My Place or Yours

LARGE - Edition of 12
Unframed - 56" x 88"
Framed - 71" x 104"

STANDARD- Edition of 12
Unframed - 37" x 59"
Framed - 52" x 74"

I have never used streetlights, buildings, and telephone poles as part of any non-staged narrative before, but their inclusion in this image deliberately suggests an imminent and unwelcome encroachment into village life by the most dangerous of predators on the planet. I think the human detail not only complements the bear, but also makes the photograph relevant.

The reality is that communities such as Barrow, Prudhoe Bay, and Kaktovik in Alaska are accustomed to the daily presence of polar bears until the seawater freezes in the autumn. The cohabitation is a surreal situation— perhaps without equal on the planet. The end of the seasonal tenancy of the bears is being pushed out over time
as a result of global warming, and the villagers in these remote outposts have accepted white bears as a way of life.

Polar bear activity peaks around Halloween. Every night sirens go off and vigilantes patrolling the streets fire their guns. The record number of bears counted around Kaktovik at this time of year is a jaw-dropping 90.

I have come to the conclusion that the Inuit elders from the coastal villages of the Beaufort Sea know all there is
to know about polar bears. They respect the bears more than fear them, and
they don’t just tolerate their presence, they admire it. The Inuit way of life is under as much pressure as the polar bear way of life. After all, both are victims of our warming planet. 

The polar bears in these coastal communities are not malnourished. Indeed, look at the size of this female. She must weigh all of 1,200 pounds— seven times the size of the average man. Her positioning just before sunrise was integral to the strength of this image.

~ David Yarrow