Arctic Ice: Under The Midnight Sun is a collaboration between filmmaker Michelle Sanders and composer Alice Boyd. An audiovisual exploration of the beauty of Arctic ice – and the perils it faces – the film is a love letter to an ecosystem on which we all depend, one which is rapidly disappearing.
Michelle Sanders
Filmmaker
In 2023, Michelle Sanders travelled to Baffin Bay in the Arctic Ocean as part of a summer expedition with The Explorers Club and Adventure Canada. Filmed in collaboration with Fujifilm, she captured intimate macro shots and sweeping drone vistas, witnessing the majesty of this frozen realm and the diverse creatures that call it home. Working with composer Alice Boyd, Sanders unveils the mesmerising beauty of Arctic sea ice and its delicate ecosystem. Amidst the awe-inspiring scenes lies a poignant reminder of the looming threat: the rapid loss of Arctic sea ice.
“The film is inspired by a report that states we could see Arctic sea ice disappear by the 2030s,” explains Sanders. “Being in the Arctic and witnessing for myself both the beauty, but also the underlying precarity, brought the urgency of the issue home to me in a profound way”.
Alice Boyd
Composer
Complementing Sander’s visuals is a haunting score by composer Alice Boyd. Infusing mournful harmonies, ice ambient strings, and ethereal soundscapes, Boyd’s music serves a reflection of the Arctic’s vastness and its fragility.
Boyd collaborates with label Biophonica to incorporate Arctic field recordings by renowned sound recordist and lifelong activist Martyn Stewart. Stewart has a personal connection to the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, having recorded there many times over his career. The recordings featured in the soundtrack were captured during a 14 day trip in 2005 to the Arctic Wildlife Refuge – from the coastal plane to brooks range.
“It was an honor to weave Martyn’s Arctic field recordings into my soundtrack. In ten years’ time if the ice continues to disappear at this rate – these sounds will not exist anymore. The recordings act as a time capsule, grounding the music in the sonic richness of this ecosystem and the sobering reality of its future.”
