Discover more about Antarctica with this virtual festival that celebrates frozen continent and considers its future.
Georgina Wilson-Powell
Sun 24 Jan 2021
Starting on Mon 25th Jan for seven days, Antarctica NOW, is the first virtual festival to celebrate Antarctica, brought to you at home by British Expedition Apparel brand Shackleton.
Curated by writer and editor Rachel Halliburton (Avaunt Magazine), the festival brings together some of the most exciting and significant voices in the Antarctic community, including explorers, geopoliticians, scientists from the European Space Agency, cartographers and prize-winning photographers, to investigate and raise awareness of the most urgent and critical issues threatening the frozen continent.
In a year, when all travel seems beyond reach, join this virtual week long sessions to discover ‘Why does Antarctica matter to all of us?’
Image Antartica is changing and it will affect all life on earth
Antarctica has captured the imagination of scientists, artists and explorers for centuries, but it is under threat from the Climate Emergency and what happens to our frozen seventh continent will affect us all. We need to understand what's happening to the coldest place on earth - and how quickly change is happening.
Over the next week, Shackleton, has put together a wide ranging programme on topics such as:
● What’s left for Antarctic explorers? Who gets to decide who goes?
● How fast are the ice shelves melting?
● What’s the link between Antarctica and space research?
● What can the ice tell us about the past - and the future?
With experts such as
- Mark Drinkwater, Head, Earth and Mission Science Division at the European Space Agency
- Sebastian Copeland, Photographer, filmmaker, explorer & philanthropist
- Lizzie Daly, Biologist & wildlife broadcaster
- Steve Jones, Expedition Manager at Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions - Gatekeeper to Antarctica
- Louis Rudd MBE, Record-breaking polar explorer & SAS Soldier
Image How much do you know about Antartica?
“Antarctica is our spiritual home - it’s where Sir Ernest Shackleton made his name as a polar explorer over a century ago and where our expedition-grade apparel is tested and used today. Like me, anyone who’s seen Antarctica first-hand feels compelled to protect it” says Shackleton co-founder Martin Brooks.
"The aim of the festival is to raise awareness of the critical issues surrounding Antarctica, and how these impact all of us across the globe. As Shackleton said himself, ‘It's in our nature to explore, to reach out into the unknown. The only true failure would be not to explore at all,’ We invite everyone to explore what makes Antarctica both critical and wonderfully compelling."
Join them and more every evening across the week for a live broadcast evening, as well as a host of other interviews, briefings, writing, photographic essays and a discussion forum available via Shackleton’s website and social media channels.
The Best Antarctica Cruise To See The Total Solar Eclipse This Year
