Landscape and Seascape Instruments: Artic Bay at the Intersection of Ecology, Economy and Infrastructure Development

The small hamlet of Arctic Bay is the site of rapid economic and environmental change, as well as significant infrastructure development. Close proximity to an idled zinc, silver and lead mine, as well as an increasingly ice-free Northwest Passage has placed this community at the forefront of regional change such as eco-tourism, as well as geopolitical questions regarding Canada's Arctic sovereignty. Implicated always are the communities and people who live and work in Canada's North - communities and people who are often displaced into the background of these important discussions. Landscape + Seascape Instruments seeks to investigate the spatial implications of landscape and seascape infrastructure through the development of a universal infrastructural instrument; an architectural device that addresses connectivity and the interstitial space between communities at both the regional and the human scale, to better understand and foster a dialogue about Canada's role in an increasingly accessible arctic region.