We are Youtube stars

Me and Dag are now youtube stars!

Luleå Technical University has shown what a university communications department can do when they really care. It is unfortunate that I have not got to learn this from my own university, but I am nevertheless thankful for this great experience that Luleå has offered.

In an unbelievable speed and with great dedication, the LTU Communications people have produced a short film with me and Dag about our Antarctic expedition and particularly about the results pertaining to our scientific research program related to KTH-based research project On creating cultural heritage in Antarctica (CHAQ; PI Lize-Marié van der Watt). This was a very welcome initiative particularly because the material conservation and digital reproduction part of the project had already got a lot of media attention here in Sweden, but without the CHAQ project the expedition would have never taken place. Unfortunately, it is currently only available in Swedish, but apparently the auto-captions of the youtube are not that bad.

In the video, you can see us discussing what it means to protect cultural heritage in Antarctica and what makes it different from other parts of the world. I also talk about my findings concerning the historical process of crafting the Historical Sites and Monuments instrument in the Antarctic Treaty System. I am still to finish the article about it but it has bene put on hold for a moment, waiting for some additional material I am about to get from the Japanese archives. Since the details of the list were negotiated at the 1970 ATCM in Tokyo, these materials can solve many remaining enigmas. But soon, very soon it will be out.

Meanwhile, enjoy the video, if only for the footage - the Antarctic footage is entirely mine. Hopefully we will get the funding to produce the more nostalgic and elegiac movie on Antarctic heritage that we have been planning with a Swedish production company.