At the British Museum - the Arctic

The Arctic has a population of 4 million, including 400.000 indigenous people belonging to approximately 40 different ethnic groups, practicing hunting, fishing and the herding of reindeer. However, scientists predict that in 80 years it will be completely stripped of its ice because of dramatic and inexorable climate change, thus changing the ways of life of its inhabitants, but not only, forever. Welcome to the Arctic Circle, the northernmost spot on the planet, at the outermost confines of the Earth, where humans grapple with the most extreme weather conditions. How do they manage? The answer can be found by visiting the first large-scale exhibition dedicated to the history of the Arctic and its indigenous population - forced to seek remedies to protect their culture - all as seen through the lens of climate change. The exhibition is being hosted by the British Museum, offering rare archeological artefacts, along with tools, clothing and works of art that give a look at contemporary daily life and the ingenuity of an entire community. A winter garment created with caribou hide helps illustrate the relationship between humans and animals in the Arctic. An Inughuit sled made from a narwhal, caribou bones and pieces of driftwood, given to Sir John Ross during his expedition in 1818, is a momento of the first encounter between the Inughuit and Europeans. The public will also be greeted by works commissioned specifically for the occasion, such as Inuksuk, a small monument made of stacked stones, a sort of little manlike figure, used as a landmark by the Inuit. There is also a piece by the artistic collective Embassy of Imagination.