[spectre] announcement: 80+1 Kilpisjarvi (Finland)

[laura beloff]

http://www.kilpiscope.net

80+1 KILPISJARVI -climate change (Finland);
A Part of The 80+1-project by Ars Electronica.

The Finnish BioArt Society is a participant in 80+1 A Journey Around the 
World, a virtual tour in the spirit of Jules Verne organized by the 
renowned media centre Ars Electronica Center  in Linz, Austria. The 
venture poses 20 crucial questions about our collective future visiting 20 
emblematic locations in different parts of the globe. Kilpisjarvi is an 
exemplary location for questions on climate change as the issue is central 
to the exceptional long-term studies and research carried out by the 
Kilpisjarvi Biological Station of Helsinki University (Faculty of 
Biosciences).
80+1 Kilpisjarvi stems from Kilpisjarvi's unique, subarctic environment 
and nature, the scientific research the station performs and from the 
newly initiated program bringing art and science together by the 
cooperation between the Finnish Bioart Society and the Biological Station.

The 80+1 Kilpisjarvi program interweaves artistic and scientific 
initiatives.
The "Midnight Sun" is a live stream of the arctic midnight sun from 
Kilpisjarvi that will shine elsewhere in the world via the internet and 
onto the Ars Electronica building facade in Linz during the citys dark 
summer nights. Following sundown on seven consecutive nights (July 
15th - 21st), the midnight sun will be reflected on the Museum of the 
Future's shell.

80 + 1 Kilpisjarvi will host a four day conference 15.-18.7 open for 
participation via the global window in Linz and via stream online (at 
www.kilpiscope.net). During the four days researchers will present a
variety of issues about climate change in the arctic and globally. The 
themes vary from animal adaptability to societies' preparedness to a 
changing environment. The audience has the opportunity to pose questions 
and  discuss climate change with experts.
The afternoon offers a video-screening program of artistic approaches related
to the topic of climate change. The works are screened on the Global Window in
Linz (Hauptplatz). Artists included are for example, Ilkka Halso / Museum of 
Nature, Tarja Trygg / Solargraphy, Agnes Denes / Tree Mountain, Marjukka 
Korhonen, Heini Aho, and Leena Valkepaa.

Water flea circus - a peepshow on ecology is on the second day of the 
program (16.7) and is a performative event that puts the focus on 
water-fleas, research, and its significance to our environment. Researcher 
Iris Zellmer from Germany has spent  years investigating the impact of 
climate change on water fleas in this sub-arctic region. Performance 
director Merja Talvela has linked with Zellmer to look at water flees with 
a view to engaging with the research through an artistic perspective. The 
scrutiny that water fleas undergo when under the microscope is turned on 
humans by posing questions about our human misconceptions and delusions 
when we examine nature.

This 4-days of program will be streamed online via www.kilpiscope.net and 
broadcasted to 80+1-stage, Global Window in Linz.

The work of developing this event has generated another long-term 
initiative about climate change and climate issues directed for wide 
audiences. Climatescope is a Web 2.0 project that calls upon all internet
denizens to take an active approach to the subject of climate change. For 
instance, you can post "Citizen Stories"-personal accounts, experiences, 
photos and videos having to do with climate change. "Citizen Science" goes 
into field research and assembles data yielded by the project's own 
measurements or observations on the basis of recreated natural examples. 
And  in "Citizen Sensor," real-time data from throughout the world are 
collected, exchanged and disseminated. http://www.climatescope.net 
(Concept received an honorary mention in the Prix Ars Electronica / Next 
Idea 2009).

LOCATION:
Kilpisjarvi  is about 69 degrees north and 20 degrees east and located in 
a sub-arctic area of northern Finland, 50 km from the Arctic Sea, 1200 
kilometers from the capital, Helsinki.  The village provides had about 90 
permanent inhabitants, and is a location for the Helsinki University's 
Biological Station.

CREDITS:
The Finnish Bio Art Society with Laura Beloff, Erich Berger, Prof. Antero 
Jarvinen, Anu Osva
SUPPORTED BY: Ars Electronica Center, The Finnish Bio Art Society and The 
Kilpisjarvi
Biological Station, Helsinki University

URL: http://www.kilpiscope.net/, http://www.80plus1.org/