Rowan Huntley

Against the wider context of global warming, ice melt and rising seas, I present a new way of seeing, and connecting with, elements of current climate science undertaken by a Polar geochemist working today at the forefront of research.

This work will be exhibited in August 2025 through to May 2026 at The Polar Museum, Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, UK.

My work is positioned where art meets science, arising from a fascination for geology, chemical interaction and an affinity for ice. Participation in Polar expeditions strengthened my deep appreciation of the frozen world - I was inaugural recipient of *FSPRI’s Antarctic artists residency in 2010 with HMS Scott. Together these experiences led me, on completion of my MA in 2019, to initiate an ongoing collaboration with Dr Joanne Johnson of British Antarctic Survey and thus take my work in an exciting new direction, away from aesthetic representation.

For creative scope, I look to the geological record of glacial and interglacial fluctuations in sea level around the coastline of Gower, in the heart of industrial south Wales where I live, and to the many aspects of Joanne!s climate science. The impact of industrialisation and rising seas and ground-breaking scientific analyses, along with the fragility and resilience of the natural world, form the foundation on which my work is placed. Alongside painting I create three-dimensional pieces that integrate natural and man-made elements. I use local geological and found material (respectfully gathered), ice and metals whilst utilising extreme temperature via kiln, flame and freezer.

My metaphorical and symbolic creations are not intended to illustrate Joanne"s work. Rather they enlighten through encounter, opening up new pathways of seeing which leads to greater awareness and understanding. By bringing a different perspective to this hugely important scientific work we hope it will engender wider discussion.

Notes:  Provoking thought about science / global warming brings inclusivity to that which is deemed as happening somewhere else, far away, with little personal individual relevance. Bringing non-visible aspects into physical focus enables

connections to form. This is vital in an age where so many connections have been lost, changes to our climate are being strongly felt and the resulting disruption to life is intensifying exponentially.

My evolving body of work is an exploration of materials, processes and scientific analyses seen from my perspective as a coastal inhabitant of industrial south Wales. It demonstrates the benefits of looking beyond the obvious, investigates creation within destruction and challenges the hierarchy of presence over absence.

*Friends of Scott Polar Research Institute.