In August of 2016, former Canadian commander of the International Space Station, Colonel Chris Hadfield, received a request to speak on a Quark icebreaker expedition to Greenland and the high Arctic. He agreed, on one condition: in lieu of payment, he would be allowed to bring ten artists on the trip with him.
What resulted was the Generator Arctic Event. The ten artists taking part in Generator were charged with making something impactful in retaliation to their experience; something beyond the traditional documentaries that offer no real insight into these frozen lands.
This week, the first two of these art projects have been released, and they certainly live up to expectation.
ARCTIC – Visual Vibes is a vibrant cinematic feast from UK vlogger and filmmaker Ben Brown. Brown’s story is one of discovery, set to music that inspires images of a surfer taking in the world around them as they paddle out past the breakers.
It may sound strange, but the trip clearly had a profound impact on Brown. Fast edits fill the video with life, and reveal the connections Brown founded not just with the incredible wilderness around him, but also the people with whom he shared the experience.
Buffalo-based filmmaker Tim Kellner strikes almost unbelievable contrast with his short film, Arctic. Far darker in both style and tone, Kellner seems more focused on the condition of the region rather than his condition within it. While Brown filmed their boat crushing the ice, Kellner captures the remnants of the ice once the boat has passed. Though the fact both chose to use such images is likely coincidental, it’s fascinating to see how they feed into their individual stories so definitively.
To see more of the work resulting from Generator, visit the official site and follow the channels of each artist. What we’ve seen here is only the beginning.