HRH The Princess Royal welcomes home the iconic lookout barrel to the UK following its journey around the world from Athy in Ireland to South Georgia and back
Sir Ernest Shackleton’s original Quest Crow’s Nest – a lookout barrel from his fourth and final voyage on expedition ship Quest – is back in the UK after touring the world.
The Crow’s Nest (or Quest Barrel) is one of the last vestiges from the Shackleton-Rowett Antarctic Expedition, also known as The Quest Expedition. It arrived back at All Hallows by the Tower church in London, having been the centrepiece of the South Georgia Museum’s ‘Shackleton’s Last Quest’ exhibition in Grytviken for the past year and a half, its first return to South Georgia since the Quest Expedition in 1922.
It formed part of a special event on 7 September marking the achievements of the intrepid explorer and renowned leader Sir Ernest Shackleton, organised by charity the South Georgia Heritage Trust (SGHT) and attended by the Trust’s Patron HRH The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.
The Quest Expedition was Shackleton’s last journey. After arriving at the quiet waters of King Edward Cove in South Georgia on 4 January 1922, Shackleton unexpectedly died of a heart attack in the early hours the next morning.
His untimely death saw an outpouring of grief across the world and came to be seen as the end of the heroic era of polar exploration. Shackleton was buried on 5 March 1922 in the small cemetery at the whaling station at Grytviken, South Georgia.
The event at All Hallows provided not only an opportunity to celebrate the return of the Crow’s Nest, but also brought together modern-day polar explorers including Dr John Shears, the leader of the Endurance22 expedition funded by the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust, which discovered the resting place of Shackleton’s famous ship Endurance on the seafloor beneath the ice in the Antarctic’s Weddell Sea.
Following the event at All Hallows, Dr Shears spoke at a special dinner attended by HRH The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.
As part of his talk, Dr Shears showed a short film about the Stromness Villa narrated by TV presenter and historian Dan Snow, and also a fellow Endurance22 team member. The film shows never-before seen footage of the Stromness Villa as it is now and the degradation that the ravages of the South Georgia climate have caused over the years.
The dinner aims to raise vital funds to conserve Shackleton’s heritage on South Georgia. This includes the famous Manager’s Villa at Stromness where Shackleton, Captain Frank Worsley and Tom Crean sought help after their epic trek across the island after Endurance was crushed and sunk in the ice.
Alison Neil, CEO of the South Georgia Heritage Trust (SGHT) said: “The Trust has worked tirelessly to conserve the island’s iconic wildlife and now we are delighted to be able to help conserve some of South Georgia’s most iconic cultural heritage.
“Shackleton’s links with South Georgia make the island special for so many visitors, so it’s only right that we ensure key parts of his story, like the Stromness Villa, are preserved too.
“Alongside the Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands and the Friends of South Georgia Island, we are exploring how this villa – which was the site of such an emblematic moment in the golden age of polar exploration – can be saved from further disrepair to be cherished by generations to come.”
Dr John Shears said: “Finding Endurance was a once in a lifetime moment for me and the Endurance22 expedition team.
“I am delighted that as part of this event celebrating the return of the Quest Crow’s Nest, we are also looking to preserve Shackleton’s historic legacy on South Georgia and how we might conserve the magical Manager’s Villa at Stromness, both physically and digitally, for the future.”
You can view the film here and see the atmospheric villa and its surroundings.
To find out more about the work of SGHT and the ongoing work it does to protect the wildlife, landscape and heritage of the island visit: www.sght.org
PICTURED L-R: The Rev’d Katherine Hedderly, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, HRH The Princess Royal and Nick Prentice (Chair of SGHT), with Sir Ernest Shackleton’s original Quest Crow’s Nest at All Hallows by the Tower church. Credit Art Lewry, Culture Communications Collective
The ‘Spirit Tables’ will represent the fall and rise of whales in the oceans of the sub-Antarctic
After a year-long search, the South Georgia Heritage Trust and the Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands are delighted to announce the winner of a major international artistic commission that was designed to highlight the environmental recovery of the stunning sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, a UK Overseas Territory in the Southern Ocean.
The idea of the commission was to challenge artists to find a way to tell the powerful conservation messages of South Georgia, an island that was at the centre of the whaling industry for decades, but is now a modern rarity: an eco-system in recovery and a beacon of hope for conservation activities worldwide.
The winning artist is Scottish sculptor Michael Visocchi, with his work called ‘Commensalis – the Spirit Tables of South Georgia’. This site-specific piece will be situated on South Georgia at the Grytviken Whaling Station, with Michael’s concept drawing inspiration from a number of sources to tell the island’s powerful story.
The artwork will be made up of three main elements that all interlink to tell the story from devastation to the recovery of whale populations in the oceans around South Georgia, and more widely.
Visually it will make a connection between the barnacles found growing on the skin of various whale species and the steel rivets which literally held together the structures and vessels that powered the whaling industry for nearly a century. It will also reference the industrial nature of the whaling station and materials used in the derelict buildings that bore witness to the processing of so many whales.
The Key Table sets the scene through a series of rivets arranged in a Nightingale chart*. It will visualise for visitors the stark reality that 175,250 whales were processed at South Georgia between 1904 and 1966. The Key Table will help unlock the message of what will follow with the other elements of the artwork.
The Footbridge is being explored as an element of the project, once Michael has had the opportunity to visit, and crossing it will provide a moment of reflection and contemplation as visitors walk across the slipway area where thousands of whales were dragged up and processed.
It will act as a transition point from the Key Table area to the Flensing Plan – the name given to the platform where the processing took place. The Footbridge will guide visitors to the final element of the artwork – the Spirit Tables.
The Spirit Tables are at the heart of the Flensing Plan and consist of six tables representing the six different whale species that were hunted and processed at Grytviken: Blue Whale, Fin Whale, Southern Right Whale, Sei Whale, Sperm Whale and Humpback Whale.
The Spirit Tables are punctuated by stainless steel button head rivets in various patterns, with each rivet symbolising a live whale or the spirit of a live whale. Michael’s design allows light to bounce off each rivet, illuminating the space and emitting a feeling of hope that is now evident around the waters of South Georgia following the end of whaling and the return of a number of species.
Recent expeditions by British Antarctic Survey have resulted in an unprecedented number of sightings of both blue and humpback whales, suggesting that the waters of South Georgia are once again becoming an important summer feeding ground for both species.
The title of the artwork Commensalis is derived from the biological term commensal, which defines a biological relationship where two species benefit from one another and where neither species suffer. Michael’s artwork focuses on the commensal relationship between whales and the whale barnacle. The artwork’s title more broadly proposes whether humankind ought to aspire to have that same commensal relationship with planet earth.
On being awarded this prestigious commission artist Michael Visocchi said: “This is an enormous honour and an extraordinary opportunity to engage creatively with such an important story in a truly remarkable place. It is going to be a real privilege to work alongside the many skilled and dedicated people who are so deeply invested in South Georgia and its wildlife.
“It is very rare for an artist to have the opportunity to respond to and work in such a genuinely special place and with such a deeply emotive subject matter. I have tried to weave a sense of hope into this work in an otherwise tragic and charged location in the whaling station. The Flensing Plan was where the more brutal physical aspects of whaling took place. I hope though that future visitors will gain some insight and hope from my Spirit Tables.
“As a sculptor and maker my work has always attempted to deal with our interaction with the landscape. This is what drew me to applying for this commission in the first place. It isn’t often that ‘site specificness’ or responding to a particular context is written into a commission brief.
“I hope the scale of this work in some way evokes the majesty of these amazing creatures and the magnitude of this story about humankind’s quite often troubled relationship with other species and the environment, but also humankind’s amazing ability to steer ultimately towards enlightenment.”
The South Georgia Heritage Trust, the Scottish-based charity that has organised this artistic commission, has been working on the island in close partnership with the Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) since 2005.
Its hugely successful Habitat Restoration Project has reversed two centuries of human-induced damage to the island’s wildlife, eradicating the mice and rats that arrived as stowaways on sealing and whaling vessels from the late 18th century onwards that preyed on ground-nesting and burrowing birds.
As a result, millions of birds reclaimed their ancestral home when South Georgia was declared rodent-free in May 2018 – the largest invasive species eradication in the world.
Alison Neil, Chief Executive of SGHT said: “We were delighted with the responses from all over the world to the commission and it was heartening that so many artists were moved by the compelling story of South Georgia and wanted to be part of making a difference.
“The competition was tough, but the entire judging panel led by Elaine Shemilt (Vice Chairman of SGHT and Professor at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, University of Dundee), was impressed by the level of research Michael had undertaken and were struck by how his concept so effectively captured the essence of the brief, which was to shine a light of hope onto what can often seem a bleak future for our environment.
“This is just the start of the journey for SGHT and Michael, who will have the opportunity to visit South Georgia and evolve his concept once he has physically seen the site at Grytviken.
“The era of whaling and sealing was a dark period in our planet’s history, but the tide is turning.
“Now, not only are South Georgia’s birds free from invasive rodents, but whale species are starting to recover in the seas around the island too, which thanks to the GSGSSI now encompasses a 1.24 million km2 Marine Protected Area.
“We are thrilled that this artistic commission will sit at the heart of the work we are embarking, on as part of a cultural heritage programme to tell the world more about the human story on South Georgia.”
Helen Havercroft, Chief Executive of GSGSSI and a member of the judging panel said: “The Government looks forward to working alongside Michael and our Heritage Advisory Panel to ensure that the impressive concept Michael presented works to enhance the visitor experience at Grytviken and provide that critical ‘hope’ that humankind’s ability to destroy can be repaired through collective effort and a world-class management.
“Past human activities pushed some species to the brink of extinction but today, through hard work and commitment, South Georgia is a global rarity; an ecosystem in recovery with the recently published papers on returning whales to South Georgia’s waters serving as evidence of that recovery.”
Amanda Catto, Head of Visual Arts at Creative Scotland, who was also part of the judging panel, said: “Art is a really accessible and emotive way to tell powerful stories about the environment and engage people who might otherwise not be interested. The level of interest and entries to the competition demonstrates that.
“I am particularly impressed with the way the competition has been run and the quality of entries was incredible. Michael’s winning concept is exceptionally powerful and the way he proposes using the site and the materials to bring it to life is something I look forward to following as this project develops.”
Michael was due to visit South Georgia in the coming months, but due to COVID-19 this has been rescheduled to autumn 2021. Given the site-specific nature of the piece, it is imperative the artist has the chance to visit and adjust their concept accordingly, something that is particularly important for Michael who hopes to include disused materials from the whaling station in his construction.
The artwork will be permanently installed at Grytviken Whaling Station located in Cumberland Bay, South Georgia. Grytviken is the only visitor-accessible whaling station on South Georgia and receives around 10,000 visitors per year under usual circumstances.
Michael’s artwork will also be part of an outreach programme in the UK (currently under development), which may see Spirit Tables placed in a number of locations to engage a wider number of people in the story of South Georgia.
