ON SCREEN
What: Antarctica: Life Emerging
Where: https://only.one/pages/lifeemerging
When: June 7, 4 p.m.
Admission: Free (participants must pre-register)
A multi-media collaboration built around the imagery of Nanoose Bay photographer Paul Nicklen was never going to an under-the-radar proposition, given his reputation as one of the best photographers in existence. But anticipation over his forthcoming short film, Antarctica: Life Emerging, has reached a fever-pitch in recent months, which has to be considered a welcome surprise to all involved.
Antarctica: Life Emerging is primed to make a big splash Monday when Nicklen’s film has its world premiere online, followed by a discussion with Nicklen that is hosted by journalist Katie Couric. Pioneering cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who is a guest soloist on the project, and Marcus Goddard, the Victoria Symphony’s composer-in-residence, who composed the score to Antarctica: Life Emerging, will also appear as guests during the free hour-long digital event.
Many others also played key roles in the project, including some of whom have strong ties to Victoria.
Aventa Ensemble, led by Victoria Symphony principal timpanist Bill Linwood, co-commissioned the music with assistance from the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Goddard, now with the Vancouver Symphony, assembled a team of 40 artists from 18 orchestras around the world to complete the musical component, which was mastered and engineered by University of Victoria music technology professor Kirk McNally.
Due to to the health protocols in place, the music recorded in Victoria by Linwood (percussion) and Aventa Ensemble members AK Coope (clarinet), Mark McGregor (flute), and Darnell Linwood (horn) had to be done remotely, according to Linwood. “All these little bits and pieces would end up with Kirk, and he would taken them and match the acoustics of everyone’s kitchen. Darnell [Linwood] recorded her horn in our kitchen. I did my percussion from my office at the University of Victoria. Mark [McGregor] and and AK [Coope] did theirs in their kitchen too, I believe — and Kirk made all those kitchens sounds the same.”
The grass roots approach to the music matched the motivation behind the images shot by Nicklen and his partner, fellow National Geographic photographer Cristina Mittermeier, during their photographic expeditions in Antarctica. The event set for Monday will be streamed on the Only One platform, which was co-developed by SeaLegacy, the ocean conservation organization run by Nicklen and Mittermeier. The purpose of the film and digital screening is to safeguard Antarctica and bring awareness to its surrounding protected areas, according to the Only One website.
Nicklen — he of the 6.9 million Instagram followers — has said he considers his role to be that of a “conservation storyteller,” and has elevated his art to elite levels in recent years (one of his shots of Antarctica was used as the cover to Pearl Jam’s latest album, Gigaton). The Order of Canada recipient and member of the International Photography Hall of Fame is putting his platform to good use, and Linwood was honored to join the fight on Nicklen’s behalf. He even rose to the occasion with a new set of sounds for the project.
”I took a small crotale cymbal and put it upside down on a timpani [drum] head, and then I bowed it,” Linwood said with a laugh. “So what you’ve got is the sound of a whale sliding through the ocean. This whole project was like that. It was very cool. And it is all about Paul’s vision.”
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