The University’s public art commissioning programme, Situations, has teamed up with artist Alex Hartley to bring part of Nymark to Weymouth and Portland. The project will receive £500,000 of Lottery cash from the Arts Council and London 2012 commissioned £500,000 project to celebrate the Games as part of the Artists Taking the Lead project.

Alex discovered Nymark within the melting ice of a retreating glacier in 2004 whilst exploring the archipelag of Svalbard, a Norwegian territory in the Arctic Ocean. The island is included on all new maps after being recognised by the Norwegian Polar Institute.

Alex said: “Nowhere Island will capture people's imagination, engaging local, national and international audiences. The island addresses the most significant global issue of our time, namely how we can respond to the urgent issue of climate change together? This project embodies the spirit of international cooperation that is at the heart of the Olympic ideal.”

Situations Director, Claire Doherty, added: “We are delighted to be working with such an outstanding artist on this commission. Alex approached us with this extraordinary idea and it has captured the imagination of so many people already.

“As an international public art commissioning programme, Situations has long experience of realising logistically complex projects outside conventional gallery or museum contexts but this remarkable project will be far the most ambitious we have ever produced.”

A project involving Cambridge University has also been selected to form part of the Artists Taking the Lead project. On Landguard Point by Pacitti Theatre Company will produce a series of spectacular outdoor events across East Anglia starring large numbers of the local community.

Highlights of the project will include events at Landguard Fort, an entire street painted black to use as a stage and marketplace for culture; 205 black flags being flown around the coast which will then be replaced by those of the 205 participating Olympic countries; four huge feasts each for 1000 people serving food from all of the 205 countries; and a touring exhibition of ephemera in disused shops across the East of England.

For more on these and other Artists Taking the Lead projects click here.