Library in the ice

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Library in the Ice, 2005

The library in the ice is an art project by the artist Lutz Fritsch . From winter 2003/04 it stood on the Ekström Ice Shelf in the immediate vicinity of the Antarctic research station Neumayer II . After the dissolution of Neumayer II and the establishment of Neumayer Station III a few kilometers away, the library in the ice moved from the old location to the new location in February 2009 (coordinates: 70 ° 40 ′ 8 ″ S, 8 ° 16 ′ 2 ″ W).

history

In the winter of 1994/95, the Cologne artist Lutz Fritsch and scientists took part in the ANT-XII-2 expedition of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research to the Antarctic . The destination was the German research station Neumayer II. Arriving there, Fritsch got an idea of ​​the natural and technical conditions, including the lack of scale and the inhospitable nature of the Antarctic as well as the narrowness and functionality of the station built under the ice. “I was fascinated by the vastness, the lack of scale of the natural space, the aesthetics of the forces inherent in the ice and the contrast between the speed of civilization and the slowness and apparent timelessness of this natural space at the end of the world,” says Fritsch. This gave rise to the idea for a special room on the ice, away from the station. As a result of many discussions between the artist and the natural scientists, a dialogue developed between art and science that Fritsch wanted to continue. Based on these experiences, with the place in mind, Fritsch developed the idea of ​​the library in the ice back in 1994.

The library container was built with the support of the Alfred Wegener Institute and brought to the Antarctic on the German research ship Polarstern in the winter of 2003/04 . In the winter of 2004/05, Lutz Fritsch built the library in Antarctica and put the books on hold. On January 19, 2005, the library in the ice was inaugurated on the occasion of the anniversary year "25 years of the Alfred Wegener Institute" in the Bremen town hall.

construction

Outside

The library is housed in a specially insulated 20-foot container , the outer walls of which are each painted a different shade of green, as green is the color that scientists living in the ice completely lack. The floor and roof of the library are painted bright red. The “Library in the Ice” thus forms a point of reference from afar.

Inside

The interior of the library consists of two rooms, a small anteroom with cloakroom and shelf and the actual reading room with window. It is a heated room, carpeted, furnished with cherry wood shelves and a leather sofa with pillows. The walls are covered with fabric and there is a desk with an armchair in front of the window. Indirect light illuminates the books on the shelves, various light sources and reading lamps can be individually adjusted.

purpose

The building on the ice is intended to be a place of retreat, a space for contemplation , the peace and quiet to reflect on being in the Antarctic, on nature and civilization and on dealing with space and the environment . The work of art is not just a container on the ice, but a real usable library with 1000 books that were donated by artists and scientists from all disciplines. Each donor wrote his name and a short comment at the front of the book.

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