S2 EP06 Theo Crutchley-Mack - Being an Artist in Residence on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia

Antarctic Stories

Theo Crutchley-Mack is a contemporary British artist whose work appears globally in private and public collections. He strives to record the obscure landscape, often abandoned and remote, spending many hours outside drawing in sketchbooks that later become a reference for larger studies. His studio paintings start out as deeply textured wooden bases that form the foundation for a sculptural approach to painting.

In 2018 he was invited to the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia as part of their unofficial Artist in Residency program where he painted and documented the ruined whaling stations to help fundraise for the South Georgia Heritage Trust which works to restore the damaged habitats of wildlife on the island.​

Described as his most ambitious project yet, the artistic documentation of South Georgia's abandoned whaling stations has resulted in numerous ongoing initiatives which include talks, exhibitions, and even a book.

On today's episode, he walks us through his experience discovering, getting to, and being transformed by this jewel of an island.​

HIGHLIGHTS

3:15 How Theo first came to learn about the Artist in Residence program in South Georgia

4:00 Theo describes the lengthy process by which he heard about South Georgia's abandoned whaling stations and then proceeded to try to get funding to get to the Falkland Islands and hopefully, eventually make his way even further south

6:45 What happened when all of Theo's art materials ended up on the wrong military plane and went to Cyprus instead of South Georgia with him

8:45 Theo describes the process by which he was able to logistically get to and obtain government permission to access certain abandoned whaling stations in order to culturally document them

13:20 Theo describes his process for capturing the essence of these remote places and then turning them into works of art

15:30 The most unexpected element of Theo's time on South Georgia

17:05 Why Theo was worried about taking on this project in South Georgia

19:30 What has happened with the work that was produced as a result of Theo's time on the island

22:35 A bit about the book that Theo has put together on the South Georgia project