Several chunks of permafrost melt in Leslie Leong’s front yard in Whitehorse. (courtesy of the artist)
Some art projects can be put on hold for a global pandemic. But when you have a 485-pound chunk of permafrost and spring is coming, you need to move quickly. That’s the predicament that Whitehorse artist Leslie Leong faced a few months ago.
In February, when temperatures were below -30 C, she collected the permafrost from the edge of the Arctic Ocean near Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T., with local outfitters James and Lucky Pokiak.
“It was an epic journey,” she recalls. “I hauled it down to Whitehorse in my little truck, planning to melt it in the courtyard of the MacBride Museum as spring came to Yukon.”
But when the museum closed due to the public health crisis, she moved the permafrost to her front yard.
“Spring awaits no one, not even COVID-19,” she says.
The permafrost melted in her front yard, leaving a few cups of soil, mostly organic matter from ancient times. Leong documented the process, collecting information she will use to develop work about the impact of climate change on the North.
A few cups of soil remained after the 485-pound of permafrost melted. (courtesy of the artist)
“I recorded the melt using time-lapse video,” she says. “I also melted a few small blocks of permafrost in a controlled environment for better visual effect and to record measurements of volume and weights for later reference.”
She’s still exploring the final form of the work, which will incorporate video as well as sculptural forms, and is also searching for exhibition venues in the south, where there’s less understanding of permafrost.
Residue from a test sample of melted permafrost. (courtesy of the artist)
“The idea is to show how little solid matter is under many communities in the circumpolar world – meaning whole communities will just slump into the ocean as the Arctic warms," she says. "And this is just one consequence of climate change.”
Does her removal of permafrost contribute to the problem? Leong says it’s a relatively small sample and she sourced it ethically by collecting it at the edge of the Arctic Ocean, where erosion would eventually take it away anyway.
To watch her time lapse video, go here. ■
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