yarrow logo
My Place or Yours
Narrative
Behind the scenes
Prints
mouse scroll icon
SCROLL

My Place or Yours

Kaktovik, Alaska - 2016
Kaktovik, Alaska

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.

Indeed, look at the size of this female. She must weigh all of 1,200 pounds— seven times the size of the average man.

David Yarrow
Print sizes

Standard

37" x 59" Unframed

52" x 74" Framed

Edition of 12

Large

56" x 88" Unframed

71" x 104" Framed

Edition of 12

arrow left
Previous
Next
arrow left
Rear View MirrorThe SiberiansParts UnknownBearishBear MarketThe Ice MonsterShackletonThe SiberianJames?BrutusIce QueenPenguin ParadeGood Morning SiberiaI Walk the Line1953The StatesmanThe Lonesome CowboyOut of TownerTedThe Lodge at VailInuit FamilyPredatorNorth of the WallLast ChristmasFrozen MountainDownhill RacerMy Place or YoursWet Wet WetGrumpy Monkey78 Degrees NorthAmerican PrimevalXanaduWinter WonderlandThe Last Supper in ChicagoSilent WitnessThe OutlawsBear IslandThe Fur CoatThe Winter SeasonPale RiderNapoleonThe Gold Digger SaloonBlazing SaddlesCatchWyomingThe TetonsWho's Gonna Tell Him?The North SlopePurgatoryThe Emperor of the NorthAn Englishman in New YorkLeadvilleBonnie