Only Barely Still

A different narrative of the Arctic and its collective imaginary. Focusing on the underrepresented stories of women in the archipelago of Svalbard, the project challenges the way we look at women and ‘unspoiled' places.

The arctic archipelago Svalbard was never considered a proper place for women. Throughout history, women have been deemed unfit to deal with the challenges of an autonomous life in the public realm, let alone with the dangers of the isolated wilderness. Non-indigenous people to the Arctic have long conceptualised the polar region as a barren, inhospitable landscape where only the toughest of men could survive.

Built into this affirmation of the adventurous and engineering nature of men, is the systematic refusal of women in Svalbard. This frame of mind is also reflected in the body of stories and literature set in the circumpolar region: women are mostly absent, and if they do happen to make an appearance, they are classified as man’s inferior companion, as an exception or as just not in their right mind, or both.

At the same time the Arctic has traditionally been gendered as feminine in the Western world. Initially, it was regarded a region to be conquered and penetrated; as male territory that has to be brought into submission. Whereas this view has shifted in post-colonial times, the Arctic is still conceived of as feminine and is now collectively imagined as a pure, pristine place in need of our protection. A barren, virgin land in distress. By imposing on it a passive identity as an object of desire, this one-sided and simplified view is not aligned with reality. 

The project Only Barely Still aims to propose a different narrative of the Arctic and its collective imaginary. By standing on the axis of two misconceptions – about the Arctic on one hand, and the women in it on the other – it wants to respectfully capture their synergy.