On June 29th, 2008, I arrived at the North Pole to create ritualistic installations addressing global climate change and the melting polar caps. One of my performances included a ritual where I fed my fellow icebreaker travelers pieces of ice collected at the North Pole, thereby integrating the North Pole into their very being.
I figured that if they ingested a piece of the North Pole, it would become part of them. The North Pole water molecules would be swirling through their bodies. The North Pole atoms would be incorporated into their very cells. My sense was that after having North Pole communion, they would protect the North Pole. If nothing else, they would do so for self-preservation.
Xavier Cortada
North Pole Dinner Party/Miami 2008: The Green Project | Claire Oliver Gallery
Above: North Pole Dinner Party (Miami Performance, 2008)
On December 3rd, 2008, North Pole Dinner Party participants ingested ice made with water Cortada brought from this trip. This North Pole dinner took place in Miami on ceramic plates the artist made using the melted polar ice.
Artist:
Xavier Cortada
Title of Artwork:
Ice Plate, North Pole Dinner Party (Miami)
Medium:
Sea Ice from the Geographic North Pole, pigment and glaze on ceramic plate
Year:
2008
Miami 2015: Bakehouse Art Complex
Xavier Cortada performance of North Pole Dinner Party at the Bakehouse Art Complex on August 14, 2015. (Photo by Laurie Fink)
On August 14th, 2015, North Pole Dinner Party participants ingested ice made with water Cortada brought from his North Pole trip. This North Pole dinner took place in Miami using the same ceramic plates the artist made for the 2oo8 performance.
North Pole 2008:
In 2008, Cortada performed the Longitudinal Installation, Endangered World and Native Flags at 90 degrees North.
Cortada at North Pole in 2008
