Antarctica is a continent of extremes. It is the single largest mass of ice on earth; drier than any desert, winder than any mountain range, and colder than any surface, with temperatures plummeting down to -89 degrees Celsius (-128.5 degrees Fahrenheit). It is also extremely vast; Antarctica is the 5th largest continent, boasting an area of approximately 5.4 million square miles (roughly one-and-a-half times the size of the United States) 95% of which is covered in ice a mile thick on average.
Due to these extreme weather conditions, it is unsurprising that biological life in Antarctica is relatively sparse compared to other, more moderate regions of the world. As the south pole is extremely geographically isolated, there is no indigenous population adapted to Antarctica’s extremes, and there are no permanent human residents of the icy continent. With its lack of commercial industries, towns, cities, or permanent residents, Antarctica is distinctly, overwhelmingly different from the rest of the world. However, there are those who have made Antarctica their temporary home; there are 70 scientific bases stationed all over the continent, belonging to 29 different nations, of which approximately 37 are occupied year round. On average, scientists and the other inhabitants of these bases will spend a couple of months to a year in Antarctica, favoring the more moderate summer months; coupled with the substantial rise of Antarctic tourism, there can be about 4,000 people through the summer season, and 1,000 overwinter every year.
But Antarctica is under serious threat from anthropogenic climate change. Over the past 50 years, the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula has been one of the most rapidly warming parts of the planet, and this warming is having a profound impact upon the physical and living environment of Antarctica. Glaciers have retreated or collapsed entirely due to warming, resulting in the distribution and decrease of penguin colonies. Melting of perennial snow and ice covers has allowed for colonization of invasive plant species. A long-term dramatic decline in Antarctic krill in the southern ocean is thought to be associated with warming ocean temperatures and declining sea ice. No matter how remote and inhospitable Antarctica may seem, human activity is wreaking havoc upon its icy shores.
It was precisely the remoteness of the continent that attracted Anthony Horth to Antarctica. Having travelled across the world on assignments for various fashion publications, Horth found it difficult to think of a place he hadn’t yet photographed. Antarctica’s remote location and inhospitable conditions thus seemed like the obvious next choice; as a place so isolated, Antarctica has captured the human imagination since the 18th century, and Horth was no exception. The icy continent certainly lived up to his imagination; journeying to Antarctica’s Elephant Island, he spent two weeks aboard a ship, photographing the ancient ice giants that floated through the seas.
Through the exhibition of these photographs, Anthony Horth intends to draw attention to two issues that are very close to his heart: climate change and environmental stewardship. There is nowhere on earth that we can see the effects of climate change as prominently as in the poles; the rapid melting of the ancient ice and dramatic increase of iceberg calving is a direct result of the warming temperatures indicative of anthropogenic climate change. We are the custodians, not owners, of this planet, and Horth hopes that through showcasing the beauty, power, and peace of this largely uninhabited landscape, he can convey how much we have to lose due to climate change, and to draw attention to the need for environmental stewardship.
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