone, someone probably busy working day and night. Being on the Arctic island, I am reminded of the world we live in as such. “

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“Northeast of Greenland, at the northernmost point of the Scandinavian Peninsula, lies a group of islands called Svalbard. Part of Norway located in the northernmost part of the Arctic, this region is the northernmost point where human beings live today. Needless to say, summer nights are filled with the light of the midnight sun and very dark polar nights are experienced in winter. The environment is so harsh that the lowest daily temperature in winter is as low as -30 ℃.
I have visited Svalbard twice so far. The first time was in April 2007, when winter was still in its infancy, and the second time was from June to July 2017, in mid-summer. More than a decade had passed between my two trips.
Summer in the Arctic confuses my sense of time. Time spanning thousands of years, my lifespan of less than 100 years, and the 24-hour-a-day cycle.
A polar bear bites a seal somewhere I don't know. And at the same time, someone calls my cell phone, someone probably busy working day and night. Being on the Arctic island, I remember the world we live in as such.