Pure Arctic Sebastian Copeland

Within the framework of the Year of Ecology 2017, the Lumiere Brothers Center of Photography presents the first exhibition in Russia by the famous photographer, polar explorer and environmentalist Sebastian Copeland. The exposition, which will simultaneously become the most complete retrospective of the photographer, will include more than 60 large-format works shot over the past ten years on expeditions to the polar regions of Norway, Canada, the USA, Greenland, the Arctic Ocean and the Antarctic Peninsula.

Excursions at the exhibition "Clean Arctic Sebastian Copeland"

on Sundays at 14:00
You will learn about working in extreme conditions, at low temperatures, about expeditions to the most remote corners of the world - about how Sebastian’s career developed.
* The tour is included in the price of the ticket to the exhibition.

From the beginning of its existence, photography has served as a tool for disseminating knowledge about the world and, anticipating the possibilities of transport and means of communication, opened to people the most remote corners of the globe. It is surprising that today the photographer often plays the role of a visual pioneer, not only testifying to the world, but also addressing the urgent problems of our time. The exhibition at the Center for Photography traces Sebastian Copeland’s path to both poles, focusing on the photographer’s most extensive Arctic series, to which he devoted more than 10 years of travel. Copeland’s grandiose ice sheets, detached and poetic, represent an amazing example of polar photography.

The author speaks about the peculiarities of shooting in the Arctic: “As with any landscape photography, the result of shooting in the Arctic directly depends on the time that the photographer devotes to this place. For such an observer, like me, who strives for complete immersion in space, ice is opened as much as possible when everything in the frame converges. The predominance of water, in solid or liquid form, and the low angle of incidence of sunlight create a limited color spectrum; Desert landscape requires a focus point. Visually, clouds and ice are kindred spirits: the low contrast of a heavy sky takes the bluest tint out of the ice and creates a special rainbow of cover that is unique to polar photography. ”

Uncovering the harsh and fragile beauty of the pristine nature of the polar regions, Sebastian Copeland’s photographs also have pragmatic goals - to draw attention to climate change on the planet and call for an environmentally friendly future through the art of photography: “I want to help people fall in love with this world, which can awaken them desire to save this world. ” Melting glaciers and thinning ice cover in the Arctic are faster than anywhere else on Earth, and are critical indicators of climate change. “What happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic,” says Copeland. Being an active environmentalist since 1999, the photographer makes presentations at the UN and at international conferences, and also serves on the board of directors of the American branch of the International Green Cross, an environmental organization established by Mikhail Gorbachev. In the preface to the Copeland Antarctic Book, Mikhail Gorbachev writes: “The Antarctica Book. The Global Warning is the hope for the future. Stunning photographs reveal both the ephemeral and harsh beauty of Antarctica, the largest pristine land on the planet. ”

Copeland’s travels through the coldest regions of the world totaled nearly 8 thousand kilometers. In the Arctic in 2005, 2008, 2010 he was a member and led the international expedition “Young Ambassadors of the Arctic”; in 2009 he repeated the most difficult walking route of Robert Edwin Peary (1909) to the Geographical North Pole, having covered 700 km; in 2010 spent 43 days crossing the Greenland ice sheet with the help of kites and skis at 2300 km; He spent 2 seasons of 2006 and 2007 aboard a research icebreaker on the Antarctic Peninsula, and in the winter of 2011-2012 he made a pedestrian crossing of 4,100 km from East to West across Antarctica, setting 3 world records.

In addition to photographs, the exhibition will include unique video documents depicting the course of the expeditions. The exhibition will also feature Sebastian Copeland full-length documentaries on Arctic expeditions: “Into the Cold: The Journey of the Soul” (2010) (official movie of the Tribeca Film Festival official program, winner of the Indie Spirit Film Festival and Los Angeles Reel Film festival) and the final film of international festivals Across the Ice (2015).

Sebastian Copeland will also hold a meeting with visitors to the Center for Photography and present two of his famous books: Arctica: The Vanishing North, which is named the best book according to the Global Arctic Awards (2016), Tokyo International Photography Awards (2016), ITB Book Awards (2016) and "Antarctica. The Global Warning ”, which earned Copeland the title of Best Professional Photographer of the Year according to the International Photography Awards (2007).

The author will be available for interview from September 21-24. September 23 Copeland will hold a public artist-talk at 17:00, and on September 24 at 15:00 the author will conduct a tour of his exhibition.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SEBASTIAN COUPLAND

Sebastian Copeland is a photographer, journalist, polar explorer, conservationist, documentary writer.

Copeland was born April 3, 1964 in the family of the French conductor Jean-Claude Casadesus. He began to deal with environmental issues in 1999, when he began to work with the American branch of the International Green Cross, an environmental organization founded in 1993 by Mikhail Gorbachev. Possessing excellent physical training and climbing skills, his many years of passion, Copeland decided to do polar research and subsequently led more than one expedition to the polar regions.

In 2005, Sebastian tried to draw media attention to the problems of the Inuit - the indigenous population of North America. 2006-2007, he spent on board a research icebreaker on the Antarctic Peninsula. In 2008, together with Luke Hardy, he led an international expedition, which involved 9 children; as the Young Ambassadors of the Arctic, they traveled to the northernmost part of the Canadian Arctic.

Sebastian set several world records: in 2010, he and his partner Eric McNair-Landry, when crossing Greenland, set a world record for the longest distance traveled by kite and air skiing in one 20-hour crossing, which covered 595 kilometers; for the 2011-2012 season, Copeland led the first transcontinental crossing through the Antarctic (from east to west) also with kites and skis, during this 4,100-kilometer crossing, which took 82 days in duration, 3 world records were set right away. Photographs of Sebastian Copeland are kept in many private collections and museums around the world.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS: