Frozen Latitudes

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“Our inner goal, which gave direction to the outer goal in search for possible routes, was strongly influenced by the desire for pristine landscapes, untouched by humans. The aesthetics of the Arctic landscape, with its sparse nature, reduced to its essence should find room in the depths of our souls. Virtually, we sought for the permanent behind the transitory form or for the imperishable in the transient. Comparable with the desert experiences of the ancient Christian hermit monks hundreds of years ago, our image of Frozen Latitudes became complemented with a spiritual dimension: how will each of us deal with the experience of loneliness and absolute self-reliance?” Christoph Ruhsam is a passionate landscape photographer and due to his interest in the cryosphere has specialized over centuries on the Arctic. He is secretary of the Austrian Society for Polar Research. “The aesthetics of the Arctic landscape, with its sparse nature, reduced to its essence should find room in the depths of our souls. What is a human being in the vastness of Frozen Latitudes? A breathing heartbeat.”