Olympic Art Commissions Take Shape

Permanent public art commissions are part of the creative programme of London's 2012 Olympics and as well as the outrageously enormous Anish Kapoor work, the ArcelorMittal tower (see a video here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12584721) and the Floating Cinema I've already talked about on my blog, the programme includes works by Monica Bonvicini, Carsten Nicolai, and Hackney-based Martin Richman. The project also includes an artist-in-residence, Neville Gabie.

Italian artist Monica Bonvicini's work, Run, will be located outside the Handball arena, and is due for completion this Autumn (2011). The work consists of three 9-metre tall letters forming the word 'RUN'. The sculpture will be made of glass and stainless steel, producing a mirrored effect during the day, while at night the letters will become more transparent and glow with internal LED lighting. Ten years ago Monica had a solo show titled 'RUN, TAKE one SQUARE or two' which included the song 'Running Dry' by Neil Young and reminded people of the famous Velvet Underground song 'Run Run Run'. It is this strain of work which the project returns to. Read more about Monica here: http://artforum.com/index.php?pn=interview&id=1061 

Carsten Nicolai's work ifo spectrum converts the five rings of the Olympic emblem into their temporal equivalent - an image of the loops of a sound wave as a low frequency oscillation or ifo. Applied in an unfolding natural colour gradient derived from the spectrum of a sunset, it creates five 'cycles of intensity across the circumference of the [Olympic] site. The artist's website states that 'the visual quality of the panel frieze, with its oscillating colour gradients, together with the shifting play of sunlight, challenges the viewer's sense of the frieze's structure and expanse.'   

Martin Richman's One Whirl, is incorporated into one of the new bridges near the Velodrome and on the walls and ceiling of an underpass that will allow pedestrians to walk under the A12 road. 


To read full details about all of the artworks and projects, visit:
http://www.london2012.com/documents/oda-publications/art-in-the-park.pdf