2013.07.23 - Employers Association of Greenland and the Institute of Natural Resources

Last Tuesday, we spoke with Ellen Arnskjold at the Employers Association of Greenland (Sulisitsisut) and Ole Geertz-Hansen with the Institute of Natural Resources (Pinngoretitaleriffik).  The Employers Association, has been representing business interest in Greenland since 1966.  Presently, around 500 companies and 6,0000 employees are listed among it's members.  Recently, the Employer's Association has been in collaboration with the Danish Industry Foundation, Confederation of Danish Industry, and the Technical University of Denmark to strengthen and support both Danish and Greenlandic companies in partnership to bid for mining projects in Greenland.

The Institute of Natural Resources is responsible for providing a scientific basis for the assessment of sustainable use of resources in and around Greenland.  The aim of these reports is to secure the environmental and ecological stability of Greenland, the reports also advise the Greenlandic government on policy strategy.  The Institute of Natural Resources is divided into three areas of specialization: Fish and Shellfish, Birds and Mammals, and the Climate Research Center.  All three divisions work to foresee changes in ecological equilibria and the affect of human activity/development on the environment.

2013.07.22 / Inuit Circumpolar Council and Katuaq

On Monday - July 22nd - we began our week of interviews by speaking in the morning with Aqqaluk Lynge and in the afternoon with Julia Pars.  Aqqaluk is a native Greenlander and is the current Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC), the ICC is a multi-national non-governmental organization established in 1977.  The ICC represents over 160,000 Inuit people in Greenland, Canada, the United States, and Russia and was granted consultive status to the United Nations in 1983.

Julia is also a native Greenlander and is the acting director of Katuaq, a facility that servers as the Cultural Center of Greenland.  Katuaq was opened in 1997 and hosts conferences, concerts, exhibits, and serves as a cinema - it also acts as an informal community center.  Following the 2012 Venice Biennale, the exhibit Possible Greenland was brought to Katuaq to share with the local community - and in February of this year Katuaq hosted a conference titled Future Greenland.

In the weeks following our travel (as we're transcribing all of the interviews) we'll also post more in-depth profiles of everyone - stay tuned.

2013.07.21 - Nuuk / Store Malene (Ukkusissaq)

On our first full day in Nuuk and with no one to interview on a Sunday, we decided to hike up the 772m Store Malene.  We went with our new friends Jonas and Tany, as well as their friends Charles and Ursula.  The weather was fantastic and the view was "amazing".  We prepared a small dinner and had it at the top of the mountain.  All in all it was a 5 hour round trip - time well spent.

2013.07.20 - Reykjavik / Nuuk

After months of research and planning, our trip is finally underway.  Flying out of Boston, we had an 8 hour layover in Reykjavik before boarding our flight to Nuuk.  We hadn't made any firm plans for this layover, so we decided to rent a car and drive around viewing the landscape and go to the Blue Lagoon thermal spa.  On our way we discovered the divide between the North American and European continents (growing at a rate of 2cm per year).  We enjoyed the spa for a while and then made our way back to the airport for our flight to Greenland.

NORD Architects / Copenhagen

Our travel plans are shaping up and we're excited to say that we'll also be going to Copenhagen as part of our project.  During last year's Venice Biennale the Danish Pavilion presented critical and thorough research and speculation on the social, ecological, political, and design challenges presently facing Greenland.  As part of our project, we've been in touch with Johannes Pederson - a partner at NORD Architects in Copenhagen (http://www.nordarchitects.dk/featured/possible-greenland/).  Their participation in the Biennale was that of co-curator, and explored the role of the architect as a catalyst for engaging diverse stakeholders in critical conversations.  We believe their experience with the Biennale will offer tremendous insight into our project and can't wait to speak with them!

Another quick update on our Kickstarter campaign.  So far we've received an incredible 85% of our funding!  We have just under a month to procure the remaining 15% of our funding goal.  As we've said before, we believe every donation is critical - and no matter the amount you're able to pledge, you'll be credited for your support in the film.  We hope you'll consider supporting our project, and if you've been intending to pledge your support - now would be a perfect time!  

Help us get the remaining 15% of our minimum funding and make this project happen!  Here's a link to our Kickstarter campaign:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1086964762/landscapes-of-disappearance

Remember to share the project with your friends and family - and thanks for your support!

Project Update / Kickstarter Update

This week we've been in touch with many of the stakeholders in Greenland - as well as key individuals in both Reykjavik and Copenhagen.  The response has been great and we're looking forward to sitting down with these stakeholders and exposing the opportunities available for architects, landscape architects and other allied design professionals to become effective protagonists in the strategy for Greenland.

We've also recently applied for another grant - the Deborah J. Norden Fund through the Architecture League of New York.  We're holding our breath and crossing our fingers on this - it would be a tremendous help in covering our travel and equipment costs.  Speaking of costs...

After one week of our kickstarter campaign going live - we've seen remarkable support from our friends and family, but we still have work to do in order to reach our fundraising goal.  Remember, if we don't reach our minimum fund raising goal - we get nothing.  Our fundraising goal was set as the minimum additional funding needed to cover our airfare expenses.  Any money we raise above that minimum will help us cover the costs of equipment and post-production.  If you haven't had a chance to pledge your support - please take a few minutes to help fund this project.  We believe every donation is critical and no matter your level of support you'll be credited in the film and receive some unique rewards.  Also, help spread the word about our project with your friends and family through social media.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1086964762/landscapes-of-disappearance

Rax

Inspiring work by Icelandic photographer Ragnar Axelsson documenting the people and landscape of Greenland.

Check out more of his work at:
http://www.rax.is/Gallery/Greenland/index.html