Camberwell alumnus Raphael Pepper's "Raising of the Stadium"

A lot goes into Olympic and Paralympic Games planning; that much is an understatement. From the colour of the walls in the Athletes’ Village to the plants in Olympic Park; from the buttons on the Officials’ blazers to the way in which people move through the Olympic Stadium, every minutiae will have been meticulously considered. But one thing this eclectic bunch of considerations have in common is that they once existed as simple drawings: hand-penned propositions or Illustrator mock-ups. And for every design that has been lifted off the page, there will have been many more consigned to the (proverbial) waste paper bin.

The research project is designed to explore these many facets and decisions by looking at the role of drawing in the Olympic Games. “The big subject that we’re looking at is what role did drawing play in the planning exercise for the 2012 Olympics?” Says Farthing, Rootstein Hopkins Research Professor in Drawing at UAL. “It’s absolutely core business to an art school; we want to know that stuff and as far as I know nobody else is conducting this research, probably for very good reasons which is that it’s a very big subject if done in depth.”

“What personally excites me about this PhD bursary is that it’s quite unusual in that it is really specifying a narrow area of study but it’s within an extremely broad field of research material,” Farthing continues. The PhD student will be part of a team, looking at “anything that one might call a drawing that was made in conjunction with planning the 2012 Olympics. So that will cover anything from transport arrangements to design of stadium to the way that people flood through the space and the Olympic site itself through to the designs for the officials’ uniforms and clothing by Stella McCartney; the design for the opening ceremony, the closing ceremony. It takes a journey through architecture through the logistics of security and transport to the detailing of athlete’s kit.”

Stella McCartney unveiled her Olympic collection in June

It is a vast project that will look many aspects of the Olympic and Paralympic Games by “taking a slice through it”: focusing on two or three buildings or iconic pieces of design; the design of the medals perhaps, or the Olympic torch; that logo. “I’d be interested to see what they rejected. Will a research project like this actually show that there are anomalies? That there seem to be lots of good choices but were there some really bad choices?”

The project is an opportunity to study for a research degree whilst at the same time engaging with history in the making. “We’re looking for somebody who has an interest in drawing in the broadest possible sense and someone who has an interest in looking at drawing as a way of collecting together information and communicating it to other people. So it’s not a typical Fine Art ‘Let’s Look at Rembrandt’s Drawings’ PhD; it’s to look at how drawing interacts with a really very important once-in-every-four-years event.”

The PhD is also slightly different from many that are run in arts schools because “it’s not just about the creativity of the individual but there will be a quite a lot of teamwork. I’m hoping that in the course of the research we will get onboard other members of staff and students so in the end anything that comes out of it – whether a book or an exhibition – will be a team project.” Farthing also hopes to involve architect Nicholas Grimshaw as something of an advisor. “It’s a massive project, there’s a massive amount of information and the idea is how do we digest this information today? How do you build a picture of such a vast amount of information? Is it possible? If you can do it then what are the key components in that picture that will allow it to be legible?”

“So at its heart it’s about understanding vast amounts of information. But at its edges it’s about why in 2012 did they choose that logo? It will become something of a document of taste: why did they choose that stadium design over another? And how did drawing function in the choices as a part of helping people make choices?”

Farthing does not expect to find definitive answers: “what we will probably get is a picture of which way decision-making went, of what kind of issues were driving decision-making.”

An interesting area, Farthing points out, and one that is particularly pertinent is the artwork that has been commissioned for the Olympic site. “One of our alumni, Anish Kapoor, has done a major piece of sculpture. It will be interesting to explore – through looking at the drawings that were presented for that proposal – why was his chosen over somebody else’s?”

Designed by Anish Kapoor with Cecil Balmond/Arup. Image by Arup.

The research is set to take place over the course of the next two years. After all, a lot of drawings and plans will only be made available to researchers after the event has taken place: details of the Opening and Closing ceremonies, for example, will be kept firmly under wraps until the days they are revealed to the world in one spectacular blow. “After that there’s the question of trying to make sense of the drawings and work out what’s important and unimportant amongst them, and trying to work out what impact they had on the planning exercise,” Farthing continues. “So it’s something that hopefully people will learn from in the future and it will become something more than just a historical document and archive – but will turn into something of a textbook for planners and master planners, designers and people interested in all kinds of big events.”

And not that this endeavour should be limited to London 2012, either: “one of the things that I hope is that… in four years time either I, or another PhD student, or another University will become involved in a similar exercise at the next Olympics or the one after that. So it begins to build up a real body of knowledge about how drawing is used in planning today.””

If you are interested in applying for this bursary, applications are being accepting until the end of October.

On a final note, Farthing considers: “it’s one of those occasions when an art school can do something that’s scholarly, useful, right up-to-date and hopefully has got a real currency, going on into the future.”

CSM students designed look and feel of Paralympic camps and village for London 2012 GB team.

We hear and read so much about London 2012 these days, but sometimes it seems that the voice of the public is missing. That is why the London-based artist Lorenzo Beleguer, a former LCC student, decided to create the project ‘Testimonies’. It is a community art venture where Londoners have their own platform to take part in this big event. It consists of a series of audio-recorded interviews with people who participated in the 1948 Games in London, or who want to share their expectations about 2012.

The idea was to show that you do not need to be an athlete to be an integral part of the Games. “By giving voice to some Londoners’ personal memories about the Olympics, we’re showing what they have experienced, what the relationship they have had and the relationship they do have with the Games. The implicit question is: what is yours?”, states Lorenzo.

“We want Londoners to feel both free and powerful enough to build their own testimonies, to recognize their own place in the Olympics, to not have the Olympics happening around them but with them; to take control of their Olympic experience and not just be spectators”, he adds.

With London being as multicultural as it is, Lorenzo wanted Testimonies to show stories of people from all sorts of ages and cultural backgrounds, “where everybody should feel represented”. He did an open-call for participants and also made use of Brent Council magazines, Twitter, Facebook and so on. For elderly people from the 1948 Games, he looked into Sports Associations and newspapers. Some of them, such as community leaders, were invited directly.

Lorenzo with three other participants (Credit: Salesh Kapur)

The recordings were done in person and always in groups of three, which in Lorenzo’s opinion would make people feel more comfortable when sharing their stories. In order to keep a high level of audio quality, Lorenzo had the help of Tom Pritchard, a sound engineer.

Although the duration of the interviews varied a lot, especially between elderly people (who have many more stories) and youngsters (raised with SMS and Twitter), the final version of each testimony is no more than two minutes long. All of them (20 in total) can be listened to at http://soundcloud.com/londonerstestimonies.

Lorenzo draws special attention to two of them:

* Susan, an Hungarian swimmer who ended up being a translator in the 1948 Games:

Susan H (listen)

* Rachel, a footballer hoping to be selected to represent England in 2012.

Rachel (listen)

And what about Lorenzo? What does he expect from the next Olympic and Paralympic Games? “I think it is going to have a very positive impact, it will be a template for the next city to host the Olympics, allowing more and more people to participate in more and more levels”, forecasts Lorenzo, who has done an Arts Management course at LCC.

He now waits for the final approval of LOCOG to have the twenty testimonies broadcast all over Wembley Stadium and Arena during the Games and also in Wembley’s new civic centre after 2012.

But before that, the whole project will be exhibited at the Gallery at Willesden Green in the Willesden Green Library Centre. The exhibition, which will broadcast the testimonies along with the pictures of each participant, will be held from 20th of September 2011 till 14^th of October. The opening party will be on the 22^nd of September, from 6-9pm, and everyone is invited.

Testimonies, received a £30,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, is one out of the eight projects in Brent that received approval from LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games) to be one of the Inspire Mark projects for the London 2012 Games and it is also part of the Cultural Olympiad.

More information about the project can be found at LondonersTestimonies.com.

• Friendship through sport
• Respect through sport
• Excellence through sport

Apart from the one round-trip ticket to the Olympic Capital for the winner and a guest, accommodation in double room for 4 nights in Lausanne, personalized visit of the Olympic Museum and a photographic/video equipment worth £2,000, the best entry will also become a permanent part of the International Olympic Committee’s digital collection.

For the ones who do not make the first prize, the second and third prizes are a photo and/or video equipment worth £1,000 and £500 respectively.

To enter the competition, participants must submit their pictures at flickr till 15^th September 2011. There is no limit of how many entries one can submit.

The company has launched the programme Great Britons, which will look for individuals who demonstrate the values associated with Olympic and Paralympic Games and who strive to be the best, whether their passion is in sport, music, fashion, performing arts, art and design, innovation, or community.

Apart from the chance to have their work shown to British Airways passengers (whether on the film being played during the flights or even on the design outside the aircraft), participants will also compete for 180 flights the airline is giving away this year.

Applications close on 27^th July 2011. More information at http://www.greatbritons.ba.com.

From Podium – opportunities:

Information: Applications are invited from established artists for a major new fellowship, which celebrates the award to London of the Games of the XXX Olympiad and its lasting influence on the cultural life of the United Kingdom. The Legacy Fellowship comprises a twelve-month residency at the University’s Iffley Road sports complex, an officially recognised Pre-Games Training Camp, and a public manifestation of the residency outcomes as an integral component of Modern Art Oxford’s programme for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Website: http://www.modernartoxford.org.uk/the-legacy-fellowship/
Organisation: The Ruskin School of Drawing & Fine Art, Oxford University Sport and Modern Art Oxford
Closing date: 1st June 2011
Legacy Fellowship advertisement
introduction and application form

Read the rest of the Podium’s news.

A resource for potential applicants: Academic Olympic related papers available online, by the IOC, including four papers on Arts and Culture.

Adriana might not qualify for the Cultural Olympiad Unlimited Commissions, aimed at deaf and disabled artists, but the example of Maurice Orr commissioned in round 1 of the project suggests that not only performing artists but also fine artists and artists from other disciplines should get funding in rounds 2 and 3 of the competition.

Maurice Orr, a painter of Northern Ireland landscapes, was aiming in his Unlimited project at “bringing fine art to young people and the visually impaired in the most tactile way”, as he said in an interview with the Ballymoney times after being awarded one of the first ten Unlimited Commissions earlier this year.

So if you, as a deaf or disabled artist, art organisation or mainstream producer, are considering applying, round 2 is coming and there is an opportunity to attend advice sessions in June/July 2010 to find out about the commissions and how to apply.

The London session will take place at Arts Council England on 22nd June 2010 from 2pm to 5pm and you need to confirm attendance, stating any access requirements, to Deepa Shastri via email at unlimited@shapearts.org.uk .

The deadlines to apply for funding will be 1 October 2010 for round 2 and 18 April 2011 for round 3.

More information about Unlimited and to view a video explaining the ambition of the project: www.london2012.com/unlimited .

New Music 20×12 launches.

Composers, ensembles, festivals and music organisations across the UK are being invited to submit ideas for New Music 20×12 – a major commissioning programme aiming to create exceptional new music inspired by the London OlympicGames. The programme launched this week by the PRS for Music Foundation. A panel of experts will judge submissions, awarding commissions to 20 new works each lasting 12 minutes. Find out more about New Music 20×12 . http://www.london2012.com/get-involved/cultural-olympiad/major-projects/music.php

If you think you can leave up to outstanding creative excellence expectations in brand new musical works, or are interested in other London 2012 Cultural Olympiad music projects…

New Music 20×12 launches: composers, ensembles, festivals and music organisations across the UK are being invited to submit ideas to create exceptional new music, of any genre, inspired by the London Olympic Games.

A panel of experts will judge submissions, awarding commissions to 20 new works each lasting 12 minutes.

Support will be offered towards the creation and performance of new music which basically:

• is created by composers living and working in the UK
• is being commissioned as part of a financially viable project which can be delivered in 2012
• has a planned date for the first performance in the UK and has at least two subsequent performances planned in the UK or overseas

The projects will result in world class new music, written and performed to the highest standards and reflect the Olympic and Paralympic values, including internationalism, creative excellence and young people. The works commissioned through this programme will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

New Music 20×12 – more information and guidance, online application

Other London 2012 Cultural Olympiad major music projects:
Cultural Olympiad – New Music 20×12 and other major music projects

You are 25 or less, you live in England and have got an idea for a London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games inspired volunteering project to improve your community? You could apply for up to £2,500 to make it happen.

If you are awarded funding by vcashpoint, the London 2012 Organising Committee will also be looking at your application, and, if you’re successful, your project could carry the London 2012 Inspire mark which tells the world your project has been officially recognised as part of the Games.

vcashpoint: “If the idea of jogging a mile, swimming a length or cycling to the shops makes you sweat, don’t worry! It doesn’t have to be a sports project but has to fit into one of the Olympic and Paralympic Games themes, which are: Sport, Health, Culture, Education or Environment – so you can put those trainers away.”

More information on eligible projects and application

The application deadline for the next round is 6th September 2010, for projects to be run between November 2010 and March 2011.
To get your brains-whirring Olympic and Paralympic Games themes include: Sport, Health Culture, Education and Environment To apply for a vcashpoint grant, you must be aged 16-25, live in England, and be up for running the project yourself.

You’ll need to show how your project will help other people (not relatives), the environment or your community and how it has been inspired by London 2012.

“Universities are being invited to apply for a share of £10m to help get students playing more sport in the build up to London 2012 as part of Sport England’s Active Universities fund”, says Podium. Read more

Register now for a 2-hour pre-application workshop taking place in London on 9 April 2010.