The world's polar regions are in crisis, warming faster than any area on Earth. The Antarctic and Arctic are seeing ocean and air temperature rise twice as fast as elsewhere. Meanwhile, the neglected Third Pole, the Himalaya-Hindu Kush mountain range and Tibetan Plateau, called the Water Tower of Asia and sustaining two billion people in the region, is experiencing 80% glacier retreat.

How does art respond to catastrophe? At London Climate Action Week, join us for a conversation with three leading female artists using a variety of media for insights from their recent projects in the Antarctic and Arctic respectively.

Polly Townsend, was recently Artist-in-Residence in Antarctica with the Royal Navy and has produced spellbinding oil and charcoal tableaux of the landscape. Alice Boyd, composer, sound designer and Artist-in-Residence at the Eden Project, has recently collaborated with filmmaker, Michelle Sanders, on the Arctic Ice film project. Moderating the conversation will be broadcaster and journalist, Isabel Hilton, who has long explored these themes as founder and former editor-in-chief of China Dialogue and The Third Pole.

  • DiscussionHeadshot of Bruce Parry against tree background.

    RGS Presents: The Future of Exploration Live with Bruce Parry

    Join Matt Pycroft in conversation with explorer Bruce Parry for the opening episode of The Future of Exploration podcast. Known for his immersive work with indigenous communities, Bruce brings a deeply human perspective to how exploration is changing in today’s world.

    £0.00 - £12.00
  • Film screeningAerial view of a person with a cello, sat in a circle of newly planted trees.

    Resonance

    Join us for the premiere of the Resonance film, followed by a panel discussion delving into what radical acts of care may look like as the UK transitions its land use structure and practices, and as people work collectively to nurture the land and ourselves.

  • DiscussionOld photograph of The Spectre Ship by Frank Hurley in sepia.

    The Endurance Photographs – book launch

    Join the Society for the launch of its new book ‘The Endurance Photographs’, with a presentation by book contributor and polar photography expert, Jean de Pomereu.