As soon as I saw Linden, I knew it was not a “thing” but a person. It was a deep night, in Tromsø harbour, and the snow was falling heavily. A deep night, one of the last ones before the midnight sun. He appeared like a prince in the black, deep, snowy polar night.

Forty-two tabs and counting. I’m a fan of the tab. I use the browser like a notepad, right-clicking and pinning ideas, references, images and articles - anything that piques my interest that I might return to later. But, like most avid ‘tabbers’, I leave most of these windows dormant, in anticipation of opening, at least until the browser crashes and clears the cache, forcing a desktop reset.

I first thought my stay on Svalbard would mostly be a writing retreat, but soon realised that fieldwork was the way to go. I was writing about birds and arrived in early July when breeding season was at its peak and bird activity was ceaseless under the midnight sun. Through summer into fall, I followed several pairs as they incubated eggs, raised chicks, protected them from predators, and finally migrated southward.

In my mind, the trip first started when I arrived in Kiruna. The flattened landscape, the negative mountains, piles of small stones and goods wagons. I wondered whether Svalbard would present itself as a commodity? Negative whale oil. Coal, cruise ships, and deep-seabed mining. The train passed through Lapland. Then Svalbard is here.

In June 2023 we welcomed Oslo based artist Yamile Calderón, who shares her recommendations of books, music and where to find anything you might need during your stay at Artica.

I came to Longyearbyen together with my family to spend 6 weeks here at Artica. After a bit over a month here I can say that the biggest recommendation, that at least has been right to me/us, has been to come with little expectation of what this place would bring to me/us and what would come out of it artistically.

Dear Svalbard residents (for a long term or for a short term), I am a South Korean artist who studied in Germany with a Norwegian professor. He led me to QSPA (thanks Olav!), and QSPA led me to Artica (thanks QSPA!). I didn't know about Svalbard, my knowledge of the island was about at this level: There are many polar bears and a printing workshop where I will work for one month.

In March 2022 we are pleased to share the below essay written by artist Ingrid Wildi Merino, who joined us from Santiago de Chile. During her stay Ingrid was researching the historical parallels between cultural memory and geological memory, examining the copper industry in the North of Chile and the coal industry on Svalbard, and the reflection on populations in non-places from a historical, cultural, political, economic and social point of view.

In March 2022 resident Lene Therese Teigen shared her recommendations list, including places to visit in Longyearbyen and a book to read, first published in 1854.

ARKIPELAGO (I am sailing) – Landscape and art pioneers in an Arctic drama is a list of recommendation by resident Marianne Solberg who came to Longyearbyen in July 2022.

In November 2021 resident Beate Heide shared a place as her recommendation: Longyearbyen Folkebibliotek, “I quickly discovered the library in Longyearbyen when I arrived. And what an oasis it's been for me!”

Since I came to Longyearbyen, I have been reading The Notebook Trilogy by the Hungarian writer Agota Kristof. She had to leave her country during the failed revolution in the fifties, and fled to Switzerland. There she eventually started writing in French, not her native language, which gives her novels a clear, direct tone. The trilogy tells the story of two young boys, identical twins, that grow up together on the countryside during an unidentified war.

As part of residents recommend, I would like to share some recommendations in music, art, fashion and food. Each day I listen to all kinds of music, from 90’s r&b to punk, but I also think there is a lot of good Sámi music available now, with many exciting musicians.

I wish to dedicate most of my recommendations to the art of listening. To listen, is a quality I highlight as a person and as an artist. I find that the interrelated connection between sound and listening often inspires my relations, senses, and perceptions. Here in Svalbard, to take a simple walk to the seashore, to the ocean and to the river, has been a priority for me to be able to listen, both internally and externally.

During my work days in the printmaking studio I like to listen to podcasts, audiobooks and music. One of my favourite ongoing podcast series is Your Undivided Attention produced by Center for Humane Technology, where they host discussions about different aspects and effects of internet culture.