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"...shall always be open on
a footing of absolute equality to communications
— THE SVALBARD TREATY/ ARTICLE 4
ABOUT THE PLATFORM

BBResearch is an international platform for research, fieldwork and collaboration in Svalbard

We help teams assess what is possible, connect with local infrastructure and develop projects around real field conditions

The platform is in its first field season
ACTIVE NOW
Svalbard, Norway
LOCATIONS
11-25 aug
DATES
Arctic is a mirror
of Global Change
Intended method
Site observation · oral-history interviews · technical and infrastructure survey · archival reading
Planned inquiry
Reading the overlap of industry, everyday life, history and identity in Svalbard's settlements — bringing together an American perspective, deep knowledge of Russia and Eastern Europe, and hands-on experience with marine and mechanical systems.
Central research question
Can you understand an industrial community without understanding the work itself?
One residency is being prepared for the coming field season. Artists and writers are arriving with different ways of reading the same landscape. It has not started yet. Everything below describes the work as it is currently planned.
RESEARCHER IN RESIDENCE
UPCOMING RESEARCH RESIDENCY
UPCOMING
If a site could speak, what would it say?
CENTRAL RESEARCH QUESTION
Walking · photography · moving image · sound · writing · participatory practice
INTENDED METHODS
Cold Archive — artistic research into memory, extraction, climate and the afterlife of post-industrial landscapes: empty buildings, old mining routes, water near coal, silence after machinery.
PLANNED INQUIRY
Learn More
Kate Roberts
Supplied residency material — illustrated portrait. Documentary photograph required before launch.
Meet all residents
Meet Christopher
Follow our updates
UPCOMING
If a site could speak, what would it say?
CENTRAL RESEARCH QUESTION
Walking · photography · moving image · sound · writing · participatory practice
INTENDED METHODS
Cold Archive — artistic research into memory, extraction, climate and the afterlife of post-industrial landscapes: empty buildings, old mining routes, water near coal, silence after machinery.
PLANNED INQUIRY
Learn More
Kate Roberts
Supplied residency material — illustrated portrait. Documentary photograph required before launch.
RESEARCH AREAS

Research areas

These are research areas, not finished projects. Each is at an early stage, where a well-scoped proposal can genuinely influence its direction.

Environmental Change & Earth Systems

Studying glaciers, permafrost, geology, sediments, environmental processes and long-term Arctic change through interdisciplinary field research.

Explore this area

Society, Infrastructure & Polar Communities

Exploring how infrastructure, technology and Arctic living shape everyday life, resilience and community in high-latitude settlements.

Explore this area

Heritage, Memory & Industrial Landscapes

Investigating industrial heritage, material culture and overlapping historical layers preserved within Arctic settlements.

Explore this area

Science, Society & Public Understanding

Exploring how scientific knowledge is communicated, interpreted and shared across disciplines and with wider society.

Explore this area

Interdisciplinary Field Research

Creating shared field environments where scientists, artists and practitioners investigate common questions through different methods.

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Human Wellbeing in Extreme Environments

Investigating how infrastructure, isolation, environmental conditions and community life influence wellbeing, creativity and resilience.

Explore this area

Not every good idea fits an existing category.
If your proposal explores Svalbard in a new way, we’d love to hear from you

Propose a project Contact us

FIELD NOTES

Notes from getting started

Architecture

What can an old mining wagon tell us about changing rhythms of life in Barentsburg?

July 2026 / Barentsburg, Svalbard
Learn more
Interior

How did this near-spherical rock form inside a Svalbard cliff, and what shaped it?

July 2026 / Barentsburg, Svalbard
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Landscape

How does essential infrastructure shape everyday life in an Arctic settlement?

July 2026 / Barentsburg, Svalbard
Learn more
PROGRAMMES

In development, and honest about it.

These are research areas, not finished projects. Each is at an early stage, where a well-scoped proposal can genuinely influence its direction.

Field programmes

Structured field weeks built around a stated learning objective, adjusted to season, access and the group's discipline.

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Summer schools

A taught field format combining method training with fieldwork in the settlements. Curriculum and partner roles are being worked out.

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Open calls

There is no open call at the moment. The next residency call will be published here and announced on @bbresearcharctic.

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PARTNERS
Built
together
The Arctic brings together different countries, disciplines and ways of seeing the world. BBResearch grows through collaboration with our academic, cultural and institutional partners, connecting Arctic research, education and international exchange.
Moving from isolated academic silos toward open, collaborative field
ecosystems.
Beyond the silo
Akureyri, Iceland
Arctic Portal
Qingdao University
Qingdao, China
Busan, South Korea
Institute of International Maritime Affairs
Murmansk Arctic University
Murmansk, Russia
HSE University
Moscow, Russia
The Northern Forum
International NGO
Made on
Tilda