Hi there!

We have often been asked why there is an open space in the middle between all participants on group pictures from our work at Spitsbergen? The answer is simple, it is the symbolic place we left to honour the person who inspired us to undertake the work – Anton Rolandsson Martin – one of the chosen few so-called Linnaeus Apostles.

He was one of the first scientific naturalists who travelled to and described parts of Spitsbergen. His journal, drawings and linked correspondence have laid the basis for The IK Foundation’s extensive modern and interdisciplinary fieldwork, within the enterprise project Bridge Builder Expeditions Spitsbergen during the years 2016-2020.

Tens of thousands of man-hours have been spent by over 100 involved individuals from a large number of countries! An innovative autonomous Field Station ”Martin’s Eye” has been established, which over one whole year documented pure wilderness in the landscape – Forlandsøyane and Forlandsletta – that Anton Rolandsson Martin and his shipmates from the ship de Visser visited in July 1758.

When you read this at the end of May 2020, the final fieldwork within the project will be underway to document, measure the landscape and, not least, dismantle the unique FIELD STATION | NATURAE OBSERVATIO | MARTIN'S EYE and without any trace return the square footage of land on which the station stood. This the final fieldwork was described in iMessenger | We are sailing...

So "Who's the man in the middle?" was and still is a source of inspiration for new knowledge and new ideas. Anton Rolandsson Martin was about thirty years old when he travelled to Spitsbergen he was poorly dressed, frozen and suffered from seasickness most of the time. His sacrifices shall not be forgotten!

THE WORK NOW CONTINUES to analyse all collected data, making it freely available under a Creative Commons license. New Arctic projects are already starting up to continue in the spirit now established by our work. But mainly IK will concentrate its resources within the project to gather the knowledge that has arisen and present it in an upcoming interdisciplinary monograph in the prestigious series Mundus Linnæi – an extensive work in folio format, foldouts, newly written texts – a monumental reference work entitled NATURAE OBSERVATIO SPITSBERGEN – Science Expeditions.

The monograph is planned to be published in 2022 along with multi media ventures and an exhibition – updates to this international publicise project will be presented in 2020, so watch this space to stay informed!