The Lab Magazine Online

NATHAN BOEY

Justin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 02:37:11 +0000

INTERVIEW & PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY POWER REGIMBAL

Today’s overpopulated commercial and music video marketplace can force young directors to make a choice if they want to stand out from the herd of film school graduates and self-taught computer wizards. Either relinquish your creative vision to get a chance with big-name clients or refuse to bow to industry pressure, building an impressive demo reel one low budget project at a time. Somehow Nathan Boey has managed to infuse the best of both worlds, directing material for high-profile clients such as NASCAR, Bank of America and most recently Nickelodeon while still maintaining his artistic integrity and a unique, playful animation style. We spent a day with Nathan pushing shopping carts, drinking too much coffee and pondering ideas from a future galaxy.

JEREMY POWER REGIMBAL—Where are you from and how did your spaceship end up in the land of film and animation?

NATHAN BOEY—I’m originally from planet Winnipeg but I moved to the Montreal galaxy to study. I’ve been making movies since I was a kid, but I relate to every good kung fu movie – at some point you need to venture off alone into the forest to train on your skills… Hopefully you have a good sensei.

JPR—What’s your opinion of the present state of the commercial/music video world? What do you do to try and stick out amongst the plethora of nerdy film school graduates?

NB—It is more saturated with media and artists than ever before so it’s a challenge to stick out. I think this era is producing a lot of people that are ‘really good’ but not a lot of ‘masters’ in the industry. My goal is to stick with it for sixty more years and hopefully earn that title.

JPR—I know your cart shredding pro career is really taking off, is there anything else besides that and animation you would like to do in the future… for fun or career wise?

NB—Well, besides the cart shredding scene which is blowing up in Portugal right now, as we all know, I have a ‘Bucket List’ for sure. I have career goals like doing a feature film but also more subtle things like, ‘Impress my girlfriend’s parents by playing that piano song from Charlie Brown.’ There’s a lot of random stuff on there.

MAKEOUT VIDEOTAPE

Justin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 02:32:52 +0000

INTERVIEW & PHOTOGRAPHY BY JUSTIN TYLER CLOSE

It’s Friday night. Picture yourself in the dingiest shithole imaginable – the kind of place where you would rather use the alley than piss in the washroom. Watch as an unidentifiable haze floats across the room and onto the stage. Maybe it’s the two bottles of vino you just drank, but shit’s getting weird. Suddenly, the band appears. Performing tonight: Makeout Videotape – an acid bubblegum trio from Vancouver, who sound like a lovechild from when Harry met Iggy (Nilsson and Pop, respectively). Their lo-fi, cool guy ’tude combined with a melodic sensibility is something most hot 100 writers can only dream of. Their cover of Nilsson’s “I Guess the Lord Must be in New York City” makes you forget the original, and “Heat Wave” is an instant classic, all complemented by surf-verb, warbling vocals and sick beats. And then you’re dancing. Yep, this is pop music at its finest, shining like a diamond through the dingy haze of that Friday-night shithole, straight into your teenage heart.

JUSTIN TYLER CLOSE—So I’ve been wondering, how did you come up with the name Makeout Videotape? It creates some great visuals, but explain the true story behind the name…

MAC DeMARCO—I’m pretty sure the name was some kind of inside joke I had with a girl a few years back. I started this band as a joke between me and her, and now I’m still stuck with that dumb name. It’s really difficult telling old women that I play in something called Makeout Videotape.

JTC—Your live shows are beyond a wild time. How important is performing live to you? And what do you bring to make each show different?

MD—Playing shows is one of my favorite things to do. I’m not really working right now either, so it’s not only fun but feeding me. Something about making an idiot of myself in front of a crowd for an hour and getting paid for it really still boggles my mind. Not to belittle it though, I really enjoy singing songs for everybody, too, especially when they’re into it. It’s a good way to get out there. So far we’ve been able to travel all over the US and Canada, and have met some really fresh people and bands along the way. I really enjoy whippin’ around and playing for new people, hopefully we’ll be able to keep doing it for a while. As far as bringing something to the shows goes, I just try to do a good job for the most part, after all, people are paying money to hear me bellyache behind a microphone, might as well be worth it for them. Maybe sometimes we’ll try something a little funky on stage, but only if we feel like it. If I’m not having fun doing shows then I’ll probably stop doing them.

JTC—If you were going to the zoo? Which animal would you go see first?

MD—Well, I don’t think I’d go to the zoo; I think it’s a little funky seeing all those cool critters confined, but If I did, I’d go see the dolphins, I guess. I heard somewhere they can give themselves blow jobs – that’s a trait I admire.

PLANTS AND ANIMALS

Justin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 02:30:39 +0000

INTERVIEW BY SEAN TYSON

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANNA WOLF

ILLUSTRATION BY MIKE PERRY

Calculated but loose, emotional but cerebral, orchestrated yet organic; Montreal based Plants and Animals are as dialectic as the country and city they represent. From “majestic-folk” to “experimental-indie” to “post-classic-rock” the band has remained successfully elusive. Their music is a timeless journey, an enchanting panorama of everything that’s been great in classic rock over the last 40 years. Their debut album, Parc Avenue, was released in 2008 and quickly garnered critical acclaim. With a Juno Award and Polaris nomination in their back pocket, Plants and Animals began touring with bands like Wolf Parade, Born Ruffians and Patrick Watson.La La Land is their newly released second album and it too is excellent. It’s a passionate deviation from Parc Avenue, and a big, bold step forward for these endearingly unassuming musicians. We caught up with lead guitarist and do-it-all musician Nicolas Basque before sound check at The Commodore Ballroom on a beautiful spring evening in Vancouver.

SEAN TYSON—I saw several banner ads for your album on Dictionary.com. Has there ever been a point where you’ve thought, “Wow. We’ve actually made it. We’re kind of a big deal”?

NICOLAS BASQUE—No. I know my real life outside of the band, and this all feels surreal. When we walked into this venue, I was like, “We’re really playing this room tonight?!”

ST—Parc Avenue was such an eclectic and adventurous album, yet its title is so factual and concrete. La La Land on the other hand feels a bit more focused and straightforward, yet the title is obviously quite open and abstract. It seems like you could swap the titles and they would feel more appropriate. You’ve mentioned previously that your touring experiences inspired the idea of La La Land. Were there any specific moments that felt surreal or utterly ridiculous?

NB—Yeah, we went to LA to do a concert in this fun venue called Spaceland. Danger Mouse came to the show with the singer from The Shins, after the show he called us and said, “Oh, you want to come to my place and have a party?!” [Laughs] Also, in Iceland, they flew us to some northern town and made us play in a village bar with Buck 65 and
a hip-hop band from Iceland. The whole town was there – old people and kids – so that was surreal.

ST—Jian Ghomeshi has the biggest crush on you guys. Does that make you feel warm and fuzzy inside?

NB—[Laughs] Yeah, he’s such a nice guy. Last time I ran into him at Canadian Music Week I tried to convince him to play drums with us when we were going to be on his show. He’s been really supportive. All of CBC has been supportive. Hopefully we’ll get him to play in the band. But he has to play standing up. Just drums, standing up.

AIDAN KNIGHT

Justin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 02:25:56 +0000

INTERVIEW BY JUSTIN TYLER CLOSE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KANDLE OSBORNE

Organic and simple by nature, acoustic singer-songwriters do not always create the lasting impression of other genres’ musicians. And then there’s the enchanting Aidan Knight. His debut album, Versicolour, is intensely vivid and very memorable. It’s a journey akin to skimming your hand through a lake, the water thick and dark like oil; bicycling through the suburban summer; lying amongst the barley next to a prairie highway. Versicolour is somewhat nostalgic of a summer in our younger years, however Aidan himself is timeless. He is to 2010, what Nick Drake was to 2005, not necessarily because he sounds like him, but because he encapsulates all the intimate innocence of a true enigmatic and innocent creator. With his smooth voice these songs could be covers of old standards that stood the test of decades. “Jasper” could easily be an old Guy Clark song made famous by Emmylou Harris and sung by countless hillbilly visionaries crossing paths with Johnny Cash. He also loves cereal. He said this much.

JUSTIN TYLER CLOSE—So, you’re Aidan Knight! Where did you come from and how did you get into playing music?

AIDAN KNIGHT—In the least funny way possible, I came from my parents in 1986. I was a huge baby and still am – I was ten pounds fourteen ounces and now I’m a little over six feet tall. I grew up in Victoria, BC and did my time in school band and church choirs, but I didn’t really start pursuing ‘Aidan Knight’ as a solo musician until last November. I’ve been writing so-so love songs since I was fifteen, and just released my first record this year. Life seems really good right now.

JTC—Your album Versicolour is fantastic! What inspired it? A girlfriend? A place you traveled to?

AK—I’m not conceptual enough to create a real theme for the album, at least not on the spot. It’s just about my life: girls, family, past, present, responsibility, not owning a car. You name it: I tried to write about it. When I came to Jon [Record producer, Jonathan Anderson] with the skeletons of the songs in 2008, he listened to me play through a verse and a chorus of each and then asked me, “Where do you want this to go?” I probably didn’t know exactly what I wanted at the time. As I heard a harmony or a certain texture, I started piecing together things I liked. By the time [Toronto’s seven-piece orchestral collective] The O’Darling became involved in summer 2009, Jon and I had laid out some pretty good sonic beds and they just took everything to another place; a better place. I feel like I’m in love with the album because it has so many of my friends on it. It’d feel pretty selfish to love your own album, right?

JTC—For me to get hooked on a certain album, or a certain musician, I have to really believe in the lyrics or in the story they’re telling me. How important are lyrics to your music, and especially performing them to a live audience?

AK—I’m not a performer, and it’s really too bad, because I really love live music. I love discovering bands through a live show and I am blown away when people discover me through word of mouth. Maybe everyone enjoys all that nervous energy on stage? Anyways, I really look up to poised, ethereal women on stage. Until I can pull off Erykah Badu, I’m just another indie singer-songwriter. I’d love to dance a little more on stage. Lyrics, for me, are best under a haze of questions. I’m a gigantic Jeff Tweedy guy, and I’m sure that most of my lyrical associations of his lyrics are completely different than his. Imagine if everyone knew what Nick Drake was talking about? Or Del? I’d like to even be at the bottom of that list of Great Ambiguous Lyricists.

SHAD

Justin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 02:22:41 +0000

INTERVIEW BY DAVE VERTESI

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JUSTIN TYLER CLOSE

Shad’s laid-back demeanor is not indicative of his hard-earned success or musical ambition. He may be happy-go-lucky and upbeat, but he’s also pensive, curious and hungry to share his views. He’s a talented, mature, and self-effacing artist who makes it all look easy. His understated style is infectious and his music is accessible, engaging and intelligent. Effortless has never looked so cool. Comparisons to the rest of the hip-hop world are absolutely unnecessary. All you need to know is Shad’s material is musically rich and lyrically thoughtful. He isn’t reactionary – he’s philosophical and hopeful. His latest album, TSOL, is another poetic journey in the same direction that helped his last record, The Old Prince, earn nominations for a Juno and Polaris Prize.

DAVE VERTESI—You talk about your parents a fair amount on each of your records. What are the top three records or artists you’d like to thank your parents for getting you into?

SHAD—My parents didn’t listen to too much music, actually. My aunts got me into Simon & Garfunkel, and my dad and I both liked Phil Collins. Other than that my dad listened to lots of Central and East African music and gospel music, which was great, too.

DV—You’ve been enrolled in a part-time master’s program in Liberal Arts at Simon Fraser University since the release of your last record The Old Prince. Have any of your courses influenced the writing on your new album? Does Jane Austen have any place in hip hop?

S—Jane Austen is pretty Queen Latifah-esque in her own way! I really respect her talent and her sense of virtue.

DV—The title of your new album, TSOL, is a word that you made up in part to demonstrate the insufficiency of language to express ideas or emotions. As a lyricist have you come to accept that or are you fighting to overcome those limitations? Do you feel you communicated what you wanted on this record?

S—It’s a fun and interesting challenge for me. I work hard at crafting lyrics but ultimately people interpret them in all sorts of ways and that’s cool with me, too. It’s more than cool, actually; it’s part of the magic of music. I like that it can mean different things to different people at different times. I’m happily resigned to that.

BOOOOOOOM

Justin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 02:19:21 +0000

INTERVIEW & PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY POWER REGIMBAL

Booooooom started as a fun way for Jeff Hamada to highlight artists he loves; now, it’s one of the most influential blogs running and his full-time job. He’s taken the assumption that artists are bad at business, torched it and shot it out of a cannon into the desert like Hunter S Thompson’s ashes and hasn’t looked back since. Anyone can create a blog and voice their opinion, but not everyone has the power to command over two million hits per month. Let’s just say, Mr. Hamada’s opinion matters more now than ever, and if Jeff likes you, you’re doing something right. This kooky artist never had a plan when he started blogging, and maybe he still doesn’t, but with his fortune-cookie take on life and those seven lucky Os in Booooooom we see bright things in his future.

JEREMY POWER REGIMBAL—Where are you from and how did the Booooooom blog come to be?

JEFF HAMADA—I was born in Vancouver and have lived around here my entire life. I started Booooooom two years ago as a personal project and it suddenly hit me that it had the potential to connect me with every amazing artist in the entire universe. So I started to post up work and send out emails that just said, “Hey, you’re awesome,” and that became my routine. I did it every day for two years. So I guess, secretly, Booooooom is just a way for me to make friends. Now it gets well over two million page views each month and it’s my full-time job.

JPR—What do you do as an artist besides your blog?

JH—I make noodley drawings, a lot of text-based stuff. I like funny little sayings, and I’ll eavesdrop on conversations for funny observations, or make note of really awkward moments. I’m working on a story which may end up being a kids’ book, or at least a book with lots of pictures.

JPR—What are your plans for the next five years and beyond?

JH—I don’t ever plan that far ahead but I’ve kept two fortune cookie messages, one says, “Minimize expectations to avoid disappointment.” I think this is a hilarious fortune and I laugh at it when I read it because I believe the exact opposite. I set ridiculously high expectations for myself and fail regularly and this reassures me that I am doing things I’ve never done before. The other one says, “You will inherit a large sum of money.”

JODY ROGAC

Justin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 02:16:06 +0000

INTERVIEW BY JUSTIN TYLER CLOSE

Born in England, raised in Canada, currently living in New York City, Jody Rogac has created a name for herself by producing beautiful photographs of human beings in their natural habitat. By shooting in the styles of portraiture, editorial and fashion, she continues to create a timeless feeling of romanticism in each of her photos. Her fascination with faces and keen eye for simple human moments is forever evolving within herself and her work. For such a young photographer she has created a portfolio with an old soul, with work comparable to that of the great Henri Cartier-Bresson or Irving Penn – photographers who didn’t rely on Photoshop to fix their mistakes. All they had were a subject, a camera and a dark room. Today, being able to find your niche in an extremely competitive industry is imperative, and Jody’s found it. Hers is the art of being able to capture moments in between moments when the rest of us are blinking…

JUSTIN TYLER CLOSE—How did you start doing photography? Who or what inspires you? And where are you currently working?

JODY ROGAC—I started photography when I began school at Emily Carr in Vancouver. During my three-year education there I truly fell in love with the medium. Last year I moved to New York and have been working here since and loving it. I’m inspired by everything really – my friends, my environment and especially nature.

JTC—If you could shoot with one person in the entire world, dead or alive, from James Dean to Meryl Streep, who would it be? Why? And what would you do?

JR—Someone I would love to photograph is Jane Goodall. I think she’s absolutely gorgeous and such an inspiration! I would probably hang out with her for a weekend at her home, or in a forest, and photograph our time together – something really casual. And we’d definitely have to get some chimps in there, too!

JTC—You seem to love clean, emotional photos of real people. You don’t do much post-production and your photography is often simple, but very moody. This is a very hard style to be really great at, which you are. How did this style develop? And why is it important to you?

JR—When I began taking photos I only had one piece of equipment and that was my camera – I didn’t have any fancy lights or computers or anything. So I began photographing by making the most out of what I had available to me – my camera and my subject. This really taught me to love how people look when they’re photographed in
the most natural way, and I find it very satisfying to photograph in the most simple way I can.

THE CHEAPER SHOW

Justin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 02:13:09 +0000

WORDS BY DOUGLAS HADDOW
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JUSTIN TYLER CLOSE

This time last year it was general knowledge that the art market had developed a bubble, and that bubble had burst. The decade that saw the greatest rise in the value of art in history was going out with a crash, last one to pilfer a bottle of Dom, please turn off the lights. But then in early May, Picasso’s “Nude, Green Leaves and Bust” was auctioned for a record $106 million. A few weeks later, another Picasso, “Dove with Green Peas,” among other works, was stolen from the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. A brazen thief simply slipped in through a broken window and within minutes made off with half a billion dollars worth of canvas, and like that it was declared that the Art Marke was revived, and the sigh of a thousand hedge-fund managers was heard round the world. But in Vancouver, an alternative narrative was developing in contrast to these jagged spikes of red and black. It was the story of The Cheaper Show, a phenomenon that started out as a party for the renegades of the East Van art scene, but has in nine years grown into Western Canada’s largest single-night art event.

The formula is simple: 200 artists with 400 pieces selling at 200 bucks a pop, one night only and a night to remember. Organized by twelve artists and designers from East Vancouver, the show has become something of a cultural institution in Vancouver, so much so that June 26th was recently declared “Cheaper Show Day” by Mayor Gregor Robertson. Attracting approximately 8,000 visitors, Cheaper Show No. 9 took place in a 30,000 square foot space, painted and prepped by the event’s crew and their army of volunteers – a mean feat considering the mere six hours that the space will be open. It’s especially impressive when one considers how viciously the BC government has slashed the wrists of its art programs. But the show carries on regardless, buoyed by the passion of its artists and organizers and the interest of those who come from all over the world to take it all in.

Damien Hirst, the most divisive figure of the phantom market crash of ’09 recently said “Anyone can be like Rembrandt… It’s about freedom and guts… That’s the great thing about art. Anybody can do it if you just believe.” While that may just be little more than a pugnacious sound bite, it rings true when you measure the amount of sweat it takes to pull off a production like The Cheaper Show. At these prices, 400 fresh servings of guts and freedom is perhaps even more of a steal than Picasso’s green peas.

TIM BLAKE NELSON

Jeremy — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 19:26:06 +0000

INTERVIEW BY STEVE EARLE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAINER HOSCH
STYLING BY KIM JOHNSON
GROOMING BY RHEANNE WHITE
—

You can take the man out of the South but you can’t take the South out of the man. Since Tim Blake Nelson’s memorable portrayal of Delmar in the Coen Brothers’ critically acclaimed O Brother, Where Art Thou? he has become a go-to guy for unusual Southern characters, appearing in movies as diverse as The Good Girl, The Incredible Hulk and Syriana. To become the accomplished actor, writer and director he is today, the Oklahoma native bid farewell to Dixieland, ropers, and Wrangler apparel to walk the Hollywood line, but if his latest directorial effort is anything to go by, it’s as if he never left. Set in his hometown of Tulsa, Leaves of Grass sees Edward Norton playing diametrically opposed twins Bill and Brady – one a Classics professor, the other a pot grower – the former forced to return to his redneck roots to help his brother out of a shady spot. The movie is full of humor, hard work and heart, so it makes sense that Tim brought some of his good friends along for the ride. One man who scored a role and is featured on the soundtrack is country rock singer and Tim’s lifelong pal Steve Earle – no wonder he was more than happy to take time out to put a few questions to his fellow Southerner.

STEVE EARLE—Hey man, what’s up?

TIM BLAKE NELSON—How are you? Were you on a red eye?

SE—Yeah, I just got off… How are you sir?

TBN—Steve, I’m sure you’ve been up all night researching questions.

SE—I actually have a handful of questions, and they should work just fine, and both of us can talk the ears off a wooden Indian… So Leaves of Grass… There are two Edward Nortons in this movie, how many Tim Blake Nelsons are there?

TBN—Well there’s the Steve Earle fan, the director, the writer, the actor, the producer and the … no let’s just actually say there’s the Steve Earle fan and the giddy actor/filmmaker getting to realize his eccentric vision of the world with some of the best actors around. How’s that?

SE—Cool. That’s actually the answer to my second question, which means you’re fucking clairvoyant on top of everything else. It looked like a lot of work, doing all those different jobs. But I’m not so much asking about job descriptions as I am interested in how much of you is in these characters. I think to some degree both of Ed’s [Edward Norton’s] characters are you, some part of you, and I’m from the same part of the world you’re from and I definitely recognized some of the characters in this movie…

TBN—Well I think that any of us, and I would certainly include you on this list, who’ve left the Southwest or any truly specific region of the country for another specific region of the country, have an inherent duality, because while being strongly rooted in where we’re from, we’re also seeking a place that will nourish other aspects of our identities. I think it’s certainly true that the professor character and the pot-growing character are both versions of me. The simplest way I can put it is that I am a father with three kids and a wife, who travels all over the country and sometimes the world making movies as if I weren’t tied to a home life at all. Like most people who do what we do, I live a duality, and so the movie is hopefully a funny but also poignant exploration of that and how difficult it is to balance the strong forces that one can have in a single life.

SEBASTIAN COPELAND

Jeremy — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 01:44:17 +0000

INTERVIEW BY KEITH HEGER

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAKE CHESSUM
ASSISTED BY KEVIN TRAGESER
STYLING BY MICHELLE CAMERON
IMAGE RETOUCHING BY PRIMARY PHOTOGRAPHIC

—

The Arctic isn’t at the top of most people’s holiday destination list. Whether you picture a treacherous, frozen wasteland or the spot where Santa’s elves get everything ready for Christmas, chances are you’ve never planned on going there. But for environmental advocate Sebastian Copeland, who visited frequently in his childhood dreams, the Arctic means something else. The North Pole was the destination for a real-life exploration to mark the centennial of Admiral Robert Peary’s 1909 expedition and to experience the rapidly vanishing environment first-hand. This remarkable endeavor was captured on film by Sebastian and can be seen in Into the Cold: A Journey of the Soul. This cinematic account of his four-week, 400-mile frostbitten trek sees Sebastian and adventure junkie Keith Heger trade civilization for the physical challenge of minus fifty-degree temperatures and the mental hardships of isolation and endurance. Through stunning visuals and ambitious musical accompaniment, the documentary captures the tragic beauty of this desolate place while delivering a poignant message about our gas-guzzling, RIP-planet lifestyles. Sebastian continues to convey that message with his most recent kite-skiing adventure to Greenland. Arctic pilgrimage partner Keith caught up with Sebastian while he was packing up for the expedition to talk environmental impacts, internal peace and their incredible (and incredibly cold) journey.

KEITH HEGER—Sebastian, how are you doing?

SEBASTIAN COPELAND—I’m good, buddy. How are you?

KH—I’m well. Where are you at, right now?

SC—I’m in LA.

KH—How is it there?

SC—It’s fantastic. I’m in the final stages of preparation for the Greenland trip, so I’ve got clothes hanging all over the house and packs of food, technology and camera equipment. It’s a mess out here. I leave in a couple of days… How are you doing?

KH—I’m very well. I’m here in Chicago. It’s warm and sunny and I’m wearing my Canucks shorts and thinking about Into the Cold and your next journey to Greenland.

SC—I’m bummed that I’m not doing this trip with you. You’re going to be missed on this one. We had such an amazing time in the Arctic.
It was as amazing a time as you can get while you’re trekking across, you know, frozen icescape.

KH—Yeah, it definitely was amazing.

SC—It’s time to do an expedition to Los Angeles, Keith, and come visit.

KH—I know it’s about time. Some place warm.

SC—But now you’ve got another little kid coming and I can’t help but think of the responsibility that this means in terms of climate change and the responsibility we have to the generations of the future. I want to have a child, and hopefully in the next couple of years it’ll be on the table, but I can’t disassociate the responsibility of a child with the responsibility that we have for advocating on behalf of the planet.

KH—Every time I go traveling in the Arctic with team members, there’s no stronger sense of purpose in me than encouraging people to be ambassadors. When they go home, they can share the story of the Arctic, however they make that story up. Certainly with Into the Cold you told a compelling story. You’re so focused on the journey and the accomplishment, the hardships and the daily challenge. It takes a moment to step away and recognize your sense of place. That’s the question I have for you: How does traveling to the Arctic and these inhospitable corners of the world strengthen your space in LA? How do you relate the two to each other?

SC—I come back with rich content about these places, which are often perceived as the corners of the world. They seem so far away and almost otherworldly, and the reality is that they’re very much part of our world. They’re an inherent, necessary, symbiotic part of our existence on this planet, and as we see the melt occurring – as we see these regions being impacted so dramatically by climate change many see that as a sentimental tale, but in fact it’s really a cautionary one, because as the ice goes, so goes humanity.

KH—I’ve never been as cold as holding that metal body of the Canon camera. It goes all the way right through you. How fitting is the name of the movie? We were immersed in the cold.

SC—We really were, and really digging deep into the depths of the soul for all kinds of answers and internal peace. One of the things that I value so much about these trips is that they’re sort of monastic and mostly silent. It takes a certain type of partner to really find complete harmony in that kind of isolation; that’s really what I take back from Into the Cold. This whole North Pole trip with you has just been a really synergistic, harmonious and monastic type of journeying.