Included here are notices of lectures, conferences and other gatherings or events of Antarctic interest that appeared in 2011 and 2012 in 'Antarctic Events' but are now history.
Last updated: 17 February 2012.
69° S. (The Shackleton Project) (15 February 2011. Keene State College, Keene, NH).
Shackleton's Antarctic Nightmare (20, 21, 27 and 28 January 2012, Hipbone Studio, Portland, Oregon).
Sir Joseph Hooker and the Ross Antarctic Expedition (6 December 2011. Michaelmas Term Lecture 4, Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, UK).
On extinction—Natural and unnatural disappearances from the old whaling stations of Antarctica to the Inuit camps of the Arctic (26 November 2011. Michaelmas Term Lecture 3, Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, UK).
Celebration Honoring the 100th Anniversary of Roald Amundsen's Reaching the South Pole (21 November 2011. Collins Center for the Arts, University of Maine, Orono, Maine).
Friends of SPRI AGM (12 November 2011. Emmanuel College, Cambridge, UK).
James Caird Society Members' Evening, AGM and Lecture (4 November 2011. Dulwich College, UK).
Exhibition: Dr Murray Levick, Local Hero (Until 31 October 2011, Fairlynch Museum. Budleigh Salterton, Devon, UK).
Amundsen and Scott: Lives Explored (29 October 2011. Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, UK).
11th Ernest Shackleton Autumn School (28-31 October 2011, Athy, Ireland).
The Quest for Frank Wild (15 October 2011. Scott Polar Research Institute. Cambridge, UK.)
On Thin Ice: Pioneers of Polar Exploration (8 April - 9 October 2011. National Maritime Museum Cornwall. Falmouth, Cornwall, UK.)
The Race to the End of the Earth (25 May - 21 August 2011. National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.).
Scott of the Antarctic: From Hero to Villain? (18 July 2011. King's Lynn Arts Centre, King's Lynn, UK.)
Antarctica: Music, Sound & Cultural Connections (27-29 June 2011. The School of Music, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.)
Polar Visual Culture: An International Conference (17-18 June 2011. University of St Andrews, Scotland , UK.)
Friends of SPRI Summer Lunch (18 June 2011. HQS Wellington, Thames Embankment, London).
Scott 100: Plymouth Conference (4-6 June 2011. University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK.)
James Caird Society Members' Evening and Lecture (6 May 2011. Dulwich College, UK).
British Graham Land Exhibition 1934-37 (12 January-29 April 2011. Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, UK.)
The Heart of the Great Alone: Scott, Shackleton & Antarctic Photography (20 August 2010 to 20 February 2011. Canterbury Museum, Christchurch, NZ).
7-12 February 2012, Emerson Stage, Boston, USA.
"Phantom Limbs 69° S. imagines the unimaginable. Sir Ernest Shackletons 1914 trans-Antarctic expedition the real life story of a group of gentlemen frozen (literally) in crisis is reignited by a contemporary dilemma: the realities of a changing environment and the planets uncertain future.
Theatre, dance, puppetry, photography and film unite in an impressionistic, stunning and evocative series of tableaux vivants, taking us on an artistic and emotional journey that explores the symbiotic relationship between humans and the environment and reinvigorates the spirit of foregoing individual glory for the sake of collective survival."
Lawrence Howard, Portland Story Theatre
20, 21, 27 and 28 January 2012, Hipbone Studio 1847 E Burnside (at NE 18 Avenue) in Portland, Oregon. Admission: $15 Advance Tickets Only | $20 at the Door. http://www.brownpapertickets.com/e/203533
"Join Lawrence Howard of Portland Story Theater as he tells the true, epic tale of Ernest Shackleton and the British Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914.
Their valiant ship, The Endurance, was trapped in the pack ice and crushed; Shackleton and his 28 men survived on the ice for over a year and endured incredible hardship.
This is a truly gripping story that will move you to the depths of your soul."
Saturday, 6 December 2011, 6:30 for 7pm, Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge.
Peter Donaldson: Sir Joseph Hooker and the Ross Antarctic Expedition.
Saturday, 26 November 2011, 8pm, Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge.
Melanie Challenger: On extinction—Natural and unnatural disappearances from the old whaling stations of Antarctica to the Inuit camps of the Arctic.
Monday, 21 November 2011, 6:30-9pm, Collins Center for the Arts, University of Maine, Orono. Hosted by the Climate Change Insitutute.
Keynote Presentation: Dr Olav Orheim, Executive Secretary of the Norwegian International Polar Year Secretariat and Chair of the Fram Museum. His topic: New Knowledge on the Attainment of the South Pole 100 Years Ago, with Reflections on the Personalities of Roald Amundsen, Ernest Shackleton and Robert Falcon Scott.
There will be exhibits and displays showcasing current polar activities by the Climate Change Institute.
Saturday, 12 November 2011, 6:15pm, Queen's Building Theatre, Emmanuel College, Cambridge.
Followed by a fundraising dinner (further details in October) at 7pm for 7:30 at the Old Library, Emmanuel College.
—Thanks to 'Bergy Bits,' the Newsletter of the Friends of Antarctica, No. 60.
Friday, 4 November 2011, 6pm, Lower Hall, Dulwich College, London.
Dr Jan Piggott, F.S.A.
SCOTT AND SHACKLETON
The centenary year of Terra Nova's arrival at Cape Evans seems a good time to consider again the records and reputations of the two great rival explorers, their complex relations and contrasting characters and styles of leadership, in the light of their upbringing, education, development, ideals and their own writings. The talk will be illustrated with profuse slides, some of them (hopefully) unfamiliar to the audience.
Until 31 October 2011, 2-4:30pm, Sunday-Friday. Fairlynch Museum. Budleigh Salterton, Devon. Web: www.fairlynchmuseum.org.uk
Murray Levick was a member of Scott's Northern Party during the Terra Nova expedition.
Saturday, 29 October 2011, 10:15-3:45, Lecture Theatre, Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge.
A century after the great achievements of Amundsen and Scott, a group of international experts share the latest research and evolving ideas. The day includes a tour, talks and discussions (All day event in place of Michaelmas Term Lecture 2). Lunch, tea and coffee provided. Booking is essential. Call 01223 336540 or email events@spri.cam.ac.uk. Cost £15 (£10 for Friends of SPRI).
—Thanks to 'Bergy Bits,' the Newsletter of the Friends of Antarctica, No. 60.
28-31 October 2011. Athy, Co Kildare, Ireland.
This year's lineup as of 29 August:
Opening reception: Friday 7:15pm. Oficial opening at 7:30 by Mr Ronald Naess, Norwegian Ambassador to Ireland. Book Launches:This is the world's best polar gathering!Friday night 7:45pm, the launch of The Nimrod Murders by Beau Riffenburgh and Liz Cruwys, published by the Erskine Press.Lectures:
Saturday 3pm, the launch of Ordeal by Ice: Ships of the Antarctic by Rorke Bryan, published by the Collins Press.
Sunday 11am, the launch of Edward Wilson's Antarctic Notebooks by David and Christopher Wilson, published by Reardon Publishing.SaturdayDinner (Saturday 8pm):10am. "Notes from a Shackleton Scholar: Heritage Tourism in the South Atlantic" by Emma Jane McAdam 11:30am. "Murder on Shackleton's Nimrod: Writing Antarctic Fiction" by Beau Riffenburgh and Liz Cruwys 2pm. "Roald Amundsen's and his Crew Members' South Pole Diaries" by Geir O. Kløver 4pm. "The Lost Photographs of Captain Scott" by David WilsonSunday10am. "The Cinematic Race to the Pole" by Jan Anders Diesen 12 noon. "Did Shackleton Care about Science?" by Dr Edward J. Larson 4:30pm. Open Forum chaired by Bob HeadlandAutumn School Dinner in Carlton Abbey Hotel, AthyExhibition (throughout the weekend):"Cold Recall—Reflections of a Polar Explorer, Roald Amundsen"Film (Sunday 2:30pm):
The exhibition was developed by the Fram Museum, Oslo, Norway to showcase images from the lantern slides that Roald Amundsen used in public lectures about his expeditions through the Northwest Passage and to the South Pole with particular emphasis on Amundsen's expedition to the South Pole. The texts in the exhibition are primarily abridged versions of Amundsen's own manuscripts from these lectures. The exhibition is also complemented by Amundsen material from a number of private collections"The Great White Silence" by Herbert Ponting - Presented by Luke McKernan, Curator Moving Image at the British Library.Drama (Sunday 9pm):
Captain Scott described Herbert Ponting as 'an artist in love with his work', and after the expedition's tragic outcome Ponting devoted the rest of his life to ensuring that the grandeur of the Antarctic and expedition's heroism would not be forgotten—the images that he captured have fired imaginations ever since. The BFI National Archive—custodian of the expedition negatives - has restored the film using the latest photochemical and digital techniques and reintroduced the sophisticated use of colour. The alien beauty of the landscape is brought dramatically to life, showing the world of the expedition in brilliant detail."Catalpa"Field Trip (Sunday 10am):
Based on the true story of the daring whaleship rescue of six Irish prisoners from Fremantle penal colony in 1876, Catalpa is a story in the great epic tradition of Moby Dick and Gone With The Wind—with a passing glance at The Great Escape. Donal O'Kelly plays over thirty characters in this one-man epic, including the mastermind of the Catalpa mission—Kildareman John Devoy.
Written and performed by Donal O'Kelly, with live music by Trevor Knight.Bus tour through Shackleton country. A Visit to Ballitore and the home of Mary Leadbeater, writer and ancestor of Ernest Shackleton, the Quaker Meeting House and the Shaker Store.Antarctic Adventurers (throughout the weekend):The Antarctic Adventurers will recreate a three-man sledging party from the early years of Antarctic exploration.Information on Contributors: Rorke Bryan
Rorke Bryan has had a lifelong interest in Antarctica, triggered by seeing Scott of the Antarctic as an eight-year old in his native Dublin. The son of a merchant mariner, he has visited many parts of the world during his career with the British Antarctic Survey and in environmental conservation, forestry and development at the Universities of Alberta and Toronto. His interests include sailing, mountaineering and skiing. Dr Liz Cruwys
Dr Liz Cruwys is a marine biologist from the University of Cambridge, whose academic research investigates environmental contamination in pinnipeds. She has also conducted research into medieval history and architecture, and has written books on castles and cathedrals. This medieval background and her experience on the Leeds police force have given her important insights for the 25 mystery novels she has published under the pseudonym Susanna Gregory. Including her scholarly works, she has written or contributed to more than 60 books, including nine novels with Beau Riffenburgh under the pseudonym Simon Beaufort. Dr. Jan Anders Diesen
Professor of film history at Lillehammer University College, Norway, Jan Anders is an expert on silent Norwegian films and on documentary films. For the last 5 years he has been researching the silent films from polar expeditions, and has published books and articles on Roald Amundsen's films. To put these Norwegian films into an international context, he has over last three years visited polar archives around the world. He is currently working on a book on explorer's films from Borchgrevink, Fiala and Bruce to Amundsen, Nobile and Byrd. Bob Headland
Bob is a senior research associate of the Scott Polar Research Institute of the University of Cambridge. He specialises in the history and geography of both polar regions. His work with the Antarctic Heritage Trust involves the preservation of the historical huts and other aspects associated with the exploration of the discovery of the Antarctic. His most recent publication is A Chronology of Antarctic Exploration. Geir O. Kløver
Geir has been the director of the Fram Museum in Oslo since 2005. He has recently edited and published the diaries of Roald Amundsen and 14 of the other crew members of the Norwegian South Pole Expedition 1910-12. He is currently editing the collected diaries of Fridtjof Nansen and the crew members of the First Fram Expedition. From 1997 to 2005, Geir worked as project director in a Norwegian human rights NGO providing media and communication support to Nobel Peace Prize Laureates. He worked primarily on projects related to Tibet, Burma, East Timor, the Korean peninsula and the AIDS issue. Dr Edward J. Larson
He is the Professor of History and holds the Hugh & Hazel Darling Chair in Law at Pepperdine University. His many books include Summer for the Gods—The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate over Science and Religion for which he received the Pulitzer Prize in History. Evolution's Workshop: God and Science on the Galapago's Islands and he has just published An Empire of Ice: Scott, Shackleton, and the Heroic Age of Antarctic Science. Emma Jane McAdam
A Falkland Islander by birth, Emma Jane returned to the Islands to carry out the research for her undergraduate dissertation in the Falkland Islands Archives, based on the early history of the Keppel Island Mission Station. In 2000, Emma Jane was awarded a Shackleton Scholarship to carry out the research for her postgraduate degree in the Islands, focusing on the potential for heritage tourism in the Falklands. Her work and subsequent report was instrumental in the establishment of the Visitor Centre in Stanley. As a museum professional, Emma Jane has worked in the Scottish museums sector for almost 10 years and is currently Curator at the University of St Andrews. She maintains an active interest in the history and heritage of the Falkland Islands and in polar exploration. Luke McKernan
Luke McKernan is Lead Curator, Moving Image at the British Library. He is a film archivist and a historian of early and non-fiction film, with a particular interest in films of travel and exploration. He has written books on newsreels, 1890s film and Shakespearean film, and his polar publications include a chapter on Antarctic filmmaking in South: The Race to the Pole (2000) and the commentary on the BFI DVD release of South: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic (2002). Donal O'Kelly
Donal O'Kelly is a writer and actor. His plays include his solo shows Catalpa, Jimmy Joyced! and Bat the Father Rabbit the Son. Other plays are The Cambria, The Adventures of the Wet Senor, Vive La, Operation Easter, Asylum! Asylum!, The Dogs, Farawayan and The Hand. As an actor, he has appeared in Translations, Juno and the Paycock and The Tempest in the Abbey, played Lucky in the Gate Theatre's Waiting For Godot, and on screen played leading roles in Kings, The Van and Spin The Bottle, as well as RTE's Paths to Freedom and Fair City. Dr Beau Riffenburgh
Dr Beau Riffenburgh is a historian affiliated with the Scott Polar Research Institute at the University of Cambridge. His research specialises in the history of exploration, particularly that of the Antarctic, Arctic, and Africa. A native Californian, he had a successful career in publishing before moving to Cambridge, where he earned his PhD and then served for 15 years as the Editor of Polar Record. His books about exploration include the critically acclaimed Myth of the Explorer; Nimrod, the account of Ernest Shackleton's first expedition; and the award-winning two-volume Encyclopedia of the Antarctic. He has more recently published two books about Douglas Mawson and his Australasian Antarctic Expedition. Christopher Wilson
Chris is the great nephew of Dr Edward A. Wilson. He has completed eight seasons in Antarctica. Before taking early retirement in 2007, Chris worked for the National Parks and Wildlife Service for 16 years, serving as warden of Ireland's premier wildfowl reserve, 'Wexford Wildfowl Reserve'. He regularly contributes to a wide number of wildlife magazines, makes radio and television programs and is an accomplished photographer. His publications include: High Skies - Low Lands—An Anthology of The Wexford Slobs and Harbour; Wildfile—A Guide to Irish Wildlife; Wildlife Quiz and Amazing Facts Book. Chris lectures extensively on birds and other wildlife groups of Antarctica, Ireland and Australia. Dr David Wilson
David is a great nephew of Dr Edward A. Wilson, who perished with Captain Scott's polar party David has a long association with polar matters. The author of a numbers of books, his most recent is The Lost Photographs of Captain Scott. He makes frequent trips to the Antarctic as a historian and ornithological field guide and he is currently Chairman of the Scott 100 Centenary Committee.
Saturday, 15 October 2011, 8pm, Lecture Theatre, Scott Polar Research Institute. Cambridge.
Angie Butler will speak on her new book, The Quest for Frank Wild.
—Thanks to 'Bergy Bits,' the Newsletter of the Friends of Antarctica, No. 60.
National Geographic Society, 1145 17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
25 May - 21 August 2011.
"This exhibit, produced and first exhibited by the American Museum of Natural History in New York, tells the story of the competing South Pole expeditions of Roald Amundsen and Robert Scott, explaining in detail why Amundsen made it and Scott did not." [Well, actually he did; he just didn't make it back!]
—News of Norway, Spring 2011.
Monday, 18 July 2011, 8pm, King's Lynn Arts Centre (as part of the King's Lynn Festival), 27-29 King Street, King's Lynn, Norfolk, UK.
Tickets: RGS-IBG members and one guest £8.50, Ticket office opens mid-May (quote membership number). Telephone 01553 764864.
A creative arts conference at The School of Music, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
27-29 June 2011.
"Taking place in the centenary year of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition led by Sir Douglas Mawson, this conference, the first dedicated to this topic, will look at collaborative work including the sonic medium with creative arts and other disciplines. It will highlight the importance of sound (or lack of it) and music as part of the unique Antarctic environment.
The Conference will be open to papers encompassing all of the creative arts. Cross-disciplinary presentations including from areas related to the sciences are particularly welcome."
Web: http://www.music.anu.edu.au/antarctica
Contact: arnan.wiesel@anu.edu.au
University of St Andrews, Scotland
17-18 June 2011.
"This conference brings together a diverse, internationally recognised group of scholars from the humanities and social sciences to present new research on the visual culture of polar exploration. The polar environment, and its potential destruction, is now receiving heightened attention in the mass media, with extensive scientific study and urgent results on climate change reported daily. Our objective is to focus attention upon the unique, prolific and hitherto under-examined visual culture—painting and graphic illustration, expedition and frontier narratives, installations and poetic geographies, films and photography—that the expeditions to the two polar regions have inspired since the early nineteenth century, and which forms a fundamental part of our perception of these environments."
Web: http://www-ah.st-andrews.ac.uk/newsandevents/pvculture/programme.html
Contact: Dr Luke Gartlan (lg321@st-andrews.ac.uk)
HQS Wellington, Thames Embankment, London.
18 June 2011. 12:00-18:00. Tickets: £37.50 in advance. These may be purchased in person from the Institute or by post by 10th June. Please enclose a stamped addressed envelope together with the form and your remittance (cheques payable to "University of Cambridge a/c YQ"), to:
Mrs C Pickard"We are delighted to have two guest speakers:
Friends of SPRI
Scott Polar Research Institute
Lensfield Road
Cambridge CB2 1ER
World record holder Jennifer Murray will talk on 'Going the extra mile' - an account of her past achievements including her pole-to-pole helicopter flight, dog sledging in the Arctic and her past and forthcoming marathon runs in support of the Friendsand
Deep-sea shipwreck hunter David Mearns on 'Discovering Deepwater Shipwrecks - From HMAS Sydney to Shackleton's Endurance', which will cover what it takes to locate and film shipwrecks lost in very deep waters. David will present the exhaustive research involved to determine where to search and discuss the actual operations of finding a shipwreck using some recent examples.We do hope that you will be able to join us at the lunch, where there will also be a cash bar." [See if you can find the model of Terra Nova on display.]
Plymouth, Devon, UK.
4-6 June 2011, Peninsula Arts Centre, University of Plymouth.
Conference Website: http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/scott100
For more information or to register your interest please email your details to: scott100@plymouth.ac.uk or telephone 01752 586005.
• Dr. David Wilson, Scott's Last Expedition.PLAYS:
• Dr. Isobel Williams, Seaman Edgar Evans.
• Michael Smith, Captain Oates.
• Nick Owens, Climate Change and the work of BAS.
• Meredith Hooper, The Northern Party.
• Sara Wheeler, Cherry Garrard and the Worst Journey.
• Bob Headland, Scott's hut over the last 100 Years.
• Mike Tarver, The SS Terra Nova.
• Commander Andy Swain RN, Navigation in Scott's era.
• Dr. Max Jones, Remembering Captain Scott.
• Dr. Hugh Guly, Polar Medicine.
• Dr Huw Lewis-Jones, Scott in pictures.
• 'A Father for my Son' with Jenny Coverack as Kathleen Scott.PLUS:
• 'Tom Crean: An Unsung Hero' with Aidan Dooley.
• Displays by Polar re-enactors, 'Antarctic Adventurers' and Plymouth-based Polar explorer, Antony Jinman, team leader of the International Scott Centenary Expedition.—Thanks to Paul Davies
• Student musical performances.
• Scientific demonstrations and lectures from Plymouth Marine Laboratory, British Antarctic Survey and the University of Plymouth.
• Visits to local Polar sites around the City and to Royal Navy ships in the Dockyard.
• Civic Reception by the Lord Mayor of Plymouth (for invited guests).
• Black Tie Dinner on 6 June at HMS Drake, hosted by the Royal Navy with performances by a Royal Navy band.
Friday, 6 May 2011, 6pm, Great Hall, Dulwich College, London.
Kevin Fewster and Matthew Clark, "High Arctic—a New Exhibition Initiative for the National Maritime Musem, Greenwich."
"Don't miss this remarkable exhibition of early Antarctic photography. Herbert George Ponting's extraordinary images record Scott's Terra Nova expedition of 1910 1913 and Frank Hurley's dramatic icescapes were taken during Ernest Shackleton's polar expedition on Endurance in 1914-16.
Presented to King George V and today part of the Royal Photograph Collection, these images are among the finest examples of the artists' work in existence. Canterbury Museum is the only venue for this exhibition outside the Queen's galleries.
Antarctic artefacts from Canterbury Museum's collection complement the photographs, along with a small display of memorabilia that celebrates the special links between the royal family and Canterbury."
—From the Canterbury Museum website