Overview exhibition Marie de La Ville Baugé

Polar Triptyque, the future world drawn by the last mammouth

embroidered bed sheets with the Arctic Explorer's dreams

maps of the abandonned meteo stations of the De Long Islands

maps of the depth of the East Siberian sea, De Long Archipelago

abandonned meteo Stations, Zhurov island, De Long Archipelago

Zhurov Island, the lost meteo station, De Long Archipelago

Bed room of Zhokhov Island, De Long Island

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ARE YOU SLEEPING OR DRUNK?

INSTALLATION

"In the eyes of people, we do not see what they saw, we see what they will see." Novecento 1900, Alessandro Baricco.

I went to explore the De Long Island archipelago of the East Siberian Sea. On Henriette's island, which is affected by global warming, permafrost collapsed under my feet, I fell... I wake up in a cave. It is of a young mammoth (3500 years old), that scientists from all around the world seek the trace. I have been living with him for weeks, months, years, I’ve lost track of time.

The ice age passed, and the sea invaded the surrounding lands. This mammoth never knew how to swim and was never able to reach the continental coasts. He has been living on his own, on this lost stone surrounded by water. In the polar nights, the mammoth often went out of his den to scout around the Russian weather station, refining his plan to capture meteorologists he was seeking the company of. He stole many bedsheets that he considers as dream catchers of explorers. In the 60s, a drama between two meteorologists led to the closure of the weather station. One of them found himself alone and begun to develop extraordinary listening skills, very useful during the cold war. He is a Russian mammoth, romantic, nostalgic and a heavy drinker. He recorded what he was able to capture with his big ears.

PAX ARCTICA EXPEDITION BACK FROM THE ARCTIC – FIRST IMPRESSIONS: In the extreme North of the Russian Arctic… where polar bears have never seen man… where mammoths once roamed the land… a group of adventurers, scientists, free divers – and yes, artists! – rediscover pristine, historical islands in the East Siberian Sea. Inspired by George De Long’s 1879-81 Jeannette Expedition, polar-region veterans and newcomers from Russia, France and the US explore and create in this grandiose environment. United by a passion for the Arctic, they experience ‘World First’ discoveries… absorb the fragility of this highly endangered ecosystem while advancing our understanding and appreciation of these virtually inaccessible expanses. ARKTIKA INCOGNITA, a film by Bertrand Delapierre, produced by Sagax Entertainment, based on an original idea by Luc Hardy… to be released in early 2018. https://vimeo.com/237588193 http://www.paxarctica.org/russian-arctic-2017/ #paxarctica. With the support of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation (www.fpa2.org)