AN “island” from the Arctic will be heading for Poole Harbour in the UK’s Olympic year.

It will be towed the entire length of the coastline of south-west England to highlight climate change as the clock ticks down to the start of the 2012 games.

It will in fact be a portion of “Nowhereisland”, a land mass the size of a football pitch discovered by artist Alex Hartley in the melting ice of a retreating glacier in the Arctic and already included on maps and charts.

A portion of Nowhereisland will be loaded on to a barge and shipped to Poole in mid-July 2012, when it will start its 702-mile coastal trip before ending up in Weymouth for the Olympic sailing events in August.

The website nowhere island.org imagines the scene like this: “A large island moves through the water on a long, low barge.

“Dark silver in tone, it appears like an alien material on the Lyme horizon.

“Part epic sculpture, part spectacular vessel, it moves closer to the land, dwarfing the small boats that herald its arrival at the harbour.”

Alex said: “This 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.”

He hopes to apply for micronation status while the island is en route to UK waters, enabling people to register as citizens.

Almost 400 people have already signed up for citizenship, and Nowhereisland aims to surpass the populations of Liechtenstein and Monaco by 2012.

The £500,000 project, a collaboration between Mr Hartley and the Situations programme at the University of the West of England, was chosen by Arts Council England as part of their Cultural Olympiad programme.

The programme is four years of cultural celebration leading up to the 2012 games.

Arts Council England’s south-west executive director Chris Humphrey said: “The sight of an island approaching the shore will be an amazing spectacle for the people who are fortunate enough to experience it.

“Nowhereisland will provoke thought, create excitement and will help us to fulfil our ambition to make great art available for everyone.”