Artica Svalbard
LONGYEARBYEN
Artica Svalbard is one of Norway's leading non-profit arts and culture organisations. We facilitate artistic and cultural activities on Svalbard and support the development of Norwegian and international art and culture.
We seek to raise awareness of Svalbard, and the Arctic. We aim to create a platform for debate on topics that relate to our region such as culture, geopolitics, climate change, migration and minorities. Our mission is to challenge the perspectives of the Arctic, welcoming new knowledge and ways of thinking, to inspire change.
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Publications
Artica Writings 2023: Food on Svalbard (2024)
In 2023, Artica Svalbard embarked on a series of conversations about food sustainability on Svalbard. The challenges of accessing locally grown food in this remote Arctic archipelago are significant—local food sources are sparse and highly seasonal. Yet, food is a critical part of life on Svalbard, intersecting with hunting, foraging, and a supply chain heavily reliant on imports.
This collection features four new essays in Norwegian and English, each presenting distinct perspectives on food sustainability in Svalbard. The essays highlight the complexities of human sustenance in this fragile ecosystem and the balance between environmental responsibility and survival.
Artica Writings 2022: Return to Nature? The Transformation of a Post-Coal Mining Landscape (2023)
Lying at the head of Van Mijenfjord in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, Sveagruva was one of the largest underground coal mines in Europe. In 2017, after almost 100 years of coal production, Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani embarked on one of the most ambitious environmental projects in Norwegian history. Their goal - To end mining operations, remove all traces of mining activity and return the area to its natural state.
In 2022 Artica collaborated with LPO Arkitekter and UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Academy of Arts, landscape architecture programme to commission four new essays by leading experts from the Nordics to discuss the Svea project and related issues.
Artica Writings 2021: The Oceans (2022)
Artica Writings first launched in 2018 as a curated series of disparate texts around a central theme, some relating to the polar regions and their global influence, others looking at climate change, cultural history and personal perspectives.
In 2021 we looked to the ocean for inspiration and the launch of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021 - 2030). Through poetry, history, science and personal stories, these short essays aim to open up dialogue around our oceans. Offering inspiration, new thinking and ways to look at some of the urgent issues related to ocean health, knowledge and policy.
