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The Arctic Circle is an imaginary line of latitude at 66˚33’. Approximately four million people live above the Arctic Circle in climatic conditions that include 24 hour daylight during the summer months and almost complete darkness, known in Norway as ‘Mørkertid’, between the end of November and the end of January every year. These conditions also include very low levels of solar irradiation in comparison to most other global locations, extreme cold and harsh weather, meaning that no full sized trees can grow there but beautiful and ethereal events such as the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights occur. The report tries to gain an understanding of what makes people who live in the far north and in such extreme conditions different from other people, if at all. It is
also an exploration of the actual lighting conditions using established research and data gathered from in-situ light sensors. Most intriguingly it is an insight into the psyche and behaviour of residents of this polar region. Due to the natural bias of Norwegian architects Snøhetta, boundaries to the report were drawn with a focus on the residents of the Arctic Circle from Norway and Sweden. Of the people who live within the Arctic Circle, approximately 10% are Norwegians. This in turn makes up about 10% of the Norwegian population. More Norwegians live in this region than Swedes due to different government demographic polices over the last century. Many members of this population are originally from ethnic Sammi communities who worked, and still,
The exhibition features portraits of four centenarian Norwegians and Swedes, who recount their lives north of the Arctic Circle. With his close-up facial portraits of them, Norwegian photographer Sølve Sundsbø succeeds in revealing the physical effects as well.