In the pursuit of perfection, Richard
Accompanied by a local photographer and filmmaker, he was able to explore locations far from the usual tourist trail, which entailed driving out into the wilds, walking in the darkness and waiting in the cold, sometimes until three in the morning, for the magic of the aurora to begin. Such measures were necessary; as with all natural phenomena, there are no guarantees or cast iron timetables to be followed. The winter months are usually the best time to see them, on clear and cloudless night skies, in rural areas of Nordic countries, with low light pollution. Sightings can vary in intensity and also duration, lasting anywhere between fleeting minutes to hours on occasion. The aurora is a huge source of tourism for Nordic countries; over 2.2 million tourists are expected to visit Iceland in 2017, with increasing numbers opting for a winter trip rather than during the traditional summer season. It is little wonder, therefore, that travelled to Iceland for the first time to witness this marvel for himself.
their governing bodies take ever-growing measures to protect one of their greatest natural assets. Since a 2010 study performed by researchers at Yale and Columbia on the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) – which ranked countries on 25 metrics including water cleanliness, air quality and habitat safeguarding – Iceland has consistently featured in the top five of the world’s cleanest countries. As reported by Forbes following the publication of the study, Iceland has been described as “a world leader in addressing pollution control and natural resource management challenges.” These considerations have gained a place on the global political stage in recent years. Building on their previous meeting in 2013 in Stockholm, the U.S.-Nordic Leaders Summit (comprised of the United States, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) issued a joint statement from the White House in 2016 addressing the need for a broad
32 FINE ART COLLECTOR SPRING 2017
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