A Guide
to the
To listen to what is silent;
To speak for what is mute;
To bring news from the edges,
To the heart of humankind,
Of the ways the wind blows,
And how ice is formed,
And how it melts.
“The Parties commit themselves to the comprehensive protection of the Antarctic environment
and dependent and associated ecosystems and hereby designate Antarctica as a natural reserve,
devoted to peace and science.”
Protocol on environmental protection to the Antarctic treaty (article 2)
“Twice the size of huge.”*
Tenets
The Peaceful Order of Antarcticans was established in May 2021 as a self-organising international contemplative mission of artist-custodians.
The aims of the mission are a) to perceive the lessons and insights on peace Antarctica has to offer northerners and b) to articulate, through art-works and actions, through advocacy and teaching, and by example, the findings of the mission.
The objectives of the mission are, through the above-mentioned articulations, to both manifest greater northern custodianship of the Antarctican continent and in doing so, improve the northen understandings of, attitudes around and agency towards, peace and the custodianship of all things.
Self declaration and a commitment to meeting the aims and objectives of the mission are the only requirements for joining the Peaceful Order.
It takes strong winds
to blow away,
To mangle,
The webs in which
We find ourselves -
By candle light,
Entangled.
Notes
Through the media of life, diverse practices and art-works, Antarcticans recognise, through its elemental, mortal and moral force, through its peripheral objectivity, through its political and cultural neutrality, through its comparatively untouched, unspoiled desolation and beauty, through its lessons in wind and ice, Antarctica, the southern-most continent, in and of itself is a source of knowledge, insight, healing and potency for the world of northern humans.
The designate “Antarctican” may be self-applied to any person who joins the Peaceful Order with the understanding that it is shorthand for “of the Peaceful Order of Antarcticans”. In no way does “Antarctican” imply exclusive use of the word. Nor does it imply recognition of any kind from any other person or entity that the designate is a member of a political state. In other words, “Antarcticans” in the sense given herein, are not and never will be “people from Antarctica” or any kind of exclusive group. Instead, using the activities in and protection of Antarctica as a model for international cooperation, Antarcticans call into question the formation and implication of political interests, borders and states, everywhere - not just in Antarctica. In this way, it is more accurate to understand the designate within the context of advocacy; Antarcticans refer to themselves in this way to draw attention to the lessons Antarctica holds for humanity and their practice of contemplating these lessons and, where germane, articulate them through the medium of their work.
Artists, custodians and advocates for peace are underrepresented as a presence in Antarctica when compared to the four main groups of human visitors (scientists, military personnel, fisheries and tourists). The Peaceful Order recognises that very few human beings travel to Antarctica and even fewer in the artist capacity. Moreover, the very presence of human beings on and near the southern continent is doubtless worthy of its own enquiry, a debate that is perhaps unresolvable: as long as there are humans who would seek to exploit Antarctica and extract its “resources”, there will need to be other humans to protect it. With this in mind, if humans must be present, then the Peaceful Order advocates for an increased artist and custodian presence in Antarctica over the presence of other groups who may have a more deleterious effect on the continent, such as tourists.
The Peaceful Order of Antarcticans was borne out of the fact that while the scientific output from Antarctica, in the form of measurements and data and the interpretations and extrapolations thereof, is comparatively well represented in The North, the peaceful output is almost non-existent in northern imaginations. Moreover, as the vast majority of Northeners will never get anywhere near Antarctica, let alone set foot upon it, they must rely on their imaginations to interpret what it might be like and what the output from other sources (like scientific) might mean for them in their northern lives and the Earth as a whole. In this way, the output from the Peaceful Order, which is artistic and therefore imaginative in nature, is well suited for those among us, the vast majority of humanity, who must imagine before they can experience; who must take heed of the lessons Antarctica has to offer and act upon them, despite their distance in space and time. Therefore, for the majority of Antarcticans, their work, both in contemplative form and in material output is primarily imaginative; the mission, as a whole, is an excercise in individual, collective and cultural imagination.
The Peaceful Order recognises artists as custodians of the divine, a custodianship that exists regardless of uptake. To join the Antarcticans, commit to the life of an artist and begin, through your life and work, to contemplate and advocate on behalf of Antarctica and Antarctican peace in The North.
Those who wish to join the Peaceful Order can click the button below to send links to one or more examples of their work, in any form, demonstrating a contribution towards meeting the aims and objectives of the mission as outlined in the tenets above. Applicants should include links to any additional pertinent information such as essays, articles, documentation, websites and should include a contact email.
In due course, Antarcticans who give permission to do so will be listed on this page, along with examples of their work and websites etc.
* The map projections familiar to most northerners typically distort landmasses with such a degree of variance that most people cannot grasp the size of unfamiliar places. This proportional representation of Antarctica next to Australia has minimised the distortions present in larger maps and shows how Antartica is almost twice the size of Australia in terms of land above sea-level. While many northeners who view this comparison will not have visited Australia, a country that is itself routinely distorted by the interests of northern cartography, Antarcticans will note that most people have some sense at least that Australia is an unfathomably huge place and that Antarctica, by comparison, is therefore “twice the size of huge”.
