Lukas Kreibig

“When I was a child, the ice was gone in June and July,
now it is gone in April and May.”

Award

Magenta Flash Forward

Publications

stern
GEO France
esquire China
Ud & Se

Finalist / Shortlisted

Arles Voies Off
World Report Award
Nannen Preis
Kolga Tbilsi Photo
Der Neue BFF Förderpreis
VGH Fotopreis
Vilnius Photo Circle

Exhibited

Visa pour l'image Perpignan
Triennale Photography
Galerie für Fotografie Hannover
Fotofestival Zingst
Düsseldorf Photo Weekend
Festival della Fotografica Etica
PHOTOKINA

Heart of a Seal

Once I saw the first glimpses of the mountain that Uummannaq, Greenland, an island town off the country’s western coast,
centers around, I was instantly drawn to the beauty and rawness of this remote place. The Arctic island has in the past
50 years quickly developed itself and is going from a traditional community of fishermen and hunters to a modern society.
I wanted to understand and document how life looks and feels like in a community with such a harsh climate and long traditions.

In the autumn 2017, I began my photographic exploration and continued in February 2018, where I also witnessed
the warmest winter on record in the Arctic. Unfortunately, the effects from global warming on this coastal town
were apparent, with instances like the sea ice melting too early.

For countless generations, the Inuit who reside here have relied on their natural surroundings to survive.
The purpose of this project is to show how the Inuit culture intersects with the town’s present day conditions
and to pose the question of how long the area’s traditions will remain in contrast with its changing circumstances.

Children from all over Greenland come to the northernmost children’s home in the world.
Nearly half of the Greenlandic population has been exposed to violence,
the highest amount against children and teens.

“Our ancestors were strong people,
because they worked together to solve problems and helped each other.
People became individualists and stopped helping others.”

“The most important change,
is that the climate has become more instable now
and the wind is more unpredictable and stronger.”

“Narwhal hunting has changed a lot, because they decreased the quotas.
That’s why I think young people don’t want to become hunters.”

“There is already something wrong in the system.
The first law in the parliament is written in Danish.
Having a white man tell us exactly what to do is not a good idea.”

“A lot of hunters prefer the motorsledge over dogsledding,
because the winters are too short,
the snowmobiles are faster to transport the catch.”

The arctic continuous to melt with each passing minute through global warming.
The average temperature in the arctic has increased about almost 4 degrees
since the beginning of the 20th century.

In 2018, the sea around Uummannaq was frozen only in mid-February,
alarmingly late compared to the years before.

In March 2018, the arctic was hit by the warmest temperatures ever recorded
during that time of the year, making the sea ice - the lifeline of the Inuit - unstable.

The Heart of a Seal - © Lukas Kreibig

Quotations from
“Life on thin ice: Insights from Uummannaq, Greenland for connecting climate science with Arctic communities“
made by Juan Baztan, Mateo Cordier, Jean-Michel Huctin, Zhiwei Zhu, Jean-Paul Vanderlinden

Legal Disclosure / Data Privacy Policy
Impressum / Datenschutzerklärung

Heart of a Seal

“When I was a child, the ice was gone in June and July, now it is gone in April and May.”

Introduction

Once I saw the first glimpses of the mountain that Uummannaq, Greenland, an island town off the country’s western coast, centers around, I was instantly drawn to the beauty and rawness of this remote place.

The Arctic island has in the past 50 years quickly developed itself and is going from a traditional community of fishermen and hunters to a modern society.

Award
Magenta Flash Forward

Publication
stern // esquire China

Finalist / Shortlisted
Arles Voies Off // World Report Award // Nannen Preis // Kolga Tbilsi Photo // Der Neue BFF Förderpreis // VGH Fotopreis // Vilnius Photo Circle

Exhibited
Visa pour l'image Perpignan // Triennale Photography // Galerie für Fotografie Hannover // Fotofestival Zingst // Düsseldorf Photo Weekend // FESTIVAL DELLA FOTOGRAFICA ETICA // PHOTOKINA

Children from all over Greenland come to the northernmost children’s home in the world. Nearly half of the Greenlandic population has been exposed to violence, the highest amount against children and teens.

“Our ancestors were strong people, because they worked together to solve problems and helped each other. People became individualists and stopped helping others.”

“The most important change, is that the climate has become more instable now and the wind is more unpredictable and stronger.”

“Narwhal hunting has changed a lot, because they decreased the quotas. That’s why I think young people don’t want to become hunters.”

“There is already something wrong in the system. The first law in the parliament is written in Danish. Having a white man tell us exactly what to do is not a good idea.”

“A lot of hunters prefer the motorsledge over dogsledding, because the winters are too short, the snowmobiles are faster to transport the catch.”

The arctic continuous to melt with each passing minute through global warming. The average temperature in the arctic has increased about almost 4 degrees since the beginning of the 20th century.

In 2018, the sea around Uummannaq was frozen only in mid-February, alarmingly late compared to the years before.

In March 2018, the arctic was hit by the warmest temperatures ever recorded during that time of the year, making the sea ice - the lifeline of the Inuit - unstable.