Culture

Almost a fetish animal for scientists, a star attraction on Arctic cruises and a global climate icon, the polar bear goes far beyond its role as a symbolic species. From Inuit mythology to tales of exploration, from traditional sculpture to contemporary advertising, the polar bear has never ceased to change its face. Whether a monster, a spirit, an endearing companion or an ecological symbol, Nanooq tells as much about the history of the Arctic as it does about our imagination.

Whalers’ Memory Bank: When Former Whalers Tell Their Story

A new project launching this week in Dundee brings together long-lost stories, photos and personal artefacts from Scottish whaling communities, not to glorify the industry, but to preserve its human history before it disappears entirely.

NONAM celebrates summer solstice with Indigenous circumpolar cultures

Join us this Sunday, June 22 at NONAM. The Zurich-based museum welcomes Indigenous artists, creators, and representatives from the Yukon and Norway for a day of festivities and intercultural dialogue.

PIQSIQ delves into Inuit 'Legends'

Inuit throat-singing duo PIQSIQ release their new album. Aptly titled Legends, this new work immerses listeners in the world of traditional Inuit storytelling.

ILLU Science and Art Hub, a place for scientists, artists and locals

Polar Journal AG Team

Siri Veland (geographer), Skade Henriksen (artist), Anna Lindal (artist), and Marie Stougaard Østertorn (civil society advocate) explain the concept behind the Ilulissat Art and Science Hub. We open the doors to this anchor point, which marks the end of our series in this Greenlandic town.

The Herds' Epic Migration Towards an Arctic Reckoning

A unique herd of African wildlife is currently moving from the Congo to the Arctic circle in an attempt not only to highlight the global effect of climate change but also to renew the bond between humans and nature.

"Honouring Our Future" at the NONAM

After Canada and Great Britain, the exhibition of regalia worn by young Indigenous graduates from the Yukon opens this weekend at NONAM. An opportunity to discover, through this symbolic garment, a little-known aspect of the culture of these communities in north-western Canada, between tradition and haute couture.

Talking about Nanuk, the Inuit narratives about polar bears

As we celebrate International Polar Bear Day today, Polar Journal AG invites you to discover Nanuk Narratives, an online documentary series that sheds light on the link between Inuit and polar bears.

Arctic culture in sound and music at the Museum of Contemporary Circumpolar Art

The Museum of Contemporary Circumpolar Art (MCCA) in Bern is kicking off the year in music and style with a new exhibition devoted to Arctic sounds. The opening takes place this Thursday, February 20, with a performance by the Inuit throat-singing duo PIQSIQ.

An Arctic Day on the move and in voices at the NONAM

NONAM organizes an Arctic Day this Sunday in Zurich, with a focus on movement and voice. The program includes Inuit sports games and a famous duet of throat singers.

A designer who envelops bodies in the spirit of the Sami people

A shift in direction in 2008 enabled Anne Berit Anti to tell the story of her people through fashion. With one foot in modernity and one in tradition, she invites everyone to wear original creations inspired by life on the tundra.

Christiane Ritter, a woman in the polar night

A Woman in the Polar Night has become a classic of its kind, and is now being reprinted in French. An opportunity to revisit the tale of a polar adventurer like no other.

Inuit art on show at Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

Polar Journal AG invites you on a virtual tour of the ᐆᒻᒪᖁᑎᒃ uummaqutik exhibition, which opened last November at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Katajjaq, an Inuit voice

The katajjaq, a throat singing game typical of Canada's Inuit, has enjoyed a revival in recent decades. So much so that it has become a strong marker of Inuit identity.

The PolarJournal Christmas book selection

With Christmas just around the corner, Polar Journal AG has put together a selection of the best polar books. Enough to fill Santa's sack or to offer yourself a moment of escape.

The Polar Retrospective - Arctic terror and horror on the big screen

Beyond its beauty and magic, the Arctic is a unique canvas of horror that has been the backdrop to numerous films.

Everything changes – unique exhibition about Greenland at the ALPS Museum

The Swiss ALPS Museum is opening a new, unique exhibition on Friday featuring the massive changes taking place in Greenland and how the people there are dealing with them.

Three Swiss will sail solo in the Southern Ocean

With 41 days to go to the start, Oliver Heer, Justine Mettraux and Alan Roura finish preparing for the Vendée Globe. They will attempt to sail solo around the world via the Southern Ocean.

The Polar Retrospective - The Arctic in Switzerland's capital

Several institutions in Switzerland's capital Bern are sending out a strong signal for the Arctic and inviting visitors to various events and exhibitions, some of which will be on display for up to two years.

This year, thee Arctic Tour of Norway was centered around Bodø, the European Capital of Culture, but during its 11 years, it has been through all municipalities of Northern Norway. Photo: Aurelien Vialatte, Arctic Race of Norway

How a professional bicycle race is showcasing Norway’s Arctic landscapes

The four-stage-long Arctic Race of Norway finished with an uphill sprint in Bodø yesterday.

Polar Journal AG summer book selection

From recent publications to favorites, the editors of Polar Journal AG have put together a selection of books to accompany you over the summer break.

The Faroe Islands, a whole festival

With three music festivals in the heart of summer, the Faroe Islands are becoming increasingly well known for their musical programming and local artists who are beginning to make a name for themselves internationally.

Indigenous Peoples Day in Olympic form in Zurich

This Sunday, June 23, the North American Native Museum (NONAM) in Zurich will celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day with a program featuring Inuit Olympics and some raven stories.

A cultural centre to reconnect with Inuit heritage

Nunavut Inuit Heritage Centre takes shape. The building, which will house Inuit historical and cultural artifacts, is scheduled to open within seven years in Iqaluit, Nunavut.

The five Paasisavut finalists from 2023 all represented Nordic universities. Next year, researchers from other parts of the world can participate. Photo: Emil Nørgaard Stach, Arctic Hub

Greenlandic PhD tv-show is looking for international participants

Unlike last year, the Paasisavut competition is open to applications from researchers from across the world.

The Polar Retrospective – Playfully into the Polar Regions

Video gamers and the gaming industry have also discovered the polar regions, bringing together history, the environment, culture and the economy.

Bodø2024: Half-time for the first European Capital of Culture in the Arctic

Julia Hager

The Norwegian town of Bodø in the province of Nordland once thrived on the export of stockfish and is now the first town in the Arctic to be awarded the title of "European Capital of Culture".

The electric alloy of art and science

Sara Bran, a lace-maker on gold, is off to Greenland this summer to enrich her artistic practice. The programme includes an expedition on a solar-powered kayak to meet the wilderness, the local inhabitants and scientists.

Time moves slowly in the Norwegian town of Vadsø, which is why their mayor suggested to make its days 26 hours long. Photo: Aurora Lab, Vadsoe

Norwegian mayor suggested 26-hour days to attract workers to the Arctic

The request made to the EU Commission gained world-wide attention but was never meant to be taken seriously, the mayor of Vadsø told Polar Journal.

"Stöld", the Sami thriller available on Netflix

Based on a best-selling novel, "Stöld" finally hits the screens. Available since April on Netflix, this Sami production tells the story of a young woman who stands up against violence and discrimination against her people.

Campbell Island overwintering soundtrack

Two friends set meteorologist Peter Fisher's personal overwintering experience to music with the album Life on Sub-Antarctic Cambell Island - The Weather Station Years.

This photo by Dominik Plüss of the St. Chrischona Chuch in Bettingen outside Basel was part of a compilation of Swiss northern light photos last week. Photo: Dominik Plüss

“New phone cameras make the aurora accessible but the photos are not like reality”

The news photographer Dominik Plüss captured the northern lights above a church in Basel, Switzerland.

Book: Antarctica - A History in 100 Objects

The book "Antarctica - A History in 100 Objects" takes the reader on a journey through the history, but also the present and future of Antarctica.

A group of runners on the Greenland Ice Sheet during the 2023 edition of the Polar Circle Marathon. Photo: Albatros Adventure Marathons™

Polar marathons are on the rise

The mindset of the Arctic and Antarctic marathon runners seems to be: “if I have to run 42 kilometers, it may as well be in beautiful surroundings,” a marathon organizer tells Polar Journal.

The frontpages of Sermitsiaq are always bilingual. Since 1958, all articles have been published in both Danish and Kalaallisut (Greenland), giving the newspaper a vast back catalog that has been used as data to train an AI. Photo: Sermitsiaq on Facebook

Greenlandic AI translator inspires small languages around the world

French national television are among the potential users of an AI tool developed for Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq.

Four violins, four stations, twelve beats

Physicist Hiroto Nagai composes music using environmental data from the polar regions.

How can we reinvent polar research in France?

This week in Brest, a meeting of researchers shows that the scientific community is rethinking its approach to polar issues.

Greenlanders Miki Siegstad (on the left) and Peter Berthelsen are about to embark on their third seasons as chefs on the cruise ship Ultramarine. Photo: Stephen Des Roches

Miki cooks Inuit food on cruise ships to teach passengers about his culture

Musk ox, reindeer and soon, perhaps, seal are among the dishes that start onboard dialogues about sustainability and cultural differences.

The magical journey of Greenland's icebergs in time-lapse

Julia Hager

Danish photographer Jonas Høholt has captured the journey of the white giants in the Ilulissat Icefjord, West Greenland, in fascinating time-lapse recordings.

Arctic Sounds Festival will rock Sisimiut

Rock, rap, pop, folk, drum singing and death metal. Almost every musical genre is invited to the Arctic Sounds Festival, which kicks off today in Sisimiut, Greenland.

Different mindset at the Arctic Winter Games than at the Olympics

A fortnight ago, 45 minutes from Anchorage in Alaska, the Arctic Winter Games brought together some 2,000 athletes from different Arctic regions. Elina Bertet, a doctoral student of Social Sciences and the history of sport, went to Alaska to study the sporting identity of the Games and its athletes.

Netflix series starts filming in Iqaluit

A new series, which has just begun filming in Nunavut, is due for release on Netflix and will tell the story of an Inuk mother.

Ice Alaska - Art made of ice

Heiner Kubny

The World Ice Art Championships have been held in Fairbanks for over 30 years. The event is organized by the non-profit organization Ice Alaska.

On this photo from April 2023, Roberta Tuurraq Glenn-Borade and three trail inspectors are seen on the sea ice near Utqiagvik. Photo: Alaska Arctic Observatory and Knowledge Hub

Scientists in Utqiagvik help whale hunters get safely across sea ice

Every spring, scientists in Arctic Alaska map safe routes across the ice so local hunters can uphold a thousand-year-old tradition.

The Arctic Winter Games are not only about sports, but also about celebrating Arctic culture and traditions. Photo: Jessica Crisp, Arctic Winter Games 2024

Snow Snaking and Alaskan High Kick: The Arctic Winter Games 2024 are over

Alaska and Yukon won the medal standings at the 2024 Arctic Winter Games while the Saami and Nunavik trailed behind.

Sedna, a beautiful finissage at NONAM

This Sunday takes place the closing of the exhibition “Sedna. Myth and Change in the Arctic” at NONAM in Zurich. The opportunity to take stock with Martha Cerny about the exhibition.

Kaska Dena Fashion designer dressed for success in Milan

With her label, Kaska Dena Designs, Natasha Peter successfully integrates elements of Kaska Dena culture with modern cuts. A mix that was a hit at the last Fashion Week in Milan.

Making the ice sing in Ilulissat

This weekend sees the opening of the Ice Music Festival Greenland sessions in Ilulissat. An opportunity to (re)discover a festival that makes ice sing, with a focus on science.

Monaco works for greater cooperation in polar sciences

Last Thursday and Friday, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation's Polar Symposium took place in the century-old Oceanographic Museum, between the Palais princier and the Mediterranean, bringing together scientists and experts, advocacy officers and directors of organizations, representatives of indigenous peoples and heads of state.

The adventure game Raanaa - The Shaman Girl features an unusual selection of languages: Norwegian, Sámi, English, and Portuguese. Image: Screenshot from the game

Can tech and AI help save endangered Arctic languages?

North Sámi, Kalaallisut and Inuktitut are all endangered languages with less than 100.000 speakers. But new technologies are making them more accessible and could help preserve them.

Culture

Citizen's in even the remotest parts of Greenland will now get access to the country's national theatre. This photo is from a previous performance by the theater including the traditional mask dance. Photo: Nunatta Isiginnaartitsiarfia

National Theatre of Greenland rents a boat and goes on tour