In a couple of weeks the new projects will be announced

Tragedy in Uummannaq

Last Sunday we got a phonecall from the Children' s Home in Uummannaq. Three young men are missing after an unexplainable accident. One of their youngsters together with some good friends and relatives.  Announcement in the Sermitsiaq newspaper:
Three men aged 17, 19 and 27 years are since Saturday morning missed and still not found. The police in Uummannaq is not actively looking for them anymore.

- 'We got a message on Saturday morning from the village Ikerasak that a boat was found, sailing in circles, without people in it. We went by helicopter to Ikerasak looking for them, but have not found them. Local people helped us with guiding and I know that some people are still looking for them. 'says managing director at the police Uummannaq Taitsiak Heilmann.
The boat was found 500 meters from the village, 42 km south of Uummannaq, a place with very strong currents and the upper half meter is fresh water. The fresh water makes you sink faster when you are in the water.
The police found some personal belongings in the water from those involved.
 
We express our deepest respect to their families, friends and everyone that is affected by this terrible loss.
Our sincere condolences,
 
Ap, Frank, Petra, Hans, Jan, Erik, Sander, Taco, Hessel, Patrick, Gert, Terry and Svebor.

Ap on BNR, VPRO, CBC, and OKalaKatiget Radio

Next wednesday, 9th of June, the first interview after the collapse of the iceberg, at BNR & VPRO radiostations in The Netherlands, start at 19:30.

Last week I was a guest at st'Johns Morning Show CBC, Canada & OKalaKatiget Radio in Nain, Canada. At that time the sculptures were still drifting through the Uummannaq Bay.

The Arctic Knights. Comments of Ap (2)

With the help of our good friends from Uummannaq we realised this unique project on a scale that nobody could expect. A small island in Greenland that shaked the whole world. From Canada, USA, Europe, Australia, upto complete Asia many TV stations put Uummannaq on the map. Hundreds of publications in all languages in newspapers and on internet. We never believed, when we started this project, that these results could be achieved.

The people in Uummannaq are one of the most brave in the world. Despite the problems they already have to cope with, they are recently confronted with an extreme changing climate. So extreme that their culture of fishing and hunting has to be adapted rapidly to these unexpected fast changes. If everybody would expect that this is a unhuman effort, not in Uummannaq, Greenland. People go for it! Their flexibility is unknown and therefore they will find their way. That's not an easy path, one paved with difficulties and huge problems. Since thousands of years Inuit have to adapt to new circumstances in hostile conditions, and the existence of a town like Uummannaq is the proof of success. The knights of the Arctic! When we started our project, two years ago, success couldn't be guaranteed, but local organisations as Uummannaq Polar Institute and many many people, like Ole Jorgen Hammeken believed in it and helped us to make it happen. That mentality is what Uummannaq makes it unique for the rest of the world. Uummannaq means: 'heart shaped'.

No iceberg anymore. Comments of Ap (1)

Can you believe that an iceberg like this one disappears in only a matter of weeks? Last week I interviewed my very good friend Ole Jorgen Hammeken, standing in the sun, sweating because of the heat, while normally they can go for dogsledding untill June. It raises some questions... The whole day and night you can hear icebergs exploding, or collapsing because of this heat. What is going on? I am an artist who travelled many times through the Arctic and every year it becomes warmer and warmer. I am not a scientist, but only listen to the stories that people tell me. I am not interested in the question: Who's guilty at this situation? Is there global warming? Not at all, I am asking the question: What if Climate Change enters my world: Can we anticipate on these fast changes? In Uummannaq the extremes started only a couple of years ago, and now it is warmer as ever before, with all consequences. I am personally convinced that we soon will experience what is happening over there, even if we only feel the tail. We need all energy and focuss on the future. My question is: How can we create a more flexible society? Climate Change is from all times, people always adapted to these changes, but are we now capable to cope with these extreme changes? We have to stop naming, blaming and shaming, and put this energy in another direction.

Iceberg disappeared, GPS signals from Satut. What happened?

In the very early morning, 2nd of June, we could see at our GPS tracker that something was going on. Later we noticed that our signal moved constantly to the South East faster than the iceberg ever moved , and then suddenly moved to the North into the settlement of Satut. At the very moment that something happened with the iceberg, the GPS system was taken into a fisherboat that continued fishing untill he finally went home. ( Ap's version )
We contacted our friends in Uummannaq, who took a boat to have a look, but they couldn't find our iceberg anymore. What happened we never will know. Too many options are open.
Is this the end of our artproject? We keep you updated!