.

The Tour

Beginning in the end of June 2011, I will be cycling around Iceland to raise money for the non-for profit organization Pane Condiviso Associazione di Volontariato in Haiti. The cycle tour itinerary will begin in the capital Reykjavik and follow the main road that runs around the island to finally end the tour in Reykjavik, having completed a journey of about 1340km and spanning across a travel period of approximately one month.

Cycle Route

The mission behind the tour is to raise money for the charity by traveling by bicycle around Iceland to support children who are suffering the consequences of severe poverty in Haiti.

About Me

I am an artist, traveler, and student of geology living and working in London. Following a cycle tour of the island of Sardegna last summer, I discovered how rewarding travelling long distances by bicycle can be. It is one of the simplest methods of travel which allows a direct contact with the surrounding environment and its people, creating immense possibilities for discovery and interaction and culture exchange. I would like to use this passion to support a charity such as Pane Condiviso to raise awareness of their wonderful work to a wider audience and contemporarily share my joy for cycling and the environment.  

About Pane Condiviso

Pane Condiviso is a non-for profit organization operating since 1983 in Haiti and Peru. They are solely supported by public donations which proceed towards supporting projects focusing on children's needs: providing nutritional support, shelter, education, and rescue from life on the streets. 

Thanks to previous donations,  Pane Condiviso has succeeded in building over 50 modest antiseismic three-bedroom houses with amenities, opened an orphanage hosting children between the ages of 8 and 15, and created opportunities for young people to pursue a university education. 

Since the striking of the earthquake in 2010 at Port-au-Prince, the orphanage received an increase in children in need and now accommodates 85 children who suffered its consequences and who were otherwise destined to live a homeless life. Now they receive the safety and care they need to look onto a brighter future. 

Check out Pane Condiviso's website to read more about their projects: 

www.panecondiviso.com

How will the money be used?

All the money raised for the journey will go entirely and directly to Pane Condiviso to support it and the work it does. Currently, Pane Condiviso provides schooling for over 1000 children in Haiti, though during the two months that school is closed for the summer break, they are unfortunately restricted to living in the poverty of streetlife, poor nutrition, and dangerous environments that accompany it. The donations will go towards supporting a summer program which will offer these children an opportunity to remain engaged in a stimulating and healthy environment throughout the summer holiday months, maintaining their health and inspiration geared towards making the most of their return to the new academic year at school. 

Project Development

The period for raising money spans across the entire duration of the project, which allows a good amount of time for collecting donations.  The idea is to create the possibility for people of all ages to tune into the tour online and follow the project via blog-updates such as diary entries, photographs, maps, weather and geographical data, and field recordings (environmental sound recordings). The latter will be streamed on Radio Aporee,  an online radio station which uses google maps to situate found sounds across the globe and will further be used to create sound works. This will allow viewers to listen to sounds recorded in situ and plot them on the map of the journey. 

Iceland : a Few Facts

Iceland is located on the mid-ocean ridge system in the North Atlantic close to the Arctic Circle between latitudes 63°23° N and 66˚32'N and longitudes 13˚30'W and 24˚32'W and is one of the most geologically active locations in the world. It is an island consisting of high plateau and volcanic mountains known for its lava fields, glaciers, geyzers, hot springs and active volcanoes and is, with fjords indenting its coastal plain. Its population is around 318.000 of which the vast majority live in the capital, Reykjavik, and surrounding areas.  

During the summer season the average temperature in Reykjavik is 11.8˚C/53˚F with average highs of 24.3˚C/76˚ and contrary to common belief, Iceland has a very mild, coastal weather with winters being very similar to those in New York. At the time of the cycle tour, the sun will stay above the horizon for almost 24 hours due to Iceland's latitude, though the sky is frequently overcast thus not allowing the sun to heat the air.  May and June stand as the driest months of the year, though because of the maritime climate of Iceland, humidity of the air is comparatively high.  

Iceland is sparsely populated and boasts of little industrial activity and virtually all of Iceland's electricity comes from renewable resources (e.g. domestic heating is commonly accomplished with water from hot springs), resulting in very good visibility in fine weather. Usually the causes of limited visibility are precipitation, fog, and the occasional industrial dusts carried by southerly or south-easterly winds from the British Isles or from the continent to Iceland. 

Conclusion

The project offers the opportunity to create an exchange between the fields of science, art, environment, and international education. In addition, the project aims to build a bridge of learning connecting three schools across the world: Ambrit International School in Rome, Birkbeck University in London, and the Pane Condiviso School in Haiti.  

SIM Residency

Following the cycle tour, I will be working as artist in residency for one month at the Association of Islandic Artists (SIM) in KORPÚLFSSTAÐIR, near Reykjavik, to present the project to a wider audience and to create new work. This will increase visibility of the charity of Pane Condiviso and its wonderful work that it continues to do. During the residency, I will be working with other international artists and will produce new work relating to various aspects of the journey while referring to issues relating to environment, education, science, and art.

SIM Association of Icelandic Artists

KORPÚLFSSTAÐIR, Reykjavik

References

· Ambrit International School, Rome, Italy; Friends of Ambrit: Scott Peterson: scott.peterson@mac.com ; Ambrit Int. School Administration office : 0039 06 5595305 

· Association of Visual Artists (SIM), Iceland, Reykjavik email : sim@sim.is 

· Birkbeck University Department of Geology, London;  Dr  Pieter Vermeesch: p.vermeesch@ucl.ac.uk      

·       Pane Condiviso Associazione Non for Profit; Ivana Agosto : panecondiviso@hotmail.it

Stay tuned with the project on facebook: 

See the latest news and follow the tour on my blog

If you would like to generously support Pane Condiviso with a donation

please click the Donate button below

All proceeds will go entirely to support Pane Condiviso's work in Haiti.

Every little bit helps, lets make it happen!

Payments are secured through pay pal and you don't need to have a Pay Pal account to donate!

All proceeds go directly to Pane Condiviso 

THANKYOU!