79° NORTH in Nyack

On August 23rd the Nyack Phone and Drone Film Festival screens 79° (degrees) NORTH. I am so proud that this beautiful project I shot during the Arctic Circle Artist and Scientist Expeditionary Residency Program found its way to the big screen. This 2-hour event takes place from 7:30 pm – to 9:30 pm at the Fabulous Hotel Nyack.

The NPDFF provides a platform for aerial filmmakers to showcase their work, emphasizing innovative flight techniques, aesthetic beauty, compelling stories, and more. The NPDFF program is hand-selected by a jury made up of local professionals, creative, media, and technical professionals as well as established drone cinematographers.

You can read all about my residency here: winter-sailing-in-the-arctic-around-svalbard

Winter Sailing in the Arctic around Svalbard

In October 2023, I had the pleasure of being a part of the Arctic Circle Artist and Scientist Expeditionary Residency Program, a two-week sail in the Arctic waters around Svalbard, 75-81 degrees north, with the most popular island known as Spitzbergen. My last winter residency was a while back, and this one was pushed a few times due to Covid so I was really excited to finally board this adventure.

My journey began with a few days in Oslo, where I visited the Fram Museum, which tells the story of Norwegian polar exploration. This was the perfect start for my travels as later we sailed past many sites mentioned in the exhibit and crossed paths with the route and relics of legendary Arctic explorer Roald Amundsen on his race to the North Pole back in the late 19th century.

From Oslo, I took a direct flight to Longyearbyen, the largest town on Svalbard and the world’s northernmost settlement. All across the city, you see remnants of its former mining history, but overall it does feel like a modern town. The romantic feeling of a frontier town and Arctic explorers is far gone. At the center of the town is a modern pedestrian zone with a supermarket, restaurants, and fashion boutiques to serve the over 100,000 tourists that visit every year by plane or cruise ship. October was the perfect time as it is at the end of the season, and our sail was one of the very few ships sailing during that time.

We spent the first night in a comfy hotel in Svalbard, where I met my roommate for the cruise and all the fellow artists. After a night of mingling and an introduction to the expedition rules at the Spitzbergen Artists Center, we boarded the Antigua the following day and left Svalbard for the next two weeks.

The Barquentine Antigua is a three-mast sailing ship under the Dutch flag, built back in 1957 as a fishing ship and refitted in the early 1990s into a passenger ship. In 2021, the ship was lengthened by 8 meters, and a deckhouse was created, which was my favorite hangout at night to enjoy the Arctic world passing by. The ship has 16 twin passenger cabins, each with a shower and toilet, occupied by 30 artists. Eight staff cabins were shared by nine crew members and four guides.

The cabins are tight, and although our cabin was one of the more spacious ones, my roomie and I usually gave each other alone time for getting ready and morning routines. Men had bunk beds, ladies side by side on each side of the hall. I admit I preferred the bunk. We all brought a lot of gear and equipment, which we stored in our luggage, a small shelf, and one half of our bed. The big suitcases fit under the bed, but mine barely slid under. Towels, bath tissue and linens were provided.

The food was fantastic across the board. There was always a meat and vegetarian option, as well as alternatives for vegans, etc. Breakfast, lunch, coffee, and dinner were served in the salon, which was also the main hangout besides the deckhouse. The salon was also where we had our presentations about our work. It was great to see the diversity of each other’s practice and process. Artists, guides, and crew each had a ten-minute timeslot over 8 days to share, which really brought us all together as a group. The presentations concluded with a guitar song written and performed by the captain.

The route was loosely sketched and sometimes changed day to day. Every night we came together to discuss our next day as well as reminisce about the day. At breakfast, the day was then locked in as sometimes things changed during the night due to weather or distance traveled. It would be hard to sum up all the impressions and sights we visited, but usually, we made landfall twice a day except for a few days when we wanted to travel further. There were usually three groups for land excursions: a shorter hike, a longer hike, and a group that stayed at the landing site to work. A few times we also took the Zodiac to cruise around the waters between ice floes. The variety of landscapes was amazing. Large glaciers, dark beaches, wide epic vistas, and a lot of wildlife, just to name a few highlights of the trip. We were always accompanied by our fantastic guides who had to carry guns in case of a polar bear attack, but it wasn’t until the end of my trip that I saw one from the deck, eating an elk ashore.

One cannot go on a journey without talking about climate change. We were able to see clearly how the glaciers are slowly receding, and we were told that some of the landing sites were covered with glaciers just last winter, so it is happening fast. In this pristine landscape, I was surprised by how much trash we found. A lot of marine remnants are washed upon shore, like nets and buoys, but also a lot of unrecognizable plastic trash. Also, tourism takes its toll in these waters, and Norway plans to restrict it massively in the near future, with only a few bays open for landing and anchoring. Since we were one of the last ships to sail during the season, we did not see another vessel for ten days, and we truly felt alone and remote in these cold waters.

To go on land, the crew would move the Zodiac as close as possible to a shallow part of the beach or shore, and a guide would pull the boat closer and hold it tight so we could jump into the water and wade to land. As your feet were always a few inches or more underwater, it was crucial to have the recommended Arctic muck boots; otherwise, you get wet feet, which is just bad. Also, wear layered clothing so you can adjust the temperature as much as possible. I must admit my jacket was too warm. It was great for standing in the windy winter night to get the Northern Lights but bad for hiking as I got warm and sweaty very quickly.

Everybody had amazing projects. I personally worked on a photo project called “NOT A LIFESAVING DEVICE” – a rather pop art approach about climate change, species migration, and mass tourism. I also worked on a short drone film “79° NORTH“,  where I also incorporated some of the Aurora Borealis timelapses I was able to capture.One of our last stops of the journey was Ny-Alesund, a permanent Norwegian research facility with a population of 35 to 114, depending on the season. It was the first time the Antigua was able to dock after our 13-day sailing trip. It was strange to see civilization again. The small town even has a museum about Arctic exploration and a souvenir shop they just opened for us for a few hours in the morning of our departure.

On October 17th, we returned to Svalbard. The last two days we toured the town, visited the global seed vault, and had a final farewell party. The crew and guides were amazing, and we were all extremely grateful as they made everything and more possible for us to realize our projects.

I spent a few more days alone in Svalbard after the program. I splurged and rented a car for the remaining days, although the road system is limited, and you have seen it all after a few hours. But it was primarily for shelter as I was planning to return to the seed vault and get some nice shots with the Northern Lights.

I also boarded a ship one more time, the Polargirl, for one last excursion to the nearby Russian town of Pyramiden, an abandoned Soviet coal mining settlement. This short trip was not much like the two weeks on the Antigua. It was much more mainstream but still interesting. In 1927, Sweden sold the town to the Soviets to mine coal, with a population of 1,000 in its heyday, but after mining ceased in 1998, the settlement turned into a famous ghost town and later into a tourist attraction. Currently, mining has started again in small quantities to keep Pyramiden running as well as the nearby Russian town Barentsburg, not only to keep the lights on but to fulfill one of the requirements under which the town was sold. Lately, Pyramiden was in the headlines again because of its importance in the region for Russia, which now flies a giant flag on top of the highest peak. Overall, I don’t regret the short trip and wandering around this town that felt like it was literally frozen in time.

My last four nights I split between a Husky farm with only an outhouse and no running water located right outside Longyearbyen, which was great for clear sky and magnificent howling during the dark night, and a luxury hotel before my departure.

Overall, I truly enjoyed this journey. Although a residency, the trip does come with some hefty costs for gear, fare, etc., but it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If someone is on the fence about doing this and asks for my advice, I would say, just do it! You will not regret it.

 

Until my next cold adventure,
Boris Schaarschmidt

November Residency in Tjørnuvik on the Faroe Islands

After almost six years, I finally had the opportunity again to spend some time in an artist residency. Originally, I wanted to spend two more months in two other residencies, but due to Covid they were postponed, so I am particularly grateful that I was able to do at least half of the journey I had planned for this year.

The residency called LISA (Listafólkabústaðurin) is located in the old schoolhouse (Skúlin) in Tjørnuvik which is the northernmost village on Streymoy, the largest island of the Faroe Islands.

The small village of maybe 20 buildings and around 60 inhabitants is surrounded by large mountains and swooshing waterfalls. The village faces the open sea with spectacular waves which attract surfers from all around the world who can rent gear in a surf shack by the beach, even in October. From the shore, one can see two large rock formations next to a towering cliff. Legend says that these were once a giant and a witch who tried to pull the Faroe Islands back to Iceland, but they turned to stone as the sunrise surprised them.

The schoolhouse is right in the middle of town. It is a small two-story building with two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a large classroom where you can work. As an instructor, I felt right at home. The house felt very cozy, and the big room had a great positive atmosphere. I imagined how it was when school children attended classes here and there is still a blackboard, maps, and schoolbooks. The building was used as a school for the last time in 2005. In 2013, the town and the Sunda municipality decided to create an artist residency in the old school for artists looking for inspiration and solitude.

Tjørnuvik is connected to the public transportation network. Buses usually go in the morning and the afternoon and not during the weekend. If you are totally dependent on public transport it could be challenging. I rented a car for the first and the last week and stocked up on groceries for the time in between. This way, I was also able to drive my luggage from and to the airport and used the bus system for return and pickup of the rental. The drive to the airport on Vágar is about one hour, by bus it takes two hours and you must switch lines twice.

The Faroe Islands have a great infrastructure including three subsea tunnels to connect some of the islands. The tunnels are simply amazing but also costly. Each round trip cost 100 DKK (16USD) and for the Eysturoyartunnil it is between 125-175DKK (20-26USD) one way. This tunnel has the world’s first (and only) roundabout in a subsea tunnel. Technically you don’t need this tunnel as you can also take a bridge that connects these islands but depending on where you are it saves you a 90-minute drive. When you exit the tunnel, a picture is taken of your license plate and you pay online. In my case, I paid the rental car company after returning the vehicle.

Driving itself is save and fun although I sometimes found the drive to Tjørnuvík difficult as it is only one lane for both directions. Once in a while, there are short passing lanes so drivers can make way for each other. During the day it is sometimes hard to see if another vehicle is coming and therefore it sometimes gets tight on the winding road. It is much better during the night since you can see the cars from far away but then you face sheep and geese that are suddenly standing in the middle of the road.

Sheep in general are all across the islands. There are about 50.000 people living on Faroe and 70.000 sheep. I tried to get good pictures of them, but they are rather shy and run away quickly. Only if you are driving, they tend to not run away from you or simply jump in front of the car erratically.

The landscape is simply monumental, and most roads are along the coastlines which guarantee fantastic vistas. I spent a lot of time simply driving around and taking pictures from the side of the road, but I also took a lot of hikes which there are plenty to choose from. Some of them cost up to 30 USD which is a hefty sum. I thought it was worth it but there are also plenty of free hikes one can take. Three hikes are right in Tjørnuvík. Two of these felt rather unofficial to me and I only found them with a Trails App. After an hour in, you must be rather confident in your hiking skills so I did not proceed. The most popular hike leads to Saksun, the neighboring town by beeline, and is easy to find as the entrance is marked by a sign. The whole hike takes about three hours, half of it a steep climb. I walked about half of it as I did not want to walk back and forth. The view is just majestic and as you reach the plateau, the terrain becomes even and quiet. You basically follow the stream up all the way from the village. Only on the Saksun side, a sign warns you that you should not take this hike during the hunting season starting in November.

Saksun itself features another beautiful and very popular easy hike alongside a black beach leading up to the ocean, surrounded by waterfalls and towering cliffs. The fee is about 11 USD and definitely worth it. I did this hike twice as it is easy and extremely beautiful. Every so often, a gunshot echoed like thunder through the valley reminding me of that warning not to cross over to Tjørnuvík during hunting season. I saw a lot of hunting parties across the islands, especially over the weekend. I was told that they hunt hare, and I almost ran over one myself in the middle of the night on my way home – rather cute I must say.

A few times I drove to the capital Tórshavn to buy some things I forgot to bring. I became a regular in the local outdoor sports shop and was glad to buy a pair of decent Viking rubber boots which I needed for most hikes. You simply must cross small streams too often and after a week of wet feet, I had enough. I also bought Devold long johns made from Merino wool and was wondering where they have been my whole life. Everything in Faroe, so it felt, comes at a premium. There is not a whole lot of competing stores, and they can dictate the price but I also was very pleased to shop for groceries at Bónus again which reminded me so much of Iceland.

One of my favorite things was seeing the shift from autumn to winter. When I arrived, everything was still lush and green, slowly shifting to brown and suddenly it started to snow, and it became all white. Road conditions became more challenging, and I sometimes wished for an AWD, especially after fresh snow.

I was hoping to get a chance to see some Northern Lights and I did get lucky one night although the Faroe Islands are not necessarily the first choice if you want to see the Aurora Borealis. Tjørnuvík has a good position since it faces North and looks right towards Iceland. But the Aurora needs to be much stronger to be visible over the Faroe Islands. Also, the weather needs to be good, and I had a few nights where there might have been some activity, but it was simply raining. The islands do get a lot of rain due to the location right within the Gulf Stream and I noticed the temperature was “much” warmer than Iceland as the geek in me crosschecked this on my weather app a few times. But I am grateful for the two nights of display of Northern Lights and I was indeed able to get nice shots of nature’s firework.

To conclude, I had an amazing time and a lot of quiet moments to reflect. It’s peaceful here and at least during October/November not overrun by sightseers like me. By the number of hotels and rooms, you can tell that the Faroe Islands are still left alone by the crowds that flock to Iceland and I hope that won’t change soon although a tourist bus with a large James Bond 007 paint job has me worried about the future, reminding me of the year we went to visit Oaxaca during Dia De Los Muertos right after Pixar’s Coco was released, a film I had not seen at that time I might add.

I took a lot of pictures and some videos. I traveled with two cameras, two tripods, a gimbal, a drone, and four lenses but found myself using my phone much more than I had anticipated. I can’t say I was lazy as I still carried everything else on my back while hiking. I also started to work on the new script of a book adaption I just optioned. I hope to return soon and thanks so much to the town of Tjørnuvík, LISA, and the Sunda Kommuna for hosting artists in their former school.

Cheers,
Boris Schaarschmidt

ELDUR Á HIMNI in Toronto

ELDUR Á HIMNI – FIRE IN THE SKY will be screened tomorrow during the Experimental, Dance & Music Film Festival in Toronto/Canada.

The screening on October 24th is at The Carlton Cinemas, located in the heart of downtown Toronto at 20 Carlton Street. The event runs from 7pm to 9:10pm.

Stop by if you are in the neighborhood.

ELDUR Á HIMNI in Spain

ELDUR Á HIMNI – FIRE IN THE SKY will be screened at the audiovisual Sky Film Festival (SFF) in Spain in the beautiful county of Alta Emporadà in Catalonia.

From June 24th to 26th Castelló d’Empúries-Empuriabrava-Roses will be filled with audiovisual screenings and side activities (conferences, fair, air sports exhibitions, children workshops etc.) with the themes of sky, air and flight as the central concept.

For more information, please visit their web page!
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ELDUR Á HIMNI at Castle Höchst

EDLUR Á HIMNI – FIRE IN THE SKY will be screened in Germany during the open air film festival Shorts at Moonlight.
On Sunday, July 26th the film will be shown in Program 10 on the terrace of the Höchster Schloss in the the Old Town of Frankfurt-Höchst right next to the bank of the river Main. Doors open at 7.30pm and the presentation starts at dusk.

Enjoy the Northern Lights under the stars in this truly magnificent setting. More information on their webpage:
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ELDUR Á HIMNI selected for Cine Gear Film Series 2015!

I am proud to announce that ELDUR Á HIMNI – FIRE IN THE SKY is one of the Commercials/Music Video Finalists of the Film Series during the Cine Gear Expo at the Studios at Paramount.
The screening will be on June 4th at 2.30pm in Screening Room #5.
More information on their page.
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FIRE IN THE SKY in Paris

During this year’s Festival international Signes de Nuit, ELDUR Á HIMNI was screened on December 7th in Paris. The film was part of the program “Synthox / Son-Image-Interferences”.

Please click the link down below for more information about the festival. Happy Holidays everyone!

www.signesdenuit.com

ELDUR Á HIMNI featured on digital-photo-web.com

Thrandur featured ELDUR Á HIMNI – Fire in the Sky on his digital photo blog and took the time to interview me about the Northern Lights and my time in Iceland. Please follow the link to read the full story:

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www.digital-photo-web.com/boris-schaarschmidt-eldur-a-himni-fire-in-the-sky.html

Eldur Á Himni at WTF?! in Oregon

The music festival “What The Festival?!” on Wolf Run Ranch will screen FIRE IN THE SKY during this year’s spectacle, June 19-22.

Each night until dawn, WTF?! attendees will be able to journey into the forest and lay under the stars to experience their Decked Out Cinema.

So if you happen to wander the Iluminated Forest, stop by and and enjoy the show.

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