Circumpolar aurora headlines show
Norwegian photography exhibit explores legends of the Northern lights
Daron Letts
Northern News Services
Published Monday, July 14, 2014
IQALUIT
Circumpolar art, science and oral tradition combine in this summer's featured exhibit at Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum in Iqaluit.
Tree branches stretch toward the Northern lights in this image captured by Norwegian photographer Fredrik Broms as part of his Hunting Aurora exhibition, which is on display at Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum in Iqaluit this summer. -
Fredrik Broms photo |
Hunting Aurora Northern Lights: Nature's Own Magical Lantern includes photographs and prose celebrating the aurora borealis from a Norwegian perspective.
Aurora photography by award-winning Norwegian photographer Fredrik Broms is displayed on 10 four-metre long panels alongside interpretive text based on research by Norwegian astrophysicist Pal Brekke.
The exhibition, which was sponsored by the Royal Norwegian Embassy, premiered in the national capital in February during the city's annual Winterlude festival. The display opened in Iqaluit last month as part of a Canada-wide tour.
The show is based on a 120-page popular science book the pair published last year, titled Northern Lights: A Guide.
When not aiming his lens skyward, Broms works in Norway as a marine biologist, tracking the migration of humpback whales in the northeast Atlantic Ocean. He earned second and third place in the prestigious 2013 Astronomy Photographer of the Year awards competition hosted by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, U.K.
Representatives from the Norwegian embassy attended last month's opening on June 16, which was well attended by the public, as well.
The exhibition continues to receive a positive response, according to Brian Lunger, manager of Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum.
"People are fascinated by the Northern lights," he said. "There's a lot of good information, a lot of scientific stuff but also talk of the folklore and the traditional knowledge."
Legends from the Vikings in Norway and the Inuit in the Canadian Arctic are included alongside Brekke's scientific interpretations.
Among the Inuit legends are those shared by renowned Iglulik artist Germaine Arnaktauyok. According to her stories, the aurora represent the souls of stillborn babies that reside in the sky.
Hunting Aurora continues at the museum until Aug. 17, after which it will move to Winnipeg.
If other Nunavut communities are interested in hosting the show, Lunger suggests they contact the Norwegian embassy in Ottawa.
"It travels very easily and it's easy to install," he said.
Last week, the museum closed a jewelry exhibition by Nunavut Arctic College students in the school's jewelry and metalwork program.
In late August, a display featuring new work by several Iqaluit artists will be installed at the Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum for the early fall. In mid-October, the museum is scheduled to showcase the 2014 Cape Dorset print collection.
