Analog Glaciers
In February 2025, I had the privilege of facilitating a series of creative workshops for students during the Children’s Art Festival in Richmond, BC, commissioned by the City of Richmond. This workshop was designed to integrate key elements of my current artistic practice, such as ephemeral processes, scientific research and the depiction of glacial environments.
Over 80 students engaged with lumen-printmaking (an accessible analog photographic technique), to create prints of archival surveys from the 1900’s of four iconic glaciers in Western Canada. The imagery was sourced through my ongoing collaborations with glaciologists and the Mountain Legacy Project, which uses repeat photography to document the dynamic changes in glacial landscapes over time.
The students participated in a hands-on comparison activity, where they examined their historic glacier photographs alongside their present-day counterparts. They worked through worksheets designed to prompt critical thinking, encouraging them to analyze glacial change in a manner similar to scientific observation. The children, teachers, volunteers and parents were all deeply engaged with the process and excited by how the activity allowed them to reflect on the significant transformation of these landscapes over the past century.
The success of this workshop further reinforced my belief in the power of art to raise awareness of climate change. By combining artistic practice with scientific inquiry the students were not only able to creatively explore the effects of glacial transformation, but also develop a deeper understanding of the urgent need for environmental preservation.
