Three masculine appearing figures in white hard hats, large yellow safety jackets with life jackets and waterproof boots, stand on the deck of a ship. A feminine figure in overalls and a red jumper is crouched beside a tube that is suspended by chains from a crane. They are examining this tube intently.

In summer 2023 (July/August) AlanJames Burns headed not for sun and sand, but did hit the high seas. As the 2023 iCRAG artist in residence on the RV Celtic Explorer, Alan was able to experience a marine expedition first hand. 

Over a month on board the research vessel, they learned about everything from climate proxies and identifying foram species, to ice dynamics, carbon fluxes, arctic amplification, ocean acidification and much, much more.

Alan expressed, “What struck me during the cruise was the acknowledgement that nothing exists in a bubble, everything is connected; we are connected to all organisms large and small, to all corners of the planet, to our past and future.”

An arctic seascape with a cloudy grey sky. A small piece of sea ice sits in a rough, deep blue black sea. Where the ice is submerged the aqua blue colour of the water reflects off the ice surface, creating the illusion that the ice underwater is blue.
The crew of the Celtic Explorer with artist AlanJames Burns, taken on the deck of the vessel. There is a mixture of smiling men and women wearing outdoor clothes of various colours. Alan wears a bright yellow jacket and pink shorts.
A group of four researchers sit around a table, they are each looking into a microscope. Around them are bottles and glass laboratory containers. Windows behind them look out onto the deck of a ship.

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