Only Barely Still

Only Barely Still is a long-term analog photography project that reimagines the Arctic, and in particular the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, through the lives of the women who inhabit it. The project aims to counter dominant Western narratives that have long framed the polar regions as a masculine frontier. While much of the Arctic is home to Indigenous peoples, Svalbard has no Indigenous population and has often been cast by outsiders as a remote, rugged outpost where only the toughest men survive. In the historical record shaped by early exploration, women are largely absent, appearing only as rare exceptions or companions. At the same time, Western imagination has repeatedly feminised the polar landscape as “virgin” and “barren” – a passive body to be conquered, tamed, or protected. Only Barely Still works in the space between these enduring misconceptions, about women and about the Arctic, and offers a quiet counter-narrative that centres female presence and perspective. Printed on thin, translucent paper, the one-sided spreads leave facing pages blank – yet faint outlines of nearby images shimmer through, creating a quiet space for the reader. Alongside Lemblé’s photographic narrative is a chapter of historical images of women on Svalbard from the archives of the Norwegian Polar Institute, bringing forward a glimpse into the visual history of female presence. The book also features an essay by Abi Andrews, who traces a lineage of women in Svalbard – from early hunters’ companions to contemporary residents – reframing their roles not as footnotes but as central actors in Arctic life. Weaving together overlooked histories, ecofeminist thought, and the counter-myths of authors such as Ursula K. Le Guin, Andrews asks what the polar story looks like when stripped of its “Heroic Age” trappings. When heroism is not conquest, but endurance, relation, and the quiet choice to leave no flag behind.