This dark season, Artica Svalbard is proud to announce the return of our Lantern Lectures series — and this year, we’re delighted to partner with Svalbard Museum to co-host the programme. Together, we’re reviving an old Arctic tradition of storytelling and community reflection, inspired by the 19th-century magic lantern lectures, which once brought people together to share knowledge through projected images, spoken word, and discussion.

In today’s Svalbard, where change is rapid and felt in daily life, Lantern Lectures offers a platform for people to pause, gather, and consider what matters most in our region. Through five talks — spanning climate science, youth perspectives, Arctic history, and heritage — this season’s series brings together local voices and visiting experts to reflect on the past, present, and future of life in the High North.

All talks will take place from 18:00–19:00, and recordings will be made available online after the events.

2025–26 Lantern Lectures Programme

Hvorfor “gråter” Svalbard? Klimaforandringer og deres menneskelige konsekvenser på Svalbard

Ine-Therese Pedersen, statsmeteorolog, reflekterer over hvordan et varmere klima endrer hverdagslivet på Svalbard.

🗓 13 November 2025 — 18:00–19:00

📍 Svalbard Museum

🗣 Foredraget holdes på norsk

Léonide d’Aunet: A Parisienne’s Journey to Spitsbergen, 1839

Anna Lena Ekeblad, Arctic guide and history enthusiast, shares the remarkable story of Léonide d’Aunet — a young Parisienne whose daring voyage to Spitsbergen challenged the norms of her time.

🗓 20 November 2025 — 18:00–19:00

📍 Artica Svalbard

🗣 Presented in English

Goodbye to Heritage: Svalbard’s Past Beyond Conservation

Anatolijs Venovcevs, researcher in historical archaeology at Svalbard Museum, explores how Svalbard can pioneer new, creative approaches to heritage management in an age of inevitable environmental change.

🗓 11 December 2025 — 18:00–19:00

📍 Svalbard Museum
🗣 Presented in English

Mitt arktiske hjem: Å vokse opp og heve stemmen på Svalbard

Embla Abild, leder for Longyearbyen Ungdomsråd, deler sine refleksjoner om hvordan det å vokse opp i verdens nordligste by har formet hennes politiske stemme og engasjement for å bevare Svalbards åpne og inkluderende samfunn.

🗓 16 December 2025

📍 Artica Svalbard

🗣 Foredraget holdes på norsk

Creeping Risks of the Arctic: How Svalbard Science Can Help Us to See, Understand and Adapt

Gijs Breedveld, Head of the Department of Arctic Technology and Research Leader at UNIS, asks: is the Arctic becoming a sensor for global risks? He explores how science in Svalbard can help us understand and respond to emerging environmental challenges.

🗓 12 January 2026

📍 Svalbard Museum
🗣 Presented in English

Join us as we bring light to the dark season — and spark meaningful conversations about where we are, where we’ve been, and where we might be going!

The series is made possible with the kind support of:

Lantern Lectures Return: Sharing Stories and Ideas in the Arctic Dark