WHO OWNS THE ARCTIC

~12”x36” (varies)
Voile Cloth, UV Ink
Ice Frozen with Indigo Dye

Scientists now predict that by 2035 the Arctic will experience its first recorded September free of ice, and by mid-century we can expect ice-free summers. Warmer conditions present a wide array of economic opportunity and geo-political uncertainty, and yet a future with an open Arctic invites questions of regulation that have yet to be addressed.

This work questions the power struggles which lie ahead as the reliable multi-generational ice sheets continue to melt. As new Arctic trade routes become passable within the next decade, global powers have yet to negotiate regulations or maritime laws for the region, yet are rapidly building deep water ports and infrastructure to support increased trade and resource extraction. These installations consider the possible futures of geopolitical policy and events, and begs the question, ‘WHO OWNS THE ARCTIC’?

Global shifts in economic policy and trade are inevitable as new and shorter maritime routes become passable: the previously precarious NW Passage (currently claimed by Canada), NE Passage and Northern Sea Route (both under Russian control), and the future Trans-Arctic shipping route are soon to be open for business. Historically, thick ice limited access to these routes leaving them free of international regulation and policy.  Yet now with open waters just a short decade away, great world powers like the U.S., Canada, Russia, and China are making claims on the previously lawless waters. Many Arctic countries are building deep water ports in anticipation of increased Arctic activity, while others advance military operations in the area. This will all unfold alongside rare mineral and fossil fuel extraction and a rapidly changing ecosystem.

This single sheet installation includes various speculative headlines parsed across the fabric and typeset as if broken ice chunks floating. The scale and placement was designed to allow the melting paths to “choose” which headlines were revealed as they saturated the fabric, letting the unpredictability of the technique drive the outcome. Much like the unpredictability of the Arctic, we can never be certain when and where the Arctic will fully melt each season, nor can we know how nation states will respond to a northern region free of sea ice.

RISD
January 2024
Advised by Ryan Waller of Other Means