Arctic Heat

Photography

Marwan J. Aboudib

A supernatural dreamlike world, Iceland is home to some of the most breathtaking alien-like landscapes on earth. In celebration of Earth Day 2015. Marwan Aboudib, an MIT graduate student, exhibits his photographs of his trip last winter. His aim was to capture the impact global warming has had on the majestic land of volcanoes and glaciers. As the planet heats up, Iceland’s largest glacier Vatnajokull has been retreating through global warming and volcanic eruptions. In the series exhibited, the glacial breakdown process of the massive glacier Svinajokull is shown. The glacier is famous for being filmed in the award winning movie Interstellar and as the hunting grounds of the White Walkers in the television series, Game of Thrones.

From the vast intergalactic like textured world above to the secret blue ice caves below. The glacier breaks down as chunks of icebergs are finally broken free into the Jokularlson Lagoon. The tiny ice monsters morph into tiny ice rocks washed onto the black sand shore as they enter the Atlantic Ocean.

The finale is an image of an Icelandic horse photographed in a dry landscape which at a point in history was beneath the massive glacier. It is only a matter of time before the last remaining glaciers of Iceland vanish. How long will it take before it becomes ironic to call Iceland, Iceland?