Maine Arts Commission Individual Artist Project Grant Recipient 

to travel from Portland to Reykjavík via Eimskip Shipping Vessel

 

In Brief:

 

ICELANDx207 is an upcoming multi-media project, by artist and photographer Justin Levesque, documenting Iceland's recent entry into the Maine waterfront and economy. 

 

At its core, the project is focused to create portraits of Icelanders in Maine, capture the revitalized and bustling International Marine Terminal (Portland, ME) and chronicle a nine day journey from Portland to Reykjavík harbor aboard an Eimskip shipping vessel. 

 

The culmination of this project will be exhibited in conjunction with the 2016 Arctic Council meetings hosted by Portland, Maine (Oct. 4-6, 2016).

 

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Portland, ME to Reykjavík, Iceland:  

 

After successfully being awarded an Individual Artist Project Grant from the Maine Arts Commission, Levesque was invited by Eimskip to join the MV Selfoss and its crew as they complete the Portland to Reykjavík segment of their Green Line shipping route. Levesque describes Eimskip’s Green Line as “the invisible thread that connects our two cities, countries, cultures and economies.”

 

As passage aboard Eimskip’s vessels is not open to the public, this opportunity will provide both Maine and Iceland a glimpse into how such a voyage operates and contributes to their respective markets. Levesque will chronicle the experience both in photography and a nine-episode podcast called ICELANDx207: Green Line that shares interviews with the crew and his experience on board.

 

The voyage begins September 19, 2015 and ends approximately September 28, 2015; wind & weather permitting. MV Selfoss will make two stops en route to Reykjavík: Argentia, NL, Canada and St. Anthony, NL, Canada.

 

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Reykjavík, Iceland / JoNA:

 

Levesque will be warmly welcomed on Reykjavík’s waterfront by Jewels of the North Atlantic Magazine (JoNA) Editor-in-chief, Vilborg Einarsdóttir. As described in their brochure, “JoNA’s goal is to take an unflinching look at this dispersed yet unified region [the North Atlantic], from its massive riches to its ever changing, towering environment, to daily lives of people and emerging business opportunities.” 

 

Levesque will represent Maine on JoNA’s visual reportage team and is a member of the group of journalists, editors, analysts and photojournalists from 8 countries sharing the shores of the North Atlantic Ocean, who are behind this forthcoming new media. He will be a regular contributor of photography from across the state. 

 

JoNA receives business development advisory support from working partner Dana Eidsness, Director of MENADO, the Maine North Atlantic Development Office at the Maine International Trade Center.

 

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Maine International Trade Center / MENADO:

 

The Maine North Atlantic Development Office (MENADO) was formed in 2013 as a program of Maine International Trade Center and the Maine Department of Economic & Community Development to develop increased trade/investment, arts/cultural, and academic exchanges between Maine and the markets of the North Atlantic Region, as well as develop Maine's policy space in Arctic affairs.

 

“The ICELANDx207 series is a great example of a project helping to facilitate a deeper connection with Iceland for Maine. Justin’s work will be seen by people from business, government, academia, arts communities—and quite possibly by officials from the 8 Arctic nations at next year’s Arctic Council meetings in Portland. Justin’s visual content for JoNA Magazine will further define Maine as a familiar member of the North Atlantic community, which will make business, arts/cultural and educational collaborations easier to develop throughout the region. This is good stuff!” -Dana Eidsness, Director of MENADO, the Maine North Atlantic Development Office at the Maine International Trade Center.

 

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EIMSKIP:

 

“Portland is now the company’s only port of call in the United States. Eimskip vessels that call on Portland also call on Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Argentia, Newfoundland. Eimskip is a niche shipping line that specializes in moving products that need refrigeration. Products coming into the United States are primarily frozen fish, but it also ships bottled water and cryolite, a mineral important in the production of aluminum, which is produced in large quantities in Iceland.

 

Exports from Portland include consumer goods, food stuffs and building supplies from manufacturers throughout the United States. Products from Maine include frozen and processed food, such as lobsters, blueberries and potatoes.”1

 

1. Quote originally from Portland Press Herald:

Bell, Tom. "Eimskip Moves to Bring More Cargo Ships to Portland." Portland Press Herald. N.p., 29 Jan. 2015. Web. 31 Aug. 2015. <http://www.pressherald.com/2015/01/29/eimskip-moves-to-bring-%E2%80%A8more-vessels-to-portland/>.

 

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Media:

 

ICELANDx207 relevant images can be downloaded here:

 

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Important Links:

 

ICELANDx207: http://icelandx207.com

 

ICELANDx207: Green Line Podcast: http://icelandx207.com/greenline

(Live by 9/14/2015)

 

Search #ICELANDx207 on Instagram or Facebook

 

SHOP GEOMETRY: http://shopgeometry.com

(Justin Levesque Artist Website)