Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic Expeditions are on a mission to break industry standards. Not only will they launch a new ship this spring that will go further into the Arctic than any other passenger vessel has gone before, but also debut the world's first permanent polar art installation.
Called Change, the unique exhibit will be curated by famed artist Zaria Forman and highlight the effects of climate change. The wide-ranging collection will include drawings, paintings, video, photography, sculpture, and more, from over 35 artists all personally curated by Forman. Pieces will consist of a John Grade sculpture of glass and resin suspended from the ceiling and glass portholes that look into tiny hyper-realistic environments sculpted by Patrick Jacobs.
Plus, Forman created a new piece specifically for this floating exhibit after her two-year journey with NASA's science missions to track shifting ice. It's from this experience that she created dramatic large-scale pastel drawings that capture "the range of ephemeral landscapes she observed" while flying over Antarctica and the Arctic.
"Every piece of art is proof of the profound impact this environment can have on an individual," Forman said in a statement. "The exhibit will be a shared experience, enabling our guests to feel part of something much larger than their own individual observations. And hopefully, it will guide them down the path closest to my heart—to be so moved by the landscapes that lay in front them, they will want to protect and preserve them."
And the works won't be in a designated gallery space on board. Instead, the collection has been assembled making use of the entire ship—both public and private spaces—themed deck by deck. Guests will have access to both guided and self-guided tours while sailing as well. What's more is that the new ship, Endurance, will take passengers to these places to witness the fragile beauty first hand as it was designed to navigate polar passages year-round.
"Zaria was challenged to mount the definitive polar exhibition aboard our polar ship," said Sven Lindblad, CEO of Lindblad Expeditions, in a statement. "And her curation has, I believe, led to one of the finest collections of art examining the power and vulnerability of these rarified geographies anywhere in the world."
