Introduced and chaired by Jennifer Crouch, artist Hannah Scott and writer Nanou Blair Gould discuss their discoveries as members of the Arctic Circle Residency 2017. Their exploration of the remote archipelagos of Svalbard while sailing the High Arctic seas abroad the Tall Ship Antigua brings stories of the extreme terror and wonder of the Arctic, describing the extent and abundance of plastic that pollutes the world’s oceans, which does indeed end up in the most remote parts of the globe. The talk will include a brief history of plastic and some examples of how the future of plastic is changing.

CONTRIBUTOR BIOGRAPHIES:

As a graduate of the MA Art and Science degree programme at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts, Hannah Scott is an artist with an interest in the creative relationships between art and science. Her practice explores ways of visualising and communicating climate change, and addresses ideas relating to the Anthropocene, identity, legacy and loss, through installation, film, photography and painting. Hannah was awarded a MullenLowe NOVA award in 2017 for on-going work exploring the impact of plastic on the environment.

Nanou Blair Gould is a writer based in North London. Half British, half Flemish, she grew up in Italy and moved to London to study Creative Writing at Roehampton University. Through punchy narrative voices and dark humour, Nanou writes fiction about ordinary characters thrown into extreme natural settings. She will return to the Arctic in 2018 to work aboard the traditionally rigged tall-ship, hoping to create work that will inspire people to embrace exciting and sustainable lifestyles. Nanou is one half of new writing/ acting duo Teraxacum Theatre. She has written and performed plays for both the Edinburgh and Camden Fringe Festival. Fincham Press has published 3 of her short stories.