From the 2nd to the 9th of December 2004, the first edition of the Etoiles Polaires festival took place in Vooruit with artist from Iceland, Greenland, Alaska, Nunavik, Siberia and Samiland. The motto was: Verlies het Noorden niet, which you can translate freely as Keep a Cool Head.
In December 2007, there will be a second edition of Etoiles Polaires, which will focus on Finland. All the information you need is just a mouse click away.
Iceland has about the same number of inhabitants as Ghent (280,000) and like Ghent, it is teeming with artistic activity. More films are made in Iceland than in the whole of Flanders, and names like Björk, Sigur Rós and MUM are embraced by the Belgian audience. Now, a whole new generation is on its way, which we invited to the Etoiles Polaires festival.
Greenland on the other hand is as large as France, Germany, Spain and Italy put together, but only has 60,000 inhabitants, 15,000 of which live in Nuuk, the capital. Nuuk has a large and well-equipped cultural centre. However, it isn’t easy for artists to survive. What is the relationship between these two islands?
We interviewed several artists from Greenland and Iceland about their work, life, traditions and cultural identity, which proved to be a confrontation and a discovery at the same time. An hour before the Critical Forum debate, we invited you all to the opening of the Etoiles Polaires exhibition.
Etoiles Polaires didn’t limit itself to the Vooruit halls. Het Huis van Alijn (the Ghent folklore museum) held an exhibition about Inuit life and Studio Skoop organised an Etoiles Polaires film week, with an interesting selection of films from Iceland, Greenland, Samiland and Canada.
The press wrote rave reviews, which you can read here (Dutch only).
“The Etoiles Polaires festival (…) is a surprise hit. The audience’s enthusiasm for Arctic culture is heart-warming: the halls are full and the concerts are outstanding.” (translated from De Morgen, 6 Dec 2004)
Programme
Wed 1 Dec
- Opening night with a reception, talks and short performances by various artists from Iceland and Greenland
- Opening of the Etoiles Polaires exhibition; installations, video and plastic art
- Screening of the film Noi Albinoi (in Studio Skoop)
Thu 2 Dec
Fri 3 Dec
Listen to Hjartafanturinn skrjafar (Kira Kira)
Sat 4 Dec
Listen to Romantika (Apparat Organ Quartet)
A video from the Apparat Organ Quartet gig at Etoiles Polaires ‘04
Sun 5 Dec
Tue 7 Dec
Listen to IBM 729 ii (Jóhann Jóhannson)
Wed 8 Dec
(Plastic Lions – Eberg)
Thu 9 Dec
- Fête Polaire : A smashing closing party!
Installations, video and plastic art
Etoiles Polaires didn’t only pay attention to Northern musical gems. From the 1st until the 9th of December, there was an art exhibition in Vooruit, which consisted of an Icelandic part, compiled by Ragnar Kjartansson and Kristin Bjork, and a part focusing on Greenland. On the opening night, we interviewed a couple of artists about working in these exceptional countries.
Cinema
Running up to the Etoiles Polaires festival, Studio Skoop & Vooruit presented a special film programme from the 25th of November until the 2nd of December.
Inuit culture is usually described in clichés, such as: Eskimos living in igloos, fish and northern lights. People who wanted to know what life is really like in the Arctics were offered a chance to discover some of the finest cinematic treasures from these desolate landscapes. This handpicked selection proved that they definitely know how to make fine films up North.
- Films on the Studio Skoop programme were: Atanarjuat/Fast Runner by Zacharias Kunuk (2001), Qaamarngup Uummataa/Heart of Light by Jacob Gronlykke (1998), Ofelas/Pathfinder by Nils Gaup (1987), Ikingut by Gisli Snaer Erlingsson (2000), Djoflaeyjan/Devil’s Island by Fridrik Thor Fridriksson (1996), The Snow Walker by Charles Martin Smith (2003) and Noi Albinoi (2003), in the presence of director Dagur Kari.
- On Monday the 25th of November, Vooruit organised a free evening filled with Nordic shorts.
More
- In the Café, people could enjoy a music corner set up by 12 Tonar, Iceland’s most popular record store, Greenland specialties, Brennvin, an Icelandic herbal drink and last but not least, free Café concerts (see above) and DJ sets.
- From the 19th of November until the 27th of March, there was an exhibition at Het Huis van Alijn called Voices of Greenland, De geschiedenis van de Inuitcultuur (the history of Inuit culture).
