Shadowing Without a Sunset: Science, Art, and Community Engagement in Svalbard

Over the past four weeks, Artica Svalbard has hosted Dutch artist Floortje Zonneveld and Arctic ecologist Sanne Moedt for the collaborative residency project Shadowing Without a Sunset. Blending scientific research with artistic interpretation, the project invited the local community into a hands-on, creative exploration of Arctic ecosystems.

The residency began with a research-collecting trip to the Netherlands Arctic Station in Ny-Ålesund in summer 2024, where Zonneveld and Moedt gathered scientific materials including microscopy footage, field notes, maps, and expedition documentation. These were later transformed into a three-dimensional, interactive archive installed at Artica Svalbard and used as the foundation for a series of public workshops.

Over 195 participants engaged with the project, including students from Longyearbyen Skole (Grade 6 and the Design/Redesign programme for Grades 8–10), the Svalbard Folkehøgskole Art Group, visitors from UNIS and Hurtigruten, and members of the general public.

Using methods inspired by field scientists, participants explored the archive to create their own zines—self-published booklets combining observation, text, drawing, and personal interpretation. These workshops offered an accessible and tactile approach to Arctic science, encouraging creative experimentation and new forms of storytelling.

Floortje Zonneveld is a long-time Artica collaborator known for her participatory and site-based work. She is also a certified Arctic Nature Guide based in Svalbard. Sanne Moedt is a polar biologist specialising in Arctic freshwater ecosystems and climate change. She previously studied in Ny-Ålesund in 2017–18 and occasionally teaches at UNIS. Shadowing Without a Sunset marks their first public collaboration, following their initial meeting during a Svalbard expedition in 2022.

The project was supported by Sparebankstiftelsen and the Netherlands Arctic Station Ny-Ålesund.