This week marks the opening of our two exciting new Frankenstein exhibitions. Ice and Fire: Frankenstein and the Arctic, curated by Jamie Callison and Andrew McKendry with the support of the Nord University Library, focuses attention on Robert Walton’s doomed expedition to the Far North, with emphasis on details from whaling, Arctic exploration, and northern atmospheric phenomena, that would be of particular interest to scholars and fans of Frankenstein, expedition narrative, or of Romantic literature in general.
Our other exhibition, Frankenversions: 200 Years of Adapting Frankenstein, on display at the Nord University library through October 31, features representations of Frankenstein in everything from Beat poetry to breakfast cereal, and is not to be missed if you are on the Nord Bodø campus. Jamie Callison and I had a lot of fun planning and organizing this exhibition, and we were delighted to receive so much help and support from our faculty. Dr. Ana Borissova at natural sciences loaned us the Van der Graaff generator so that our visitors can see and hear live electricity and marvel over the forces of nature that inspired Mary Shelley in the first place. I was interviewed on NRK Nordland Radio today, and I have to admit that while, perhaps appropriately, terrifying (it’s the most Norwegian I’ve ever spoken in my life!), it was great to present the exhibition and to showcase a few of the many versions of Frankenstein we assembled. Here are a few pictures of some of the exhibits (all photos credited: Per Jarl Elle, Nord University):
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