Tarfala Pilot Study 2020

In 2020 I received a grant from Stockholm University to carry out a pilot study exploring infrastructures of ice and ice knowledge in Sweden.

I spent 10 days at the Tarfala Research Station exploring the relationship staff at the remote station had with their surroundings including the nearby glaciers with which they work. Following my PhD in Visual Anthropology, I used similar experimental photographic methods in exploring materiality, weather, and emplaced knowledge, mainly through cyanotypes and analogue photography. Cyanotypes were made using both objects found around the station and the weather itself — the rain dripping from the roof of the lab and the wind that hindered excursions to the glaciers. Analogue film speaks to the aesthetic of the archival images on the walls and in the books of the station in a continuing visual dialogue.

Below is a selection of images made during the project.