Being-with
“I think when you have, When you have exercises where it's hands on- where both parties are hands on doing the same task with the same information, and then you're producing something together. You know what I mean? That nobody's, uh, or system or whatever is, is, is, Regulating either. You know, where the regulation, regulations are put aside so that this event takes place. (Tuppittia Qitsualik, 2022 post-workshop interview)“
It is not just that the igloo building could be argued to have emerged as an ethical space of engagement, because it was built based on mutually agreed upon terms of engagement, it's also that the igloo itself, once finished, provided new grounds for meeting each other. The igloo became a physical manifestation of "renewed" relationships- and a new place to gather.
Multiple Southern researchers, including myself, would return to the igloo at times. As an extended gathering point, it became not just an opportunity to meet other people, but also an opportunity to be present-with. Present with ourselves, the community, the significance of our collective undertaking, or with the Northern lights.
As one BearWatch co-PI would describe his experiences later: "I generally have problems being in the present. And so when I am in the present, those memories are really, uh, strong for me. And so that, that, that would, those will be memories that, you know, will be there for a long time. (...) And the fact that they let me in, right, let us in, but I felt really let in and, uh, and, you know, so those, those young guys really, really helped. And I had great eye contact with the elders" (prof. Whitelaw, 2022 post-workshop interview).