Wild Canada

 
Published: Tuesday 15 June 2004

-- Arctic Wildlife Migrations Photos by Brian Dickson India International Centre New Delhi

The sun god Iqaluit is displeased, and he is not one hiding his annoyance. Brian Dickson's candid camera captures every tell-tale sign -- knit eyebrows, wrinkled forehead, drooping mouth -- of the amazing stone carving. But of all the exhibits at Dickson's Arctic Wildlife Migrations, Igloolik, Canada 2003 Iqaluit is perhaps the only one blessed with a 'non-sunny' disposition. The rest of them -- the walrus, the polar bear, the Bowhead whale and of course the Eskimos -- clearly seem to make the most of their unique habitat.

This sense of bravado and a keen sense of humour suffuse the photographs of Igloolik, a small settlement at the northern end of Canada's immense Foxe Basin. Bowheads gamboling in the waters, mostly all-tail or all-fin, rarely seen whole; walruses in twos or more, either romancing in the moonlight or scratching each other's backs diligently; the polar bear with its kill, a picture of triumph and the rosy Eskimo boy armed with kettle and cup, making tea. The seascape is no less dramatic in character. For those who envision the arctic as a place swathed in white, the photographs with their riot of colours come as a surprise.

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