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Today the Aurora Australis resumed the same time zone as Hobart (AEST), another reminder that we're now not far from our arrival home. The single four-hour shift from Davis Station to Hobart time was made to provide a smoother transition for the last remaining days of the voyage (versus multiple time shifts of an hour, every two days), and to make communications easier with the Division and P&O Maritime support teams in Hobart in the lead up to our arrival.
Yesterday evening, one of the recipients of the Australian Antarctic Division's 2017/18 Arts Fellowships Mr Martin Walch provided a presentation in the vessel's D-Deck cinema on some of the work he'd undertaken since joining the Australian program on the ingoing voyage earlier in the season (V1), as well as at the primary location of his fellowship Mawson Station. Mr Walsh is an accomplished photographer, who's employed still and time-lapse photographic techniques to create a number of artistic products showcasing the Antarctic environment, operations and the people who live and work in remote and often inhospitable locations in the pursuit or support, of Antarctic science.
Each year, the Australian Antarctic Division offers a number of fellowship opportunities to talented individuals across a wide range of artistic disciplines and genres. Some of the artists who've undertaken fellowships to date have included those interested in creating works through the visual mediums of oil, watercolour, sculpture and photography / film, poets, musicians and authors amongst others. Both the Australian and New Zealand Antarctic programs offer similar arts fellowship programs, recognising the important role that art plays in 'telling the story' of Antarctica - and raising awareness amongst the broader Australian and global communities of the significance of programs which seek to protect the Antarctic continent, its adjacent seas and its wildlife for peaceful exploration and scientific study.
Many Australians would likely be unfamiliar with the extent of the Australian Antarctic territories (and those of the sub-Antarctic Macquarie, Heard and McDonald Islands), or that the Australian Government's Antarctic Division (a division of the Department of the Environment and Energy) administers activities year-round across these vast landscapes together representing almost a third of the Antarctic continent. Australia's only active volcano 'Big Ben' (and its adjoining peaks rising to around 2,700 metres above sea level) resides on Heard Island, some 4,000 miles or 5,300 miles from Fremantle and Hobart respectively.
Artists such as Martin are provided with the necessary logistic support through the fellowship to observe both the Australian Antarctic program's seasonal operations, the diverse range of scientific analysis being undertaken – and of course the stunning, isolated and unique Antarctic environment. Further details on these fellowships can be found through visiting the Australian Antarctic Division's website.
Cheers
Mark & Fred
Map
A map showing Australia and Antarctica. The map shows the journey of one voyage that has occured in the season, with each route highlighted in a distinct colour.