Painting a picture of the effects of a changing climate on Antarctica is probably best done with a camera. Well, at least in Neil Ever Osborne’s case it is.
Ever Osborne has spent two decades travelling the world as a photojournalist and writer on the front lines of climate change.
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He recently visited Antarctica and returned to Canada with plenty of stunning, and shocking, images from Earth’s most southernmost continent. His findings are on display in an exhibit at the Berenson Fine Art studio in Toronto.
“It’s the coldest, windiest continent on planet Earth. It’s so remote, it is absolutely spectacular. What makes this landscape so majestic is these colossal icebergs, some of which you see in the exhibit,” said Ever Osborne, in a recent interview with Michael Vann, a content creator and weather specialist at The Weather Network.
Antarctica. (Neil Ever Osborne/Submitted to The Weather Network)
Ice formations have been ‘carved through the ages’
Ever Osborne, who oversaw the direction of The Weather Network’s climate change and sustainability editorial content from February 2020 to August 2022, said one of the main objectives of the trip was to “bear witness to these spectacular ice formations that, without a doubt, have been carved through the ages by the wind, by the light [and] by the sun.”
“What I’d like to think we’ve done with the exhibition here is capture some of these formations that may not even exist anymore,” said Ever Osborne.
When looking at the exhibit as a whole, Ever Osborne said you can think of the photos as “moments etched in time,” bringing to life the characteristics of the icebergs and their surrounding environment, and how a changing climate has negatively affected them.
Antarctica. (Neil Ever Osborne/Submitted to The Weather Network)
“What are the characteristics of this landscape? How delicate are these ice formations? And again, as the climate warms, what are the consequences of a warming world on these icebergs?” Ever Osborne said.
Seeing a deceased penguin encased in ice was ‘arresting moment’
While there, Ever Osborne was “really focused” on a particular iceberg on Snow Hill Island, he said. One afternoon, he stumbled upon a scene he hadn’t seen in the previous days: A deceased penguin that was engulfed in ice.
“As you can probably appreciate, this was quite an arresting moment. I had to take a photograph. The more steps I took, the more dead penguins I saw entombed in ice, and so suddenly, I found myself making a series of photographs of these dead penguin chicks,” said Ever Osborne.
The photographs made Ever Osborne ponder about a warming world in Antarctica, in particular, and what that would look like.
Antarctica. (Neil Ever Osborne/Submitted to The Weather Network)
“It’s with some confidence that we can say that nowhere on planet Earth is going to be untouched by a warming world. So, what will the effects of climate change be in Antarctica? I started to piece together [this story],” said Ever Osborne. “Could this be one of the effects that [cause] emperor penguin chicks to struggle to make it through their breeding season?”
He noted the particular emperor penguin colony on Snow Hill Island he came across is considered to be among the species’ most northerly groups on the continent.
“What’s happening there, because of a warming world, is serving as a barometer for what could happen to other penguin colonies across Antarctica. There are a few scenarios happening,” said Ever Osborne.
As a result of warmer temperatures, there is more ice melt, Ever Osborne said, so “we’re seeing these melt pools form in Antarctica.”
“On occasion, with some confidence, we were seeing and taking photographs of penguins that had potentially fallen into these melt pools,” said Ever Osborne. “What happens is, just like you and I, they get cold, they get wet, they get hypothermic, and they see [they’re in] peril this way.”
Exhibit is ‘starting conversations’ about climate change
Seeing an image of a deceased penguin “absolutely paused me and made me start to reflect,” said Ever Osborne. “What would it be like if I photographed an entire cohort of dead penguin chicks?”
The images sparked an idea to put the images from Antarctica on display at the Berenson Fine Art studio, so they could “go to work” every day, just like people do, Ever Osborne said.
Antarctica. (Neil Ever Osborne/Submitted to The Weather Network)
“They’re starting conversations as people come and go from the gallery. But for visitors who spend a bit of time with us, we also pull out the iPad, and on the iPad, we show some of these really shocking and arresting images of the dead penguin chicks encased in ice,” said Ever Osborne. “Let me tell you. It’s not only pausing me, it’s pausing the people who come through the gallery, as well.”
In some ways, the photojournalist and writer “almost” feels like he has a responsibility to show the images to the rest of the world, Ever Osborne said.
“If they were just left on my hard drive, it would almost be a disservice. I almost think it’s an obligation, actually. If we put these images to work, put the exhibit together, and start conversations with people who otherwise didn’t know about Antarctica, for example, we stir up conversations that lead to longer dialogs,” said Ever Osborne.
And with a changing, warming world, “we need to create the time and the space to have those longer conversations,” he added.
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“Creating the time and the space to do that is what this exhibit at Berenson Fine Art is trying to do. It’s about putting the images to work,” said Ever Osborne. “I like to think that the smart photographers working these days know that photography is just a small, small, small element of it. It’s what do you do with your images when you get back from an exhibition.”
More information on Ever Osborne’s exhibit at Berenson Fine Art studio can be found online. His artwork can also be purchased online.
“Come to the gallery and have a private tour, and enjoy the work on the walls. Take it in one on one, have a conversation with me or the gallery owner,” said Ever Osborne. “The proceeds for the sales of the limited-edition prints funnel back into the project so I can get back to Antarctica and keep on working.”
Thumbnail courtesy of Neil Ever Osborne.
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