2005 Expedition

Battling temperatures of -30°C to join the Noorderlicht locked in ice at Tempelfjorden, just north of the 79th parallel with a crew including Antony Gormley, Rachel Whiteread and Ian McEwan.

6–11 March 2005
Tempelfjorden, Spitsbergen

The Cape Farewell team embarked on their third fieldwork expedition on the 6th of March 2005 where they joined the Noorderlicht locked in ice at Tempelfjorden, just north of the 79th parallel. For six days the crew of twenty artists, scientists and journalists, including novelist Ian McEwan, artists Antony Gormley and Rachel Whiteread and choreographer Siobhan Davies, experienced the Arctic environment in extreme temperatures of -30°C.

“The main difference was that the scientists were interested in the minutiae while all the artists were trying to understand the enormity of the place.”

David Buckland 2005 / 78°N 11.2°E

Supported by Nesta, Arts Council England, the Geographical Association and Greenpeace Environmental Trust. Proud to partner with National Oceanography Centre: Southampton, Futerra, Feilden Clegg Bradley, Basecamp Spitsberen and Bullet Creative.

  • David Buckland – Expedition leader and artist
  • Antony Gormley – Artist
  • Ian McEwan – Novelist
  • Rachel Whiteread – Artist
  • Siobhan Davies – Choreographer
  • Heather Ackroyd – Artist
  • Dan Harvey – Artist
  • Alex Hartley – Artist
  • Gautier Deblonde – Artist
  • Peter Clegg – Architect
  • Max Eastley – Musician and sound recordist
  • David Hinton – Film director
  • Charlie Kronick – Chief policy advisor, Greenpeace
  • Dr Tom Wakeford – Scientist
  • Nick Edwards – Artist
  • Andrew Robbins – The Culture Show, BBC Two
  • Juliet Butler – Journalist
  • John Monroe Burns – Sound
  • Duncan Harris – Cameraperson
  • Ole Bratt Birkeland – Cameraperson

Cape Farewell is a charitable organisation made possible through sponsorship, partnerships and donations. We’d like to thank the following companies and organisations for their generous support in making the 2005 Art/Science Expedition possible:

  • Nesta
  • Arts Council England
  • National Oceanography Centre, Southampton
  • Futerra
  • Geographical Association
  • Greenpeace
  • Feilden Clegg Bradley
  • Basecamp Spitsberen
  • Bullet Creative

Among the key expedition sponsors were NESTA, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, an organisation that invests in UK creativity and innovation. Set up by Act of Parliament in 1998, NESTA uses the interest on a National Lottery endowment to pioneer ways of supporting and promoting innovation and creativity across science, technology, the arts and learning. NESTA was created to invest at the highest point of risk, and offer individuals, groups and small businesses the time, space, money and support to push at the frontiers of knowledge and practice. 

See Also

figures walk on ice in a vast Arctic landscape

Art From The Arctic

Our first film, directed by David Hinton and co-produced by the BBC, seen by a worldwide audience of over 12 million in TV broadcasts and film festivals across the world
exhibition installation view

Art & Climate Change

Our first major touring exhibition created in partnership with the Natural History Museum

Skip links

  1. Top
  2. Skip to content top
  3. Skip to main menu
  4. Skip to search