L’impact du changement climatique le long de la Via Alpina, l’éducation de jeunes en difficulté par la randonnée, et un inventaire géophotographique de l’itinéraire rouge : tels sont les thèmes des trois projets sélectionnés pour les Bourses de Voyage Via Alpina 2011 offertes par le Secrétariat Permanent de la Convention alpine, le Secrétariat Via Alpina de la Principauté de Monaco et le réseau international Via Alpina :
A travers le projet « Eyewitness » (témoin oculaire), Elisabeth Gsottbauer, autrichienne, 27 ans, doctorante en politique environnementale, économie environnementale et économie du comportement à l’université autonome de Barcelone (Espagne), souhaite communiquer sur les conséquences du changement climatique qui sont d’ores et déjà ressenties par les habitants des Alpes. Pendant une dizaine de jours au mois de juillet 2011 elle parcourra les étapes de l’itinéraire jaune situées de part et d’autre du point culminant de la Via Alpina au col Niederjoch en Autriche (Tyrol) et en Italie (Haut-Adige). En chemin, elle interviewera des agriculteurs, gardiens de refuges, randonneurs afin de relayer leurs expériences et leur vision pour l’avenir. PROJET ANNULE ! Pour en savoir plus >>
En juillet également, la classe de 6ème de l’établissement d’éducation spécialisée Talander à Wangen im Allgäu (Allemagne) se lancera pour près de trois semaines de randonnée à partir de Tschagguns (Montafon, Autriche) sur le tronçon de l’itinéraire rouge de la Via Alpina serpentant sur les frontières entre Autriche et Suisse, puis Suisse et Italie, jusqu’à Tirano. Pour ces 10 garçons et 2 filles, âgés de 13 à 14 ans, au-delà de l’accomplissement physique il s’agira de développer leurs compétences sociales : responsabilité, esprit d’équipe et d’entraide, confiance en soi, esprit d’initiative... comme en avait fait l’expérience l’an dernier un groupe d’adultes suisses (voir Les vertus thérapeutiques de la Via Alpina). Pour en savoir plus >>
C’est pour quatre mois que Romain Liagre, français, 32 ans, un enfant, actuellement chargé de mission au Centre d’appui au secteur bruxellois de l’aide aux sans-abri (La Strada) se lancera en juin sur les sentiers pour réaliser le projet « Photographica alpina ». Combinant ses compétences de docteur en géographie, sa passion pour les Alpes où il passe quasiment toutes ses vacances et ses dons de photographe, il va réaliser un « inventaire géophotographique » de l’itinéraire rouge : tous les 5km, il prendra une photo vers chacun des quatre points cardinaux, créant ainsi une fascinante base de données qui pourra être intégrée au site via-alpina.org. A son retour, il communiquera son expérience dans les écoles de la région lilloise. Pour en savoir plus >>
Enfin, le Comité de sélection a souhaité décerner une Mention spéciale au projet présenté par la Fédération Française de la Montagne et de l’Escalade (FFME). La GTA apportant déjà une aide organisationnelle à la réalisation de cette traversée en relais de 11 massifs alpins ponctuée de rencontres entre pratiquants de toute une panoplie de sports de montagne, nous avons préféré réserver notre soutien financier aux trois autres projets ci-dessus. Mais par cette distinction, et l’inclusion dans le groupe des lauréats des bourses de voyage 2011, nous souhaitons souligner le professionnalisme de ce projet, sans doute le plus ambitieux et celui qui implique directement le plus grand nombre de participants, et qui reflète parfaitement l’esprit de découverte et de rencontres de la Via Alpina. Pour en savoir plus >>
Prochainement vous pourrez suivre l’avancement de chacun des projets à travers leurs blogs respectifs. A leur conclusion nous diffuserons, en ligne et lors de divers événements, les court-métrages réalisés au cours de ces quatre aventures.
Par ailleurs, nous vous présentons ci-dessous les résumés (en anglais) des autres projets éligibles qui nous ont été soumis. Présentés par des candidats issus de France, USA, Pologne, Allemagne, Italie et Autriche, ils traitent de thèmes artistiques, éducatifs ou du développement régional avec des approches très variées. Nous aurions souhaité disposer des moyens de les soutenir également, car chacun à son niveau ils apportent tous un enrichissement important de la Via Alpina. Certains d’entre eux verront tout de même le jour et pourront recevoir le soutien moral de la Via Alpina, du Secrétariat Permanent de la Convention alpine et du Secrétariat Via Alpina - Monaco.
Par ordre de réception des dossiers :
Martine Keller : Traversée des Alpes >>
“Solo complete crossing of the Alps from Monaco to Trieste through all the countries of the alpine arc, in 4 periods, using most Via Alpina trails (blue, red, green and yellow), followed by the writing of a travel story (in French) published on a website and in paper version by self-publishing or another publishing system.
The project proposed for the contest is one part of a larger program. It is the third period and it is scheduled for July/August 2011. The first and second periods have been carried out in 2009 and 2010 and the last will take place in July/August 2012.”
E-mail: martine.keller67(at)free.fr, web: www.partance.org Fleur et Marie Daugey : Vivre avec les loups – quand la nature et la culture s’accordent >>
“Reconciling nature and men is one of the challenges faced by mountain communities. With the return of wolves in the French and Swiss Alps, the question of living peacefully with wild predators has arisen as a difficult one. But solutions exist: associations, volunteers and shepherds work together to preserve traditional alpine farming and give a space to the predator. Like wolves, the Via Alpina crosses borders freely. Hiking this great path is a unique opportunity for us to meet alpine wildlife and cultures. And most of all, show the bonds they are building.”
E-mail: fdaugey(at)yahoo.fr
Agnieszka Kozlowska : Voyage pédestre au long cours dans les Alpes – un Grand Tour d’aujourd’hui ? Installation artistique Via Alpina >>
“I would like to explore from an artist’s perspective, the idea of a long-distance walking trip being a psychological “grand tour” of today, a way of inward travel rather than an outer-oriented one. Through walking the Via Alpina across Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy, Austria and Germany, and witnessing the walkers’ culture, I wish to express artistically the psychophysical experience of pedestrian alpine travel, and to communicate this state of mind to the viewer.
I envision creating an installation piece that would represent in a three-dimensional space the cross-section of the trail walked, and the material out of which this would be shaped would be inscribed during the walk with words expressing my subjective experience of the trip at particular moments. This would be complemented by a film expressing the meditative quality of walking, that consists of images of all the trail signs passed on my way that slowly blend one into another.
As an avid walker I have some experience of tackling long mountain routes in various countries. The fellowship would allow me to spend an extended period of time focused on creating a single artwork out of a long-distance route, which is something I have been planning to do for a long time. Alpine pedestrian travel, Via Alpina, Alpine nature and cultures would be promoted internationally by exhibiting the artwork to a wide audience including gallery-goers and visitors to other possible venues where the piece might be displayed.”
E-mail: agnieszka(at)kozlowska.eu, web: www.agnieszkakozlowska.com
Florian Huth : Munich – Mont Blanc : une marche photographique >>
“Munich, the southernmost large city of Germany, known for upscale lifestyle, Bavarian cosiness and its nearness to the Alps is the perfect starting point to begin my journey through the alpine mountains.
The aim - the Mont-Blanc - the highest mountain of Europe and the dream of many mountaineers is exactly 440.6 km air-line distance away.
Between Munich and the Mont-Blanc are the Alps, the largest mountains of Europe and enormous area for an eminent biodiversity.
Through four countries and over numerous summits, I would like to explore the variety of the Alps by foot and create a large photographic documentation.”
E-mail: mail(at)florianhuth.de, web: www.florianhuth.de
Ursula Achternkamp : Natural Born Bird Watchers >>
“The aim is to make film-portraits of people in the Alpine region. Special people: People which are observing birds. The interview partners will be amateurs, scientists, volunteers out of the Bird Watch Movement. Who are the people supporting the idea of co-existence and biodiversity, what can we learn from birds and what is their motivation for their engagement and how do they integrate this in their daily life.
The Idea is to expand the planer’s view of the “bird's-eye perspective” - to work in-situ with people who are observing birds out of different perspectives. Their personal engagements, their networks for a co-existence of nature and modernity have an important impact for an ecological turn. A research based on the experiences of people will be shown in an artistic documentary + also atmospheric film.”
E-mail: achternkamp(at)bauhaus-dessau.de
Katie Silveria : Culture alpine et mode de vie agraire : développement durable le long de la Via Alpina >>
““The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” This simple quote, coined by St. Augustine centuries ago, is the motivation for my desire to travel to Europe and trek the Alps. I have travelled in North and Central America but I have never been overseas, certainly not to any place as distinct and historically significant as the Alps. When my partner told me about this one-of-a-kind trail, a trans-Alps, multi-country route, I was instantly intrigued.
I have been aching to travel since graduating from college in 2008 but found myself working instead as a soil science research assistant, a job that has increased my understanding of sustainable agriculture and alternative farming techniques. This knowledge is what drives my Via Alpina project. I believe that one of the most important topics today is sustainable living. I am interested in sustainable development and how it can help preserve rural communities, especially in places where the loss of natural landscapes and cultural traditions would be devastating.
Before starting my trek through the Alps, I would like to research the history of the communities in the Alps and what is being done by organizations like the Alpine Convention to help sustain these groups. I hope to observe regional farming practices, niche markets, and local agro-business and gain an understanding of the connection between sustainable development, such as eco-tourism, and pre-existing Alps culture and economy. I look forward to talking with local people about the changes that are taking place in their regions and how they see their futures being affected by development. I will document and present the information I find and pictures I take on a travel blog and create a short video of my journey when I return.”
E-mail: silveria.katie(at)gmail.com
Marissa Lyons : Le mode de vie des jeunes adultes alpins >>
“The purpose of this project will be to explore the effects of alpine living on the culture and psychology of the young adult populations living in the Alps. I am interested in observing how living in remote alpine areas affects the lifestyles of those who live there. I want to investigate how the lifestyles surrounding the Alps will differ from the surrounding cities, villages and countries. For this project I will trek the majority of the Red Trail, interacting with as many people as possible and exploring the environment that undoubtedly affects the way of life of the people who live in it. I also want to practice sustainable travel and learn more about how the populations in the Alps maintain sustainable lives.”
E-mail: mlyons88(at)gmail.com
Andrea Pasqualotto / coopérative Mazarol : Randonner à travers le Patrimoine alpin : différents sites – un seul monde >>
“Since 1972 the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, linking together in a single document the concepts of nature conservation and the preservation of cultural properties, recognizes the way in which people interact with nature, and the fundamental need to preserve the balance between the two.
In 1991 the Convention on the Protection of the Alps, recognizing the Alps as a unique, common area, confirmed that the main goal is to develop the common heritage of the Alps and preserve it for future generations through transnational cooperation involving both countries and local authorities, as well as the scientific community, the private sector and the civil society.
According to the same spirit, the trails of the Via Alpina want to facilitate the exchange among lots of different regions, populations and cultures as the alpine ones.
The project “Walking through the Alpine Heritage: different properties – a single world” intends:
- To experience a continuous long-distance hike, called Alpine Heritage Trekking, of about 40 stages, from the Dolomites region (Italy), through the Tectonic Arena Sardona (Switzerland), to the Jungfrau-Aletsch region (Switzerland)
- To enhance the Via Alpina trails as a way to know and appreciate some alpine natural properties inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List
- To involve the populations which live close to those properties
- To promote the serial value that results from different properties on a transnational level.”
E-mail: endriupasq(at)hotmail.com
Pauline Lis : Le mode de vie alpin >>
“The Alpine region shared between several European countries represents unique natural and cultural values. The Alpine Convention, and many other Alpine initiatives which promote sustainable development, preservation of its natural beauty and cultural local identities make this region an exemplary one, especially for other multicultural mountain regions in the World.
I would like to experience the cross border hike along the Via Alpina trail, through Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, explore the natural beauty, the local cultural heritage and visit the most renowned modern alpine architecture - the examples of the innovative sustainable approach and of the best professional practice.”
E-mail: inapaul(at)tlen.pl
Lukas Umgeher, Stefan Mayer, Fabio Richlan : L’expérience de l’eau, richesse naturelle et culturelle le long de la Via Alpina >>
“Not just in the central Alps but especially there, water plays a significant role in terms of landscape genesis and settlement by men.
The project is not only dedicated to the importance of water as a distinctive landscape element for instance in form of crystal clear mountain lakes, snow-capped summits and raging rivers but also as a need, opportunity and threat for the people, who live in this unique natural and cultural space in the past as well as in the present.
Selected scenes along the Purple Trail should be described in detail and thus help to raise awareness and to educate the traveling guest as well as the local population in terms of the "precious wet".”
E-mail: stef_mayer(at)hotmail.com, lukas.umgeher(at)gmx.at
