White Water

The Northern Sea Route or North-East Passage connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean along the coast of Scandinavia and Russia. It is the shortest route from Europe to Asia. The Arctic has always been in the dreams and nightmares of explorers, artists, and poets. We now live in an age of tourism. Adventure has been tamed, rationalized, and organized. Commercial shipping has imposed its economic and safety standards. The arctic is a business as well as a frontier. Many nations are in competition with each other to tame this land. The objective is no longer glory and the conquest of territory, but market share and economic influence. Nuclear-powered icebreakers, liquefied natural gas tankers, oil tankers or simple cargo ships all face the severity of the ice, hoping to ensure the safety of the "employees of the Arctic". 
These hardy seafarers live cut off from the world. They live a nomadic life, moving around, working tirelessly. Every day is the same - with the same routine, the same colleagues, the same dangers. Only the landscape offers any variety: the frozen ocean comes in thousands of shades, from the darkest grey to the brightest white. During this project I was confronted with the physical difficulty of these regions. However, with the war in Ukraine, a psychological difficulty appeared on board these ships. The divergent opinions make all discussions impossible and the subject is avoided leaving an atmosphere heavy with innuendo.