Ice and the Sky Review

The cinema was as desolate as the Antarctic wastes in the film. Apparently, London’s expat French community had already headed home for Christmas. I had come to see the Luc Jacquet’s stunning Ice and the Sky at the French Institute’s Ciné Lumière. The quiet cinema only served to heighten my appreciation of the often lonely figure of Claude Lorius on screen.

COP21 release

This film was released to coincide with COP21, the 2015 United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Paris. The French glaciologist, Claude Lorius spent over 10 years of his life in extreme conditions. He went on 22 polar expeditions between 1957 and 1985.

The film's French name is La Glace et le Ciel 

Lorius at all ages

Ice and Sky tells the story of his life and groundbreaking climate research. It combines old film footage with beautiful shots of Antarctica. We see Claude Lorius as an enthusiastic young adventurer. We see teams of scientists drilling into the ice and carefully packing the ice samples for later analysis. We see staged shots of the reflective old man, now aged 82/3.

Eureka

A scientist’s eureka moment is often mundane. An apple fell on Newton’s head. Hawking got his head stuck in a jumper. For Lorius, it was a piece of Antarctic ice dropped into a glass of whiskey. He realised that the air bubbles released might tell a tale. 

Evidence

So it proved. There was evidence of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Evidence of man’s adverse effect on the planet could even be found in Antarctica’s virgin territory. He went on to sound the alarm on global warming and expose Man’s devastating impact on the world’s climate.

Painstaking accuracy

We hear of the scientist’s concern to record his findings accurately even in the bitterest cold. Removing your gloves to write is a painful experience in Antarctica.

Bitter pill

The old man on screen seemed sad and forlorn. His life’s work has been climatic in more ways than one. He has won prestigious awards for his research. And yet, the call for climate action has been hard. Awards become a bitter pill, if your research is not taken seriously.

Lost voice

In the film, he has no voice. His words are narrated or captured in old footage. A voice taken away as his findings were denied for so many years.

Critics

Film critics have slated Jacquet’s shot of Lorius up to his knees in water as manipulative. People only really understand research implications when they are presented visually. I’m sure those who had to wade through flood waters in Britain this Christmas get the picture.

Retrospective

At the end of 2014, I wrote my ambitious hopes for the world in Climate Change: seeking an impossible solution.  I also wrote about the Paris launch in COP21 World's Last Chance. My impression is that the UN climate talks delivered an agreement that was better than anticipated at this time last year.

Beauty and thought

Ice and Sky is a thought-provoking film. It has certainly provoked my thinking. Its cinematography was perhaps too beautifully French for its serious global message.

Epilogue?

The film deserves an epilogue. We should hear from Claude Lorius on camera, and in his own voice, how he feels about his life’s work following COP21 – and hopefully see him smile.

At the Centre Georges Pompidou

Inside the Centre Georges Pompidou

"Where on earth?" That was my thought when I visited the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris for the first time. I had never seen anything like such architecture before. I still remember how the external pipework and escalators fascinated me as a young teenager.

When I revisited on 21st March, the enormous building still looked very innovative. Its visitor numbers and the very long ticket queues suggest that Beaubourg has retained its power of innovation and popularity.  The contents on the inside took me by surprise this time. 

Jeff Koons' Magenta Balloon Dog

Jeff Koons

I visited the modern art collection of the American Jeff Koons. Although much of it was pleasing to the eye, I am afraid that I found the majority somewhat shallow. I didn't really know what to make of the brightly-coloured and overgrown balloon sculptures. The Incredible Hulk, Popeye, a huge red lobster, etc all left me cold. 

Jeff Koons' exhibition at Centre Georges Pompidou

It all seemed too superficial to me. The explanatory blurbs generally seemed too contrived for my taste. Maybe they was some criticism of the modern commercial world and its fascination with how things look? The gold figures of Michael Jackson and his pet monkey might confirm this.

Hervé Télémaque

I much preferred the artworks in other galleries. For example, the ones that offered some historical comment or reflection on the current state of the world - e.g. racism depicted in the work of French Haitian-born artist Hervé Télémaque. 

Artist as archivist

There was a simple mound of white square blocks in one room. Some bore Arabic script. Some in Latin Script bore simple historical date information. I understood this to be a pile of grievances built up over centuries in the Middle East. The blocks could topple over at any time.

In the corridor outside were the two large works that had the greatest effect upon me. One was a painting. The faces seemed Far Eastern in origin. All were crying out looking at the sky. The colours were very bold - yellow, orange and red. What imminent disaster could they see in the sky? Global warming? A nuclear explosion? Armageddon of some sort? 

On the opposite side, there were shelves full of world globes. Each globe looked very swollen as if nursing large wounds. The wounds were taped over. Over and over again. Pinned to the shelves were pictures of major incidents. They looked Middle Eastern in origin - the scars and after-effects of fires and bombed-out buses. 

The American artist's balloons seem all the more superficial and detached from real life.

 

Karen Andrews runs
Anglicity Ltd. She is a

marketing consultant

with project management, 

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translation skills.

Please do not hesitate to contact Karen for further information on Anglicity's services karen@anglicity.com

Bristol: 2015 European Green Capital

Historically, Bristol has had a flair for innovation. My home city in the West of England has its own unique character and sense of fun. On 4^th May 2014, a hilly, city-centre street was closed to traffic and turned into a giant waterslide. The event was part of the local council’s Make Sundays Special programme. The pictures of Bristolians sliding went viral on social media.  A positive image of the 2015 European Green Capital was broadcast not just locally, or even nationally, but globally.

The potential of a green, traffic-less city received active promotion. This communications success clearly shows that green policies can spread from small, local initiatives. The memory of a great day without traffic will live on in the collective, local memory. Hopefully, other European cities will be inspired to carry out similar ventures.

Global warming concerns

Not all great initiatives have to be disseminated from a nation’s capital city. There is often a greater sense of belonging outside the capital. I have spent my entire working career in London, but my sense of “home” is still firmly rooted in the West Country. The potential consequences of global warming hit me this summer when I saw the flooded Somerset levels. Global warming maps seem to predict that my beloved Somerset may be permanently under water in the future.

Brunel: a great innovator

Bristol has strong historical connections with innovation. The city is closely associated with the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the second most famous Briton. His Clifton Suspension Bridge still stands as the city’s most famous landmark (see above). Brunel is also renowned for the Great Western Railway linking Bristol and London and the steamship SS Great Britain.

Bristol and the New World

Bristol even lays claim to the discovery of America. Christopher Columbus did not land in South America until 1498. Italian-born John Cabot sailed from Bristol to discover Newfoundland and thus North America in 1497. Bristol’s merchants financed his voyage. It has even been claimed that America was named after Richard Amerike.

Nantes sets an example

Bristol has played a great role in British maritime history. The city’s past is not all glorious. It cannot be denied that Bristol grew wealthy as a result of the slave trade. There remains some unease in Bristol as to how to handle this past. The French city of Nantes perhaps showed the way by confronting its role in the slave trade with its Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery. Nantes took the lead as the European Green Capital in 2013. The city won recognition for its leadership in water management and waste recycling.

Bristol setting an example

We Bristolians are immensely proud of our city. Like many of us and many other cities, Bristol has both great and unsavoury elements in its past. Environmental concerns mean that we all need to reform our habits. We can all do our bit. Going green may mean choosing the long-term over short-term option. We may have to select a more expensive energy efficient, environmentally friendly product. We need to make conscious efforts to recycle and walk or cycle instead of taking the car.

Bristol is looking forward to leading the way as Europe’s Green Capital in 2015. Take a look at Bristol's modern digital website revealing plans already under way.

What green initiatives should Bristol take in 2015?