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Ny-Alesund is a scientific place. It's a town made for science, designed for science; so there are no children around, there are no retired people around. Everybody is working in science or related to science.

Ny-Alesund is a research town on the island of Spitsbergen in Svalbard. If you are wondering where is Svalbard, just look at the map: you may be surprised to find out that the archipelago is located between continental Norway and the North Pole. This is a place where the population is only about 2,600 people while about 3,000 polar bears live here; where one can't be born or buried; and where the rhythm of life is very different from the rest of the world. The magic of Svalbard was already featured in one of our previous Video of the Week posts. Additionally, this remote part of the world is so fascinating that learning more about it inspired me to embark on my very own Arctic adventure.

While Longyearbyen is the main centre of the island, there are several other settlements scattered throughout Svalbard, one of them being Ny-Alesund, the world's northernmost functional civil settlement. Ny-Alesund has an all-year permanent population of 30 to 35 in the summer reaching the number of 120, and is host to sixteen permanent research stations run by agencies from ten countries. The "last town before the North Pole" is home to 40-50 buildings, one main street and, most importantly, the world's northernmost post office.

Keep reading Portraits at the Edge of the World: Ny-Alesund

We travel along the coastline for several days. All we need fits in our waterproof and floatable backpacks. We set out to explore nature and what we carry with us is reduced to a minimum. We dive deep into the ocean and swim along wild cliffs, discovering untouched beaches where we spend our nights under the clear sky.

- Bernhard Wache, Founder of Seatrekking.

It's highly possible that you never heard about seatrekking: the sport was created more than 12 years ago by German designer and free-diver Bernhard Wache who successfully combined diving and hiking, allowing adventurers to discover land and water without limits. This was made possible by a unique watertight rucksack, a result of years of experiments with different materials and technology. “We wanted to escape everyday life. We were looking for a way to feel what’s essential again", he says about his inspiration. 

Keep reading SEATREKKING - Trekking the Ocean

What is the common point between ballet and motor racing? They may seem completely different but Royal Ballet Principal dancer Steven McRae is passionate about both. 

The Apiary is an Australian-born, Berlin-based directing duo working across fashion, advertising and arts. Lily Coates and Gavin Youngs are known for their eye for detail and visual imagery. Starting with almost no funds but with a dream of creating conceptual films in collaboration with musicians or artists, the duo also successfully carved out its niche, projecting their own style to short films for both cultural organisations and brands: their clientele includes Vice, The Australian Ballet, STVDIO, Calvin Klein, Ikea and more. 

Keep reading Portrait of a Dancer: Steven McRae

With a population of more than 23 million, Shanghai is the largest and traditionally the most developed metropolis in Mainland China. The city is split into the districts of Pudong and Puxi by the Huangpu River.

In 1980 Shanghai had no skyscrapers. It has now at least 4,000 of them - more than twice as many as New York. It is also the commercial and financial centre of China, and thanks to its advantageous location home to the world's busiest container port at the heart of the Yangtze River Delta. The bustling city underwent a major transformation and is constantly evolving: it is often described as a place that is futuristic and very convenient for its inhabitants.

Keep reading Shanghai Forever

The Great Escape is categorised as "fashion" and "narrative" on Vimeo, but it is way behind those labels: this subtle film is somewhere between dream and reality.

Benjamin Loeb is an aspiring Norwegian/Canadian cinematographer filming worldwide. He worked on shorts and films such as Hello Destroyer (Official Selection, Toronto Film Festival, 2016) or King Cobra (Official Selection, London Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival, 2016) and on commercials for brands like Prada, New Balance, Adidas, YSL or Mercedes.

What makes Benjamin's work unique and so refreshing is his naturalistic approach to storytelling and his filming process: he prefers using only daylight, saying, that those parts that are dark in reality should remain dark on the screen, too. His process includes moving the subjects in the direction of light and always choosing the right equipment as "the right lenses can make or break a project".

Keep reading The Great Escape

Sebastian Linda is a passionate audiovisual artist who lives in Dresden, Germany since 2011. He made Saxony the base from which he develops video and film projects that take him around the world.

Sebastian is a dedicated skateboarder, surfer, snowboarder and climber, connecting his passion for action sports and his everyday adventures with filmmaking. He produced his first short movies at the age of 12, thereby teaching himself camera, audio and cutting on Videorecorders and VHS Tapes. He finalised his first full-length movie called Born to Skate during his studies of media production.

He released another documentary since then: The Journey of the Beast captures nine talented skateboarders on a three week journey to Indonesia, which turns to the biggest adventure of their lives. 

Keep reading At Home Outdoors