2023
THINKING WITH JACOBSHAVN
Alternate Imaginations of a Vulnerable Landscape
Thinking with Jakobshavn explores the environmental, political, and cultural landscape of Greenland, with a specific focus on the Jakobshavn Isbrae glacier. The research seeks to provide alternative models of how to represent and engage with the Jakobshavn Isbrae glacier in Greenland. As our technological capacity to observe and document our planet across multiple timescales has completely transformed our relationship to our environment, a shift in representation is needed to affect perception and ecological accountability.
fig.1 Thinking with...Body considers the glacier as a living entity, constantly morphing in size and matter. It emphasizes the glacier's mobility, both horizontally and vertically, and how warming temperatures contribute to its thinning and retreat. Satellite imagery, data on mass balance, and the weight of the glacier are integrated into a timelapse, acknowledging the dynamic nature of Jakobshavn Isbrae.
fig.2 Thinking with...Matter delves into the conflicts arising over the exposed soil as glaciers melt. Global and local consequences of the exposed soil are highlighted, linking resource exploitation to environmental degradation with an impact on both human and animal ecosystems.
fig.3 Thinking with...Perspective adopts a binary method, providing both aerial and subterranean plans of Ilulissat. It showcases the interconnectedness between the glacier, water bodies, and the land, offering a new system for representing the complex web of relationships contributing to the glacier's formation and transformation.
fig.4 Thinking with...Locality envisions the town of Ilulissat gradually underwater due to sea-level rise. It challenges the often-overlooked vulnerability of Greenland itself in discussions about global implications, emphasizing the need to prioritize local perspectives in the face of environmental change.