Notes from Antarctica
11 January, 2008, 1900 hours, Art of This Gallery hosts the launch party of the Abandoned Antarctic Research Post. The event is well attended but Petersen is sick as Shackleton after crossing the Ross Ice Shelf.
12 January, 2008, 1400 hours, the Abandoned Antarctic Research Post lands and is erected on Medicine Lake. Part of the Art Shanty Project, the AARP (isn’t that for old people?) is assembled in less than 5 hours. The Knitting Shanty is set up in 45 minutes. It is not even a very cold day.
15 January, 2008, 1000 hours, a visit to Research Post is made in an attempt to seal up the many air leaks that are integral to the shoddy construction. Efforts are aborted when someone’s cranky 6-month old daughter gets even crankier.
18 January, 2008, 2000 hours, the ARP! (not to be confused with AARP) release party begins at Art of This Gallery.
2400 hours, inspired by the two screenings of Fernand Leger’s ‘Ballet Mecanique,’ ARP! editor Tiffany Hockin is seen tackling the bar in the basement of the gallery.
19 January, 2008, 0900 hours, Team Abandoned Antarctic Research Post arrives bright and early to its shanty. The temperature is absurdly low and when John Marks’ thermos of coffee shatters while getting out of the van, all hope is seemingly lost.
1100 hours, the first item is abandoned at the AARP. The easy money was on a receipt or a used tissue, but the Team was shocked to receive ‘directions to Judd’s.’ The item was promptly bagged and labeled.
1300 hours, Sean Connaughty abandons a stick of weeks-old beef jerky that he regretfully took a bite of in the dark the night before.
1400 hours, Petersen has his photo taken in the Snapshot Shanty by artist Molly Roth. Unfortunately, she mistakenly took thirty seconds of what is now a terribly embarrassing YouTube clip of the portrait-sitter trying to remember how to smile without affect.
1600 hours, visitors to AARP arrive with a bottle of Canadian whiskey, several nearly unbearable hours late.
1700 hours, the sun is close enough to setting for me, let’s get the hell outta here. The day’s high temperature on the lake is -6ยบ.
20 January, 2008, 1200 hours, Petersen returns to Medicine Lake, armed with a thermos of coffee, a can of Miller High Life and a mysterious optimism he can’t quite put his frosty finger on.
1230 hours, Paper Snow Flake Appreciation Day in the Medicine Lake Drawing Club. Tim Nickodemus everybody, give him a round of applause.
1300 hours, a quick visit to the Postal Shanty. Fill out postcard, give Gabe Welker a High Five and we are on our way.
1400 hours, David Pitman, host of the K-ICE 97.7 radio station shanty has the balls to hand over the microphone to Petersen. This is followed by 2 hours of a nearly un-listenable rebroadcasting of the 2008 AFC Championship game between the San Diego SuperChargers and the New England Patriots.
1600 hours, Petersen is invited back to call the Super Bowl in two weeks.
There you have it. It has been terrifically cold and tremendously fun out on the frozen lake that is my Antarctica. We’ll see ya out there.