Antarctica
‘The Noise of Ice | Antarctica’
Inspired by Sir Ernest Shackleton, photographer Enzo Barracco decided to undertake an expedition in Antarctica.
“I choose life over death for myself and my friends... I believe it is in our nature to explore, to reach out into the unknown... The only true failure would be not to explore at all.”
Enzo and his team travelled to Antarctica, recording its wild and dramatic territory through photography. The photographs formed the basis of his book ‘The Noise of Ice | Antarctica’ which was written by Enzo with a foreword by Sir Ranulph Fiennes and an introduction from the Director of the Royal Geographical Society.
“I believe Enzo’s work is a great way for key conservation messages to be relayed. Everyone has a role to play in conservation and protecting areas of the world that are at risk. Art, such as Enzo’s work, is a hugely effective way to communicate this message. It plays a crucial educational role, but it is also accessible and appealing.”
“Enzo’s images are a new chapter in the visual recording of this extraordinary continent.”
“We have need of the daily heroic gestures that each one of us can perform, to reduce the impact have on the planet. This is shown unmistakably by Enzo Barracco with his stunning photographs, which capture the fragile equilibrium of Antarctica.”
“Enzo Barracco’s images of Antarctica perfectly capture the beauty and simplicity of this ice-dominated continent. The clarity and quality of Enzo’s work leave a lasting impression on the viewer.”
“To the list of intrepid voyagers one must add Enzo Barracco, who has turned a curatorial eye nurtured in the world of art and fashion to Antarctica’s vast landscapes. His arresting imagery captures the play of sunlight in the transparency and opacity of the ice and the subtlety of the deep blues, greens and reds of age-old lichen, algae and geological formations, and in its totality reveals what is surely Earth’s greatest catwalk show.”
The Noise of Ice | Antarctica
Author: Enzo Barracco
Publisher: Merrell
Foreword: Sir Ranulph Fiennes
Summary
When the photographer Enzo Barracco decided to mount a photographic expedition to Antarctica, inspired by the example of Sir Ernest Shackleton, he had much more than simple cold to contend with. As the world's last empty continent, the snowy lands of the South Pole are a challenge for the most seasoned explorer, with their merciless winds, treacherous seas and vast sheets of ice. Even to arrive on the continent itself involves a perilous journey by sea from southern Argentina through the notoriously rough Drake Passage.
THE NOISE OF ICE | ANTARCTICA explores what drove Barracco to embark on his journey, and tells the story of the expedition in words and astonishing photographs, all of them captured during the trip and many obtained in hazardous conditions. In his gripping text, Barracco explains how even his journey to Antarctica itself was undertaken with the essential help of an ice pilot, to spot and avoid icebergs that ship's radar can miss. He tells of how the waves on that first journey threw him to the deck and brought home how hostile such an environment is, and of his constant battle to protect his photographic equipment and all-important memory cards from the extreme cold. Most importantly, he explains that in capturing these beautiful landscapes, his intention is to remind us all of the precarious position in which this part of the world finds itself.
As the explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes puts it in his foreword to THE NOISE OF ICE, "witnessed by only a few, Antarctica should be enjoyed by many and protected by all".
Endorsements
Royal Geographical Society
Director of Polar Museum Cambridge University
British Antarctica Survey Cambridge University
Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
European School of Economics
Nigel Winser
Edward Watson
British Exploring Society
The Explorers Club New York
Vogue Italy