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Twelve arts schemes have been chosen from the Artists Taking The Lead competition as the four arts councils’ main contribution to the 2012 Cultural Olympiad, led by Arts Council England, London
The 12 works of art that will mark the 2012 Olympics have been chosen. “They will lift your spirits” said the Olympics minister, Tessa Jowell. “Many of them will also make you smile.”
The winning commissions sharing £5.4m have been selected from 2,000 applications, and many from notable artists have failed. “They were just not good enough” said one of the selectors. “What we have is invention, delight, surprise and great quality”.
The nine English regions will each receive £500,000, Northern Ireland £190,000, Scotland £460,000 and Wales £230,000, contributed by all four arts councils.
EAST
On Languard Point, the Pacitti Theatre Company. Whole communities are being involved with 205 black flags being flown around the coast, gradually replaced by the flags of participating nations; there will be street feasts and a whole cul-de-sac of houses will be painted black and become a theatrical arena; disused shops will house exhibitions of ephemera, and the talents of composer Michael Nyman and choreographer Wayne McGregor as well as radical theatre director Robert Pacitti are being harnessed.
EAST MIDLANDS
Lionheart, Shauna Richardson. Three 30-foot high crocheted lions, inspired by Richard the Lionheart who was associated with the region, will dominate the Nottingham skyline. Richardson wants to highlight crochet as a contemporary arts medium.
LONDON
Bus-Tops, Alfie Dennen and Paula Le Dieu. Forty bus shelters across all the London boroughs will have LED panels fitted to their roofs on which Londoners will be able to send messages, play games and make statements, exploiting the ct-creativity of a new audience for art – those who travel on the top decks of double-decker buses.
NORTH EAST
Flow, the Owl Project and Ed Carter. An environmentally friendly watermill will float on the Tyne with the artwork generating its own power and monitoring the river’s environment. Musical instruments will play, activated by the data, and audiences will be invited to interact.
NORTH WEST
Project Column, Anthony McCall and FACT. Produced by Liverpool’s Foundation for Art and Creative Technology, Anthony McCall’s column of spinning loud will rise from Birkenhead’s disused Morpeth Dock, visible 10 metres away, which will disappear and reappear in structures sequences.
NORTHERN IRELAND
The Nest, Brian Irvine and John McIlduff (as Dumbworld). The people of the Northern Ireland will be asked to donate an item each to be fashioned into a gigantic work of art by artists and designs, and then to become the official point for large-=scale musical event.
SCOTLAND
Forest Pitch, Craig Coulthard. Trees in a secluded part of a forest near Edinburgh will be cleared and a football pitch created for one match only, played by two teams of amateurs. The trees will form the goalposts sand the spectator stand, and after the game the area will be left to return to nature.
SOUTH EAST
The Boat Project, Lone Twin (Greg Whelan and Gary Winters). People in the south east will be asked to contribute a wooden object of personal significance to be use in building a sea-going boat, which will be launched in May 2012 on a two week voyage. The boat will then be the centre of four arts events, performance, visual, test-based and sonic.
SOUTH WEST
Nowhereisland, Alex Hartley. An island the size of a football pitch found by the artist in the Arctic will be brought to the south west through international waters, will be given “micronation” status, and will navigate the coast visiting ports and harbours accompanied by a travelling embassy. There are already 359 signed up citizens.
WALES
Adain Avion, Marc Rees. An abandoned DC9 aeroplane fashioned into a wingless bird will “nest” around the principality, pulled to each site by teams of local athletes and community members.
WEST MIDLANDS
Godiva Awakes, Imagineer Productions. Lady Godiva’s ride will be re-enacted as a progress from Coventry to London by a 10 metre high puppet, made form aluminium and carbon fibre, and symbolising equality, fair play and justice.
YORKSHIRE
Leeds Canvas, Leeds Canvas. This is a collaboration of artists and arts organisations in Leeds that will use the buildings, streets and people of the city as a “canvas”, with the assistance of the Quay Brothers as artistic directors. Opera North, Northern Ballet, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Phoenix Dance, Yorkshire Dance, Leeds Met Gallery, Situation Leeds, Leeds Art Gallery are all working with Leeds City Council.
