When one thing leads to another: Pole Station Antarctica: December 15th 8am 1956

ABSTRACT

This short paper illuminates a research-creation project titled Pole Station Antarctica: December 15th 8am 1956 (2012 – Ongoing). This artwork is an evolving collection of envelopes sharing the same postmark – mailed from the South Pole at the same time, on the same day. As the collection grows its shifting contents illustrate with increasing clarity global flows to and from the South Pole during the mid-twentieth century. When observed en mass, the cumulative minutia of place names, postage stamp designs, and decorative embellishments expose the complicated cultural and historical circumstances of this particular mailing – pointing towards America’s geopolitical motivations at the height of the cold war, the spread of Second World War military logistics and transportation technologies in the post war era, and the effects of navigation technologies on remote areas of Antarctica.

KEYWORDS:

• Antarctica
• South Pole
• Operation Deep Freeze
• material culture
• Google Earth

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Ontario Council on Graduate Studies, Council of Ontario Universities, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Notes on contributors

Kristie MacDonald

Kristie MacDonald is an interdisciplinary artist working across photography, print media, and installation. Her art practice engages notions of the archive and the collection, as well as their roles in the evolving meanings and contextual histories of images and artifacts. MacDonald is a recipient of awards from the Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts. Her work has been exhibited in Canada, the United States, and Europe. In 2022, MacDonald received a PhD from York University. She is an Assistant Professor in the Studio Art department at the University of Guelph (Canada).