The Ohio State University

ECHOES IN THE ICE:
EXPLORATION AND SCIENCE IN ANTARCTICA

 An exhibit presented by:
Rik van Glintenkamp, The Byrd Polar Research Center, and
The Ohio State University Libraries
15 September 2000 – 15 December 2000

Introduction to the exhibit:

This exhibit is comprised of two distinctive components: the collages on the east wall of the Sills Gallery and the items contained in the horizontal and vertical display cases.  The collages, which are on temporary loan to The Ohio State University, are the creations of Rik van Glintenkamp, a photographer and film producer who has been a student and enthusiast of polar exploration for many years. The cases in the gallery contain documents and artifacts from polar collections owned by The Ohio State University, as well as documentation of OSU’s connection with Antarctica. 

Both components of this exhibit came together as a result of an e-mail contact with Rick van Glintenkamp, a prominent photographer and producer of films and documentaries. Van Glintenkamp has long been fascinated by Antarctica.  Even as a boy, he wrote to Admiral Byrd and asked to join one of his expeditions, a request politely rejected.  Van Glintenkamp's collages evidence both his familiarity with the history of exploration in Antarctica and his use of xerographic technology to represent his knowledge in a way that is both artistic and instructional.  

The Ohio State University has extraordinary connections with Antarctica.  For many years, its Byrd Polar Research Center has sent scientists to Antarctica to study geology, meteorology, biology, paleoclimatology, and remote sensing, to name only a few disciplines.  Meanwhile, The Ohio State University Libraries has been collecting and cataloging books and other research materials pertaining to Antarctica.  In collaboration with the Byrd Polar Research Center, the Libraries established the Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program.  Among its collections are massive documentation of three prominent explorers of Antarctica--Admiral Richard E. Byrd, Sir Hubert Wilkins, and Dr. Frederick A. Cook.

  “Echoes in the Ice” Collages by Rik van Glintenkamp:
  About the Artist

Rik van Glintenkamp has an extensive background in photography and in film.  He had a successful career as a photographer in New York City.  His photographs of fashion, beauty, and advertising appeared in such popular magazines as Vogue, Glamour, Elle, Seventeen and others.  Later, he moved on to directing dramatic and documentary films for cable and public television, music videos, and films.  Two award-winning films directed by van Glintenkamp and produced by his company Gone West Productions have appeared on PBS: a documentary, The Frank Lloyd Wright Way: Apprentices to Genius, and a period drama, Nanette: An Aside.  

Van Glintenkamp’s use of collages began as part of his film production work.  As he explained, “I devised a method of story board that I call ‘bulletin-boarding.’  What this means is that I tack up all sorts of informational, content and style elements, relative to a film in production, on a bulletin board. In addition to production people, funders and clients appreciated the process.  They could overview the elements important to the film before the production started shooting.  From there it was a short step to the collage.

While developing an educational television series on explorers of Antarctica, van Glintenkamp  developed more than thirty collages to synthesize his research about the men and the documentation of their accomplishments. The collages combine reproductions of maps, photographs, drawings and sketches, explorer’s diaries and letters.

Van Glintenkamp relied greatly on sophisticated copiers/printers from Xerox for the high quality color resolution and the manipulation of spaces to design and print the collages.  Particularly important to his creative processes was the Docucolor 12 copier, which van Glintenkamp described in a journal: 

As I work alone with the Docu-12, it begins to open visual doors for me.  The normal procedure for copier use begins to reverse.  I find myself not asking for visual solutions, but rather the Docu-12 and its edit pad are beginning to make suggestions to me.  There’s a great difference.  They are gently opening visual doors that would not occur to me.  How could they?  How could a cave-man artist think about a printed page when Gutenberg had not yet invented the printing press?

As I work, I keep my ideas in flux as suggestions seem to emerge from the Docu-12 and the Edit Pad.  Their functions invite me to investigate a range of numerous techniques and visual approaches.  They recall the editing process in my film productions.  A variety of visual alternatives become apparent as I begin to explore new directions for the materials at hand.  The entire project shifts into brand new and exciting domains.  My techniques change, expand and intensify.