Spring hike to Sarkofagen with current residents

Last week, Residency Coordinator Sally Hovelsø led current residents Celine Charveriat, Audun Aagre, Soghra Khurasani, Jennifer Redfearn, and Tim Metzger on a hike to Sarkofagen, one of the mountains overlooking Longyearbyen and Adventdalen. Under clear skies and unusually warm spring conditions, the group travelled across the snow-covered landscape, taking in expansive views across the fjord, surrounding glaciers, and the settlement below.

For many residents, spending time in the landscape forms an important part of the residency experience on Svalbard. Beyond the studio and workshop spaces, these shared excursions offer an opportunity to encounter the environment directly, while opening conversations around place, geology, climate and the social realities of living in the High Arctic.

The group included artists, filmmakers, and researchers working across a wide range of disciplines and themes — from sustainability and systems change to documentary filmmaking, visual art, and questions of memory, identity, and environmental transformation. The hike provided both a moment of pause within busy research periods and a chance to experience the scale and atmosphere of Svalbard beyond Longyearbyen itself.