NOT A LIFESAVING DEVICE

These photographs were created during the Arctic Circle Artist Residency in Svalbard in December 2023, aboard the sailing vessel Antigua. NOT A LIFESAVING DEVICE operates on several levels. In the context of global warming, non-native species are increasingly moving into fragile ecosystems, symbolized here by the flamingo, an object radically out of place in the Arctic. At the same time, the inflatable pool float references the rapid growth of tourism in polar regions, where leisure increasingly overlaps with vulnerability. The title, printed directly on the object itself by the manufacturer, functions as a literal safety warning and a symbolic statement. In moments of real emergency, this device offers no protection. It reflects the broader condition of the Arctic and, by extension, our globe, an environment under visible distress while the tools we bring with us are insufficient, symbolic, or purely cosmetic. There is no easy rescue, and no single solution. No AI was used in the creation of this work.