Forsker fra Sør-Afrika

Dr. Adrienne van Eeden-Wharton er postdoktor ved Universitet i Pretoria i Sør-Afrika og del av prosjektet «Antarctica, Africa, and the Arts». 

Her er et lite utdrag fra hennes egen omtale av prosjektet: 

«I am a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pretoria on the Antarctica, Africa and the Arts project, which is funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) as part of the South African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP). 

This project, led by Dr. Charne Lavery, focuses on Africa’s relationship to Antarctica from the perspective of the arts and humanities during the era of climate change. My ongoing work Water/Log traces the entangled histories of the exploitation of whales, seals and seabirds along the southern African coast and adjacent islands, and in the sub-Antarctic and Antarctic regions. 

As an artist-researcher, I combine site-responsive creative praxis (mainly photography, video and sound installation) and historical archival research.»

Dr. Adrienne van Eeden-Wharton var hovedsakelig interessert i kildemateriale med tilknytning til hvalfangst langs den afrikanske kysten. 

For at van Eeden-Wharton skulle få best mulig utbytte av sin tid på lesesalen, hjalp vi henne med å identifisere relevant arkivmateriale på forhånd. Vi fant blant annet fram korrespondanse, forsikringsdokumenter, møtebøker, årsberetninger og regnskap, kart, diagrammer, skipsjournaler og dekksdagbøker. 

Dr. Adrienne van Eeden-Wharton har også skrevet et lite sammendrag av lesesalsbesøket i Sandefjord: 

"Elin Smaavik, an archivist at the Vestfoldarkivet, helped me beforehand to identify relevant archival collections so that I could make the most of my time at the archive’s reading room. Here, as able to consult unique material such as incoming and outgoing correspondence, insurance documents, meeting books, annual company reports, maps, diagrams, ship logs and deck diaries. 

The Vestfoldarkivet has also digitised a diverse collection of photographs from the Hvalfangstmuseet. These are all invaluable sources in researching the complex histories of pelagic and shore-based whaling operations in the southern Atlantic and Indian Oceans along the African coast – spanning from Gabon southwards to Angola, Namibia and South Africa, around the tip of the continent and northwards to Mozambique and Madagascar – and links to Antarctic whaling. 

Through deck diaries and logs, for example, I was able to gain a better understanding of the seasonal routes – from Europe to the Antarctic whaling grounds – of several factory ships and catcher fleets, and the importance of African ports as gateways to the Southern Ocean.

My research in Sandefjord has also led to fresh perspectives and a more nuanced approach to the material that I had previously collated from various archival sources in South Africa, and inspired new avenues for future exploration."

Vestfoldarkivet og Hvalfangstmuseet takker Adrienne for en hyggelig uke på lesesalen, samt for kunnskapsutveksling og samarbeid, og ønsker henne lykke til med forskningen.

Selv har hun takket oss på følgende vis: "A heartfelt thanks to Elin Smaavik, Marit Slyngstad, Bente Aarup Paulsen and their colleagues at the Vestfoldarkivet, and Eivind Thorsen and Clare Beech from the Hvalfangstmuseet – their warm welcome and generous sharing of time and expertise made this trip both productive and memorable."