I went to a little-known art school in
the southern hemisphere a place where
you learn from the ecosystem solitude
and vast silence I learned from the
creatures that live there the winds and
the currents and how they shaped their
surrounding environment mostly I learned
from ancient ten thousand year old
teachers whose voices are but a
crackling murmur though their stories
are visually alive and changing every
day for nearly a decade
I’ve voyage to the icy shores with these
frozen Giants bearing witness to the
monolithic towers curvaceous caverns and
massive tabular icebergs has changed my
perspective on what is large textured
colorized soft and awe-inspiring large
is no longer a streetlamp a bus or a
home but rather an iceberg that’s ten
stories tall texture is no longer a
textile in one’s kitchen and soft not
the feel of a new towel on the skin but
the weather-beaten ripples on the
exposed walls of a nice face what I know
now is that Antarctica slowly changes
you at her pace a glacial pace when we
set sail from the southern shores of
Argentina we trade in digital
stimulation for evening chats our urban
street wear for waterproof outerwear we
trade in our cars for inflatable boats
and our communities for curious
like-minded travelers seeking new
avenues of exploration both within
themselves and in their surrounding
environments I came to the ISIS of bushy
bearded Alaskan taut backcountry kayak
guide much to my delight I was invited
to voyage to the south to test my
boatsman ship wits and charisma I began
to unwind from the stimulation and
hustle bustle of daily urban living I
recall the beginnings of a sea change
occurring within me a sea change is
described by sailors who cross the
oceans as a period when time no longer
exists when you follow the horizon
during the day
the stars at night and the ocean swells
engulf your reality nothing else matters
except the very path to you traveling
though Antarctica is known for her wild
forces many of my memories are of awe
for her kind demeanor I vividly remember
kayaking through a region known as the
Aurora channel I can still feel the
frigid waters watching over my hands
King and my awareness to the current I
here distant rumbles of calving glaciers
training my gaze for the residual wave
of a calving glacier or a closing field
of sea ice we paddled into view of a
large iceberg about three storeys tall
the size of a large home perfectly pure
wedding and its salty brine this
seemingly impossible elegance this
beauty moved me noting away hurt melting
away doubt worlds away at my first
festival experience I recall a similar
wonderment growing within me I
volunteered with a crew of v of 15
builders to two to build two gigantic
forms pushing the means of traditional
architecture we worked around the clock
for two and a half months to build two
gigantic forms one was circular and
inviting with its bamboo wave walls and
a sculpted clay surfaces truly feminine
and form the other was a rigid tension
based architecture with large bamboo
bamboo columns steel cable and rigging
it was here that I continued to hone my
strengths as a leader drawing from what
I knew of carpentry and fabrication
coupling this with my experiences in the
ice and rapidly absorbing new techniques
guided by artistic vision and
camaraderie I was inspired by what we
created there at boom festival and began
to dream of what works I would bring to
fruition fast forward to my first
large-scale work of art it started very
small it literally fit in the palm of my
hands and grew to be a touring
installation that would in a
thousands of people to climb on these
fabricated forms there was meant as a
place of engagement where you could meet
someone new and share a common interest
from a young age I learned of beauty and
Composition from my mother as she’s a
florist these structures liliom gigant
hram were inspired by her gentle touch
healing at thus enorme grew from my
desire to want to push my own boundaries
in capacity and learn from a structure
whose lines in form could teach me more
about the natural world the complex
Fibonacci and geometry and the proud
stature of a sunflower inspired me of
what I reminded me of what I see in
myself is influenced by my carpenter
father an early piece and one of my
all-time favorites is a life-sized
humpback whale as tribute to one of my
mentors and ship captains in the ice
captain sazonov who took me closer to
these oceanic beauties than I’d ever
been this piece was made in eight days
of all and of entirely upcycled
materials from start to finish running
tap is a compilation of materials
repurposed from the Santa Barbara oil
industry to speak to climate change and
the diminishing ancient glacial ice the
soul stage is a large larger
collaboration built with designers and
projection artists doubler Studios
prompted by the surrounding jungle
environment in which we installed in
this proscenium measures 120 feet wide
by 40 feet tall the greatest common
element to the success of all of these
installations is the crews that built
them from the very beginnings of
creating big art I knew that teamwork
was key and I founded alchemy Arts
Collective as a platform for new works
to come to fruition supported by artists
of diverse talents teams formed fast
bonds on polar expeditions as do build
crews on large art installations the
common theme severe conditions what’s
the risk in making a giant flower or
large-scale shade environment well
there’s a chance that the material will
being too weak to bear its application
if someone underestimates a wind load
and the lash they secure on a material
or a rope on a sail the structure is
then compromised if we miss an internal
electrical connection we then have to
precariously crane off the entire half
of a 25-foot tall sculpture to get a
single strand of Lights operating in the
ice we have a smaller margin of error
due to rapidly changing weather
conditions small things may occur but
it’s the big ones that worry me there’s
a great force that has been both
opponent and teacher ally and friend
across the worlds from Antarctica to the
many lands where I’ve created big art
the wind these great exhales that can
change from 20 knots to 45 knots making
a reboard of the vessel unsafe can
change their their direction and force
at any moment being ever prepared for
the possibility of sudden change has
made me pay more attention to the
elements a year ago January while
voyaging around the sub-antarctic
islands of South Georgia we faced
back-to-back days of extreme weather on
one occasion we departed the vessel and
reasonable 20-knot winds and returned an
hour later in gusts upwards of 50 knots
pushing the ultimate edge of our
operation the following day while on
shore at fortuna bay the guests were
enjoying views of thousands of king
penguins and what appeared to be a
placid weather day but from the moment I
stepped on shore my instincts were
piqued I knew very well what the task
would be ahead
loading boats and heavy and heavy surf
the challenge with this is normally the
challenges with this are numerous as the
zodiac approaches shore we then have to
turn the boat and pull it up backwards
to keep the surf from dumping in if it’s
not piloted correctly when the driver
approaches shore there
chance the boat may flip when going
broadside to the waves or worse pitch
someone out in a crashing surf or trap
someone under the boat in hindsight it’s
easy to see what could have been done
differently
we made haste to move as many passengers
home as possible as quickly as we could
on the second-to-last load of passengers
the second largest surf of the day
rolled in buckling my knees pulling me
under the zodiac under the feet of the
person behind me
I came up rapidly my heart was beating
against my chest I quickly resumed my
place in the operations and we continued
to load our boat sending passengers home
we pushed that boat off and loaded
another and with our continued
confidence we loaded another boat the
staff boat in our last of the morning at
this place I’d misplaced the repetition
of the wave sets and feverishly loaded
in my crew wanting badly to get beyond
the break and into calmer waters we
pushed off and one by one we left into
the boat when the waves when the surf
got up to my ribs
I pulled myself into the vessel and I
stood at the bow clenching and perimeter
lines in preparation of breaking water I
looked up and to my surprise a wall of
ice-cold water was approaching in the
crack of an instance the largest wave of
the day broke over the bow and scattered
the eight of us in the zodiac up shore
crews were struggling on shore stumbling
in the surf one person was desperately
grasping at the air needing help to
safety in my nine years of antarctic
operations I feel as though I have a
relationship with this place I look and
listen carefully always to pay attention
always to respect her boundaries in this
moment I was reminded of the vigilant
awareness the wilds require of us we
bailed out our now entirely sea filled
vessel on shore
we reset the fuel line and the tanks and
preps the out warden my body aches as we
held on to the perimeter lines of this
vessel our life raft with all the
dedication we had left against a greedy
serf I queued into the wave sets once
again the waves showed us a break and I
called the start we pushed off and in
sequence we left into the vessel we were
heading home that moment still gets me
these mandalas and designs this stage
set as a joining of mixed-media
materials
inspired from alchemical symbols and
maritime tradition they are a tribute to
the worlds in which I come from from
sailing on the Southern Oceans there are
many individuals who make leadership
their art we often think of Sir Ernest
Shackleton Frank wild Amundsen and Scott
while on the southern seas all of which
wrote history while exploring during the
Heroic Age of Exploration inspired by
these great leaders it’s my goal each
day to lead with honesty respect my
crews and inspire them to try their best
I’ve had the honor to lead alongside
great captains and fellow expedition
leaders and have come to see them all as
artists in their own right I’ve come to
see the winds the ice and the sea as
artistic forces keepers of an artful
balance I’m one of many visitors to this
place meant for the wilds one of the
many few who have chosen to test my
abilities and instincts and some of the
harshest conditions known to man I’ve
been utterly changed by the great white
continent Antarctica it’s from you that
I’ve learned of life’s great adventure
it’s from you
that I’ve learned of authenticity of
balance of beauty it’s from you that
I’ve learned of the power of color and
light of contrast seeing true elegance
and learned what endurance truly means
thank you
[Applause]
the southern hemisphere a place where
you learn from the ecosystem solitude
and vast silence I learned from the
creatures that live there the winds and
the currents and how they shaped their
surrounding environment mostly I learned
from ancient ten thousand year old
teachers whose voices are but a
crackling murmur though their stories
are visually alive and changing every
day for nearly a decade
I’ve voyage to the icy shores with these
frozen Giants bearing witness to the
monolithic towers curvaceous caverns and
massive tabular icebergs has changed my
perspective on what is large textured
colorized soft and awe-inspiring large
is no longer a streetlamp a bus or a
home but rather an iceberg that’s ten
stories tall texture is no longer a
textile in one’s kitchen and soft not
the feel of a new towel on the skin but
the weather-beaten ripples on the
exposed walls of a nice face what I know
now is that Antarctica slowly changes
you at her pace a glacial pace when we
set sail from the southern shores of
Argentina we trade in digital
stimulation for evening chats our urban
street wear for waterproof outerwear we
trade in our cars for inflatable boats
and our communities for curious
like-minded travelers seeking new
avenues of exploration both within
themselves and in their surrounding
environments I came to the ISIS of bushy
bearded Alaskan taut backcountry kayak
guide much to my delight I was invited
to voyage to the south to test my
boatsman ship wits and charisma I began
to unwind from the stimulation and
hustle bustle of daily urban living I
recall the beginnings of a sea change
occurring within me a sea change is
described by sailors who cross the
oceans as a period when time no longer
exists when you follow the horizon
during the day
the stars at night and the ocean swells
engulf your reality nothing else matters
except the very path to you traveling
though Antarctica is known for her wild
forces many of my memories are of awe
for her kind demeanor I vividly remember
kayaking through a region known as the
Aurora channel I can still feel the
frigid waters watching over my hands
King and my awareness to the current I
here distant rumbles of calving glaciers
training my gaze for the residual wave
of a calving glacier or a closing field
of sea ice we paddled into view of a
large iceberg about three storeys tall
the size of a large home perfectly pure
wedding and its salty brine this
seemingly impossible elegance this
beauty moved me noting away hurt melting
away doubt worlds away at my first
festival experience I recall a similar
wonderment growing within me I
volunteered with a crew of v of 15
builders to two to build two gigantic
forms pushing the means of traditional
architecture we worked around the clock
for two and a half months to build two
gigantic forms one was circular and
inviting with its bamboo wave walls and
a sculpted clay surfaces truly feminine
and form the other was a rigid tension
based architecture with large bamboo
bamboo columns steel cable and rigging
it was here that I continued to hone my
strengths as a leader drawing from what
I knew of carpentry and fabrication
coupling this with my experiences in the
ice and rapidly absorbing new techniques
guided by artistic vision and
camaraderie I was inspired by what we
created there at boom festival and began
to dream of what works I would bring to
fruition fast forward to my first
large-scale work of art it started very
small it literally fit in the palm of my
hands and grew to be a touring
installation that would in a
thousands of people to climb on these
fabricated forms there was meant as a
place of engagement where you could meet
someone new and share a common interest
from a young age I learned of beauty and
Composition from my mother as she’s a
florist these structures liliom gigant
hram were inspired by her gentle touch
healing at thus enorme grew from my
desire to want to push my own boundaries
in capacity and learn from a structure
whose lines in form could teach me more
about the natural world the complex
Fibonacci and geometry and the proud
stature of a sunflower inspired me of
what I reminded me of what I see in
myself is influenced by my carpenter
father an early piece and one of my
all-time favorites is a life-sized
humpback whale as tribute to one of my
mentors and ship captains in the ice
captain sazonov who took me closer to
these oceanic beauties than I’d ever
been this piece was made in eight days
of all and of entirely upcycled
materials from start to finish running
tap is a compilation of materials
repurposed from the Santa Barbara oil
industry to speak to climate change and
the diminishing ancient glacial ice the
soul stage is a large larger
collaboration built with designers and
projection artists doubler Studios
prompted by the surrounding jungle
environment in which we installed in
this proscenium measures 120 feet wide
by 40 feet tall the greatest common
element to the success of all of these
installations is the crews that built
them from the very beginnings of
creating big art I knew that teamwork
was key and I founded alchemy Arts
Collective as a platform for new works
to come to fruition supported by artists
of diverse talents teams formed fast
bonds on polar expeditions as do build
crews on large art installations the
common theme severe conditions what’s
the risk in making a giant flower or
large-scale shade environment well
there’s a chance that the material will
being too weak to bear its application
if someone underestimates a wind load
and the lash they secure on a material
or a rope on a sail the structure is
then compromised if we miss an internal
electrical connection we then have to
precariously crane off the entire half
of a 25-foot tall sculpture to get a
single strand of Lights operating in the
ice we have a smaller margin of error
due to rapidly changing weather
conditions small things may occur but
it’s the big ones that worry me there’s
a great force that has been both
opponent and teacher ally and friend
across the worlds from Antarctica to the
many lands where I’ve created big art
the wind these great exhales that can
change from 20 knots to 45 knots making
a reboard of the vessel unsafe can
change their their direction and force
at any moment being ever prepared for
the possibility of sudden change has
made me pay more attention to the
elements a year ago January while
voyaging around the sub-antarctic
islands of South Georgia we faced
back-to-back days of extreme weather on
one occasion we departed the vessel and
reasonable 20-knot winds and returned an
hour later in gusts upwards of 50 knots
pushing the ultimate edge of our
operation the following day while on
shore at fortuna bay the guests were
enjoying views of thousands of king
penguins and what appeared to be a
placid weather day but from the moment I
stepped on shore my instincts were
piqued I knew very well what the task
would be ahead
loading boats and heavy and heavy surf
the challenge with this is normally the
challenges with this are numerous as the
zodiac approaches shore we then have to
turn the boat and pull it up backwards
to keep the surf from dumping in if it’s
not piloted correctly when the driver
approaches shore there
chance the boat may flip when going
broadside to the waves or worse pitch
someone out in a crashing surf or trap
someone under the boat in hindsight it’s
easy to see what could have been done
differently
we made haste to move as many passengers
home as possible as quickly as we could
on the second-to-last load of passengers
the second largest surf of the day
rolled in buckling my knees pulling me
under the zodiac under the feet of the
person behind me
I came up rapidly my heart was beating
against my chest I quickly resumed my
place in the operations and we continued
to load our boat sending passengers home
we pushed that boat off and loaded
another and with our continued
confidence we loaded another boat the
staff boat in our last of the morning at
this place I’d misplaced the repetition
of the wave sets and feverishly loaded
in my crew wanting badly to get beyond
the break and into calmer waters we
pushed off and one by one we left into
the boat when the waves when the surf
got up to my ribs
I pulled myself into the vessel and I
stood at the bow clenching and perimeter
lines in preparation of breaking water I
looked up and to my surprise a wall of
ice-cold water was approaching in the
crack of an instance the largest wave of
the day broke over the bow and scattered
the eight of us in the zodiac up shore
crews were struggling on shore stumbling
in the surf one person was desperately
grasping at the air needing help to
safety in my nine years of antarctic
operations I feel as though I have a
relationship with this place I look and
listen carefully always to pay attention
always to respect her boundaries in this
moment I was reminded of the vigilant
awareness the wilds require of us we
bailed out our now entirely sea filled
vessel on shore
we reset the fuel line and the tanks and
preps the out warden my body aches as we
held on to the perimeter lines of this
vessel our life raft with all the
dedication we had left against a greedy
serf I queued into the wave sets once
again the waves showed us a break and I
called the start we pushed off and in
sequence we left into the vessel we were
heading home that moment still gets me
these mandalas and designs this stage
set as a joining of mixed-media
materials
inspired from alchemical symbols and
maritime tradition they are a tribute to
the worlds in which I come from from
sailing on the Southern Oceans there are
many individuals who make leadership
their art we often think of Sir Ernest
Shackleton Frank wild Amundsen and Scott
while on the southern seas all of which
wrote history while exploring during the
Heroic Age of Exploration inspired by
these great leaders it’s my goal each
day to lead with honesty respect my
crews and inspire them to try their best
I’ve had the honor to lead alongside
great captains and fellow expedition
leaders and have come to see them all as
artists in their own right I’ve come to
see the winds the ice and the sea as
artistic forces keepers of an artful
balance I’m one of many visitors to this
place meant for the wilds one of the
many few who have chosen to test my
abilities and instincts and some of the
harshest conditions known to man I’ve
been utterly changed by the great white
continent Antarctica it’s from you that
I’ve learned of life’s great adventure
it’s from you
that I’ve learned of authenticity of
balance of beauty it’s from you that
I’ve learned of the power of color and
light of contrast seeing true elegance
and learned what endurance truly means
thank you
[Applause]
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