GLACIE R.

Pieces of ice that formed on land and float in an ocean or lake, icebergs come in all shapes and sizes, from ice-cube-sized chunks to ice islands the size of a small country. The term "iceberg" refers to chunks of ice larger than 5 meters (16 feet) across. Smaller icebergs, known as bergy bits and growlers, can be especially dangerous for ships because they are harder to spot. The North Atlantic and the cold waters surrounding Antarctica are home to most of the icebergs on Earth.

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HOW DO ICEBERGS FORM, AND WHERE DO THEY GO?Icebergs form when chunks of ice calve, or break off, from glaciers, ice shelves, or a larger iceberg. Icebergs travel with ocean currents, sometimes smashing up against the shore or getting caught in shallow waters.

When an iceberg reaches warm waters, the new climate attacks it from all sides. On the iceberg surface, warm air melts snow and ice into pools called melt ponds that can trickle through the iceberg and widen cracks. At the same time, warm wa-ter laps at the iceberg edges, melting the ice and causing chunks of ice to break off. On the underside, warmer waters melt the iceberg from the bottom up.

Icebergs can develop into a variety of shapes as they break apart.

WHY ARE ICEBERGS IM-PORTANT?

Icebergs pose a dan-ger to ships travers-ing the North Atlan-tic and the waters around Antarctica. After the Titanic sank near Newfoundland in 1912, the United States and twelve other countries formed the International Ice Patrol to warn ships of icebergs in the North Atlantic.

The International Ice Patrol uses air-planes and radars to track icebergs that float into major shipping lanes. The U.S. National Ice Center uses satellite data to monitor icebergs near Antarctica. Howev-er, it only tracks icebergs larger than 500 square meters (5,400 square feet).

WHY DO SCIENTISTS STUDY ICEBERGS?

Climate scientists study icebergs as they break up for clues to the processes that cause ice shelf collapse. Scientists have noticed that the way icebergs break up when they reach warmer waters mir-rors the disintegration of Antarctic ice

shelves. By studying the factors that cause icebergs to break up, researchers hope to better understand the influenc-es that lead to ice shelf breakup, and to better predict how ice shelves will re-spond to a warming climate.

Oceanographers follow icebergs be-cause the cold freshwater they contrib-ute to the sea can influence currents and

Icebergs can also serve as tools for sci-entists, who study them to learn more about climate and ocean processes.

ocean circulation far away from their origins.

Biologists study icebergs to find out how they influence ocean life. As icebergs melt, they leak nutrients into the ocean around them. Recent studies have shown that the water surrounding icebergs teems with plankton, fish, and other sea life.

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Z A R I A F O R M A N

Water provides me with an endless amount of inspiration as it constantly changes, taking on new forms from one moment to next. There will always be more for me to learn about the meth-ods with which water can be conveyed in pastel, and I enjoy that

never-ending challenge.

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“A brief bio...”The inspiration for Forman’s drawings be-gan in early childhood when she traveled with her family throughout several of the world’s most remote landscapes, which were the subject of her mother’s fine art photography. Forman was born in South Natick, Massachusetts and currently works and resides in Brooklyn, New York. She studied at the Student Art Centers In-ternational in Florence, Italy and received a BS in Studio Arts at Skidmore College in New York. Forman’s works have been in publications such as Juxtapoz Magazine, National Geographic Magazine, Huffing-ton Post, and the Smithsonian Magazine. Zaria was featured on Good Day New York, Fox News, and interviewed by Lucy Yang on ABC7 Eyewitness News. Recent achievements include participa-tion in Banksy’s Dismaland, speaking at a live TED event at the Town Hall Theater in NYC, and a solo exhibition at Winston Wächter Fine Art in New York in Septem-ber and October of 2015. Her drawings have been used in the set design for the Netflix TV series House of Cards.

In August 2012 Forman led Chasing the Light, an expedition sailing up the NW coast of Greenland, retracing the 1869

journey of American painter William Bradford and documenting the rapidly changing arctic landscape. Continuing to address climate change in her work, Forman traveled multiple times to the Maldives, the lowest-lying country in the world, and arguably the most vul-nerable to rising sea levels.Forman has been invited aboard the National Geographic Explorer as an art-ist-in-residence this coming November and December, traveling to Antarctica. Her next solo show will take place at Winston Wächter Fine Art’s Seattle loca-tion, in February and March of 2017.

Igrew up in Piermont, NY, about 30 minutes north of NYC. I went to Green Meadow Waldorf school from 6th grade through high school — a very small school with an alternative approach to education, in which art is greatly infused.

The inspiration for my drawings began in my early childhood when I traveled

So Zaria, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to us. If you would indulge us a bit, what is your background and what are your main inspirations as an artist?

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with my family throughout several of the world’s most remote landscapes, which became the subject of my mother’s fine art photography. I developed an appre-ciation for the beauty and vastness of the ever-changing sky and sea. I loved watching a far-off storm on the west-ern desert plains; the monsoon rains of southern India; and the cold arctic light illuminating Greenland’s waters.

Did you attend an art school for any for-mal training, or is this mostly a visual that insists that you create it? Or per-haps is your work something of a differ-ent nature altogether?

Although I did major in Studio Arts at Skidmore College, I had been making art my entire life. Either I was born with the desire to create art or it was instilled in me from an early age, and my education fostered my passion for it over the years.

I actually never anticipated becoming a full time artist. Art making was simply an activity I enjoyed, but I never had plans to make it my profession until I was of-fered to be in my first exhibit after grad-uating from college. One show led to an-other, I chose to ride the wave, and am very happy I did!

I’m fascinated by these gorgeous iceberg works, created with pastels on large pieces of paper. Do you do much traveling to gain influences for these pieces or do you cre-ate from imagination or photo reference?

I travel quite extensively for my work, because it is important for me to experi-ence the landscape that I draw. While on site, I take thousands of photographs. I often make a few small sketches on-site to get a feel for the landscape. Once I re-turn to the studio, I draw from my mem-ory of the experience, as well as from the photographs, to create large-scale compositions. Occasionally I will re-in-vent the water or sky, alter the shape of the ice, or mix and match a few differ-ent images to create the composition I envision. I begin with a very simple pen-cil sketch so I have a few major lines to follow, and then I add layers of pigment onto the paper, smudging everything with my palms and fingers and breaking the pastel into sharp shards to render finer details.

Your work seems to lend itself to heightening the awareness of the beauty and strength of natural ele-ments, specifically water. How much of a message do you feel you imbue your works with, and what story are

you trying to relay to viewers?

I think most human beings are drawn to-wards water in one way or another. It makes up more than 75% of our bodies, and cov-ers most of the Earth’s surface. We need wa-ter to survive, but we also gravitate toward its beauty — the respite, shimmer, and movement it adds to a landscape. Water provides me with an endless amount of inspiration as it constantly changes, tak-ing on new forms from one moment to next. There will always be more for me to learn about the methods with which wa-ter can be conveyed in pastel, and I enjoy

that never-ending challenge.

My most recent drawings document Earth’s shifting landscape and the effects of pro-gressive climate change. In August 2012, I led an Arctic expedition up the northwest coast of Greenland. Called “Chasing the Light,” it was the second expedition of this nature; the mission of which was to create art inspired by this dramatic geography. The first expedition, in 1869, was led by the American painter William Bradford. My mother, Rena Bass Forman, had conceived the idea for the voyage, but did not live to see it through. During the months of her ill-ness her dedication to the expedition nev-er wavered and I promised to carry out her

final journey.

I have begun a series of drawings inspired by this trip. Documenting climate change, the work addresses the concept of saying goodbye on scales both global and per-sonal. In Greenland, I scattered my moth-er’s ashes amidst the melting ice.

Continuing the story of polar melt, which is the main cause of rising seas, I followed the meltwater from the Arctic to the equa-tor. I spent September 2013 in the Mal-dives, the lowest and flattest country in the world, collecting material and inspiration

to create a body of work celebrating and representing a nation that could be entirely underwater within this century.

My drawings invite viewers to share the urgency of climate change in a hopeful and significant way. Art can facilitate a deeper understanding of any crisis, helping us find meaning and optimism in shifting land-scapes.

Along with exhibiting in galleries and museums, you’ve also created large-scale works to function as backdrops for ballet – Giselle at the Grand Theatre in Geneva, Switzerland. What was that experience like and how did that come together?

I conceived a series of ten drawings that were used as the set design for Giselle, a classic ballet that premiered at the Grand Theater of Geneva, Switzerland, in October 2012. Swedish choreographer Pontus Lidberg and I collaborated to choose each image and its details. Work-ing in this way was a new challenge. It taught me how to collaborate artistically, and allowed me to render textural effects I wouldn’t have otherwise attempted. The ballet has since toured in Asia and Europe.

“We need wa-ter to sur-

vive, but we also gravi-

tate toward its beauty.”

What is the daily life of Zaria For-man like? Do you have a set time to create or do you find yourself work-ing only when the spirit moves you?

I would love to be able to work only when the mood strikes, but when exhibition deadlines are looming, that becomes impossible. I often work very long hours, drawing for two hours at a time and tak-ing short breaks, from 9am to midnight. I have quite a full exhibition schedule for the next year, so I am doing my best to pace myself and take time off to enjoy the beautiful outdoors.

From what I can recall, pastels are a very dusty and delicate medium. How do you manage or control such a powdery ele-ment? Do you work in layers or spray a

fixative as you progress through a piece?

Yes, the material is quite dusty. I use a non-toxic, workable fixative and often spray in between layers. The drawings are never entirely fixed however, and are very vulnerable until framed.

One of my favorite questions revolves around challenges and advice – what have you encountered that you learned from, and what advice or knowledge could you pass on to others beginning their artistic journey?

In residence at the New Bedford Whaling Museum in the Spring of 2012, I creat-ed a drawing entitled “Greenland #63”. Working amidst masterful paintings of Greenland’s ice by artists such as William

Bradford and Rockwell Kent, I was both intimidated and inspired. The setting compelled me to push my own artistic boundaries. The scale and level of detail I undertook were the most challenging of any drawing I had yet created, giving rise to the most rewarding drawing ex-perience I have ever had.

My advice to any artist is to discover subjects you are passionate about, and push your personal boundaries to chal-lenge yourself. I always have the biggest breakthroughs with my work when I step outside my comfort zone and try some-thing I didn’t think was possible.

Looking to the future, what can we look forward to coming up with you? Are there any exhibitions we can see or proj-

ects in the works that our readers can find your work in?

I currently have work on display in the exhibit CRB: Contemporary Realism Bi-ennial, 2014 at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, IN (Sept 20 – Nov 30, 2014) as well as in We are One, an exhibition at the Living Earth Ecological Insitute, Phoenix,

AZ (Oct 1- Nov 30, 2014).

I am currently showing work in “Envi-ronmental Impact,” a traveling museum exhibition, which began at the Erie Art Museum (Erie, PA August 1 – September 30, 2014). The show is continuing with exhibitions at Peninsula Fine Arts Cen-ter (Newport News, VA, Oct. 25, 2014 –

January 4, 2015), Brookgreen Gardens, (Murrells Inlet, SC, January 31 – April 26, 2015), Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum at the University of Loui-siana at Lafayette (May 16 – August 16, 2015), The Art Museum, SUNY Potsdam, (Potsdam, NY, September 1 – October 31, 2015) and Stauth Memorial Muse-um (Montezuma, KS, December 6, 2015

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– January 17, 2016). Also, in addition to many places all over the world that I would like to travel to and document.

I have been forming a collective with two other artists that came to Greenland and the Maldives with me, Lisa Lebof-sky and Drew Denny. Our project, titled “Ice to Islands,” continues to evolve and take shape through drawings, paintings, film, performance, and education. Future exhibition plans involve a group show-ing of our work, as well as other artists’ work pertaining to the subject of climate change, specifically ice melt and sea level rise. Along with exhibits there will be ed-ucational and performance based events, including panel discussions with climate change scientists, activists, and artists.

http://hifructose.com/2014/10/16/exclu-sive-interview-zaria-forman-discuss-es-the-changing-tides/

1. Greenland, No. 55 40”x60”, Soft Pastel on Paper, 2013 (sold)2. SLIP. WWNY, NY 20153. Greenland, No. 70 40”x40”, soft pastel on paper, 2014 (sold)

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http://www.iceberg.com/

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he scouring effect of drifting icebergs that are increasing-ly breaking free from Antarctic ice shelves as a result of glob-al warming is wiping out fau-na that cling to the boulders in shallow waters LONDON, 23 June, 2014 − A once-rich habitat in the Antarctic has become an impoverished zone as icebergs, increasingly breaking free from the surrounding sea ice because of global warming, scour the shallow-water rocks and boul-ders on which a diversity of creatures cling to life. A report in the journal Current Biology says that researchers who carried out a survey dive in 2013 at Lagoon Island, off the West Antarctic Peninsula, discovered that “no live mega or macro-fauna can be found, the first time this has been observed there, despite be-ing regularly visited by scientific divers since 1997”. David Barnes, of the British Antarctic Survey, and colleagues report that boul-ders on the seabed near the

Rothera research station had once been richly encrusted with creatures that com-peted for living space. Now such rocks might only support a single species.Early warning system

“The Antarctic Peninsula can be con-sidered an early warning system, like a canary in a coal mine,” Dr Barnes said. “Physical changes there are among the most extreme and the biology consid-

ered quite sensitive, so it was always likely to be a good place to observe impacts of climate change. “But impacts elsewhere are likely to be not too far be-hind. A lot of the planet depends on the near shore environment, not least for food. What happens there to make it less stable is im-portant.”

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“ICEBERGS STRIP AWAY RICH ANTARCTIC HABITAT.”

Climate change has already begun to affect Antarctica in different ways. Re-searchers last year found that as icebergs broke free, the surviving ice shelf had begun to melt from underneath from un-derneath. The effect of the drifting bergs was mixed: at depth in the fjords of the Peninsula, for instance, the species vari-ety seemed to have got richer, according to one set of observations. But no such effect was observed in the ocean shallows

that are being scraped and scoured by drifting icebergs. The researchers say that although no species has disappeared en-tirely from the region, the numbers are so low as to be negligible. In 2013, most of the observations seemed to involve just one opportunistic or pioneer species, a suspen-sion feeder called Fenstrulina rugula. What had once been a rich habitat had become one of the simplest seabed systems to be found anywhere.

Ecological roles

“Reduction of complex systems into very simple ones, where many (former-ly important) species become too rare to maintain meaningful ecological roles, is a common reaction to anthropogenic distur-bance such as overfishing, pollution, intro-ductions of non-indigenous species, and habitat destruction,” the report’s authors say. “Across West Antarctica, the levels of these disturbances are among the lowest globally, apart from greenhouse contri-butions to climate change.” The scientists conclude: “We expect the deeper seabed to become richer in benthic colonisation with more ice shelf collapses and fast ice losses, but hard surfaces in the shallows are likely to become deserts dominated by rapidly-colonising pioneers and respon-sive scavengers.”

− Climate News Network

In 1912, the Titanic, a large British ocean liner on its way to New York, struck an iceberg and sank in Iceberg Alley. More than 1,500 people drowned. Soon after the Titanic sank, an Interna-tional Ice Patrol was established to track ice-bergs and warn ships. ThaT paTrol conTInues Today.