‘Vanishing Ice’ chronicles the virtue and frailty of our frozen frontiers

After wowing us with the ecologically charged aerial landscapes of Edward Burtynsky, the David Brower Center in Berkeley, California is back with another evocative exhibit that challenges people to think critically about the state of the planet.

In “Vanishing Ice: Alpine and Polar Landscapes in Art 1775-2012,” viewers are invited to the see the “frozen frontiers” of our world through the eyes of artists, writers and naturalists who have been inspired by not only the sublime majesty of ice, but also the fragility of such a substance in our current day and age.

“Losing these landscapes would be a loss not only to the planet and its wildlife, but also a major loss to culture,” says Dr. Barbara Matilsky, the curator behind the multimedia exhibit.

Matilsky hopes this collection of work, which premiered at the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, Washington in 2014, will demonstrate the connection between historical and contemporary artists and their mutual respect and concern for these icy landscapes.

Historical artists include early 20th century photographer Herbert G. Ponting, who captured the photo above in 1911 as part of Robert Falcon Scott’s famous Terra Nova Expedition to the South Pole. The featured contemporary artists pack a similarly strong punch. Lita Albuquerque, who is known for her environmentally themed installations, is the creative brain behind “Stellar Axis,” a piece that involves 99 blue spheres aligned with the stars on a snowy, desolate plain in Antarctica:

If you’d like to witness these remarkable works in person, the exhibition runs through May 11, with supporting events ranging from film screenings to lectures interspersed between. In the meantime, continue below for more of the featured works, and learn more about the collection on the David Brower Center website.

(original article)