Blog
Learning by sharing
Sometimes I am allowed to go on an adventure; through writing about it, I learn from and analyse my experiences, and can explore how I can apply the lessons that I have learned. Perhaps you enjoy reading about my musings too!
An expedition to the Arctic Circle
“It is my sincere pleasure to extend this invitation for you to join our art and science expedition to the High Arctic … Your work is of great interest to our organization and we look forward to this opportunity to help enable your pursuits … We are very pleased to have you aboard!” I read the letter one more time. The words are really there. I get to join an expedition to the North Pole. It was December 2024, when I received this unique invitation. I couldn't wait for the departure date; the countdown felt endless. However, it is now May 2026, and in a few days, the time is finally here: to step aboard a Schooner with which we will sail from Svalbard to the Arctic Circle. Together with a group of researchers, artists, educators, and innovators, we will embark on this special journey. Each of us with our own project to work on, connected to the unique region we are sailing through. This expedition supports the intersection where art and science meet; it offers an incubator for thinking and experimenting, for researching and developing. And it offers time and space to work together with others in complete isolation on the central and complex issues of these turbulent times. It will be exciting. It will be cold. It will be eerily quiet. And it will most likely be very confronting. I am so incredibly curious to see what will come; so incredibly grateful that I may do this. During the trip, I will keep a blog of this exceptional adventure, to share my musings. However, we will have no phone or internet signal on board, and so posts may arrive irregularly.
What do you bring on an expedition?
What do you bring on an expedition to the North Pole? For a few weeks now, I have been trying to find the answer to this within 79 x 40 x 33 cm. Merino wool base layers, waterproof boots with a warm inner lining, ecofriendly shampoo, a headlamp, a balaclava, spiked shoes. And much, much, more. In addition to the actual suitcase with physical gear, I am bringing another large backpack with me. A colorful and imaginative backpack. It is packed with creativity, for the project that I will develop during the expedition. It also carries curiosity, for the research that I will conduct. I have included positivity, especially in times when pessimism is hard to shake off. It contains problem-solving skills, to apply in situations that arise during the journey, but also for the more complex global challenges that we, as expedition community, will discuss and work on. I have packed resilience, simply because I find it a little nerve-wracking to go. I also added a number of exercises that can provide calmness and that can bring me back to myself, should the intense life on board with the others in the coming weeks make me a bit too enthusiastic. And my backpack is, of course, full of beautiful memories of the sweet ones I will miss while away. For the 6th time, I reorganize my suitcase. For the umpteenth time, I take a deep breath. The time has come. For real. I am going. I am going on a trip to the North Pole. I am going on a trip to the North Pole and I am taking a suitcase, a backpack, double-salted licorice, binoculars, a book, myself, my thoughts; feelings, and all else that is (yet) to come...