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

Luke Jerram's Sky Orchestra flies over London

Bristol artist Luke Jerram's project, Sky Orchestra, took flight over London at the end of July as part of LIFT, the London International Festival of Theatre.


The project was a collaboration with composer Dan Jones who composed the music played from the balloons at dawn and dusk, creating a 'massive audio landscape'. 


The performance took place to herald a year to go to the 2012 Olympics in London. 

Another of Luke's projects, Aeolus, a wind pavilion, has recently been installed at Lyme Park in Cheshire. The artwork will be displayed at MediaCity in Salford (27 Aug - 10 Sept) and afterwards at the Eden Project in Cornwall (from 16th September). To read more visit: www.lukejerram.com/aeolus  

Martin Creed's Work No 1059, the Scotsman Steps, is installed in Edinburgh

Photo by Tom Finnie

At the heart of this year's Edinburgh Art Festival  (4 August - 4 September 2011) is the unveiling of a permanent commission by Wakefield-born artist and musician Martin Creed.

The work was commissioned by The Fruitmarket Gallery for Edinburgh Art Festival with support from the Scottish Government’s Expo Fund and took a while to deliver - it was meant to have been finished by last year's festival. Work No. 1059 consists of 104 steps leading from the Scotsman Hotel on North Bridge to Waverley Station, The Fruitmarket Gallery and City Art Centre on Market Street, each step clad in a different colour of marble.

Photo courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth; photograph by Gautier Deblonde

The Scotsman Steps were built in 1899 as part of the ‘Scotsman Building’ for the Scotsman newspaper, and have recently been refurbished by Edinburgh City Council and Edinburgh World Heritage. Work No.1059 forms a key part of the refurbishment, and is a visually spectacular, beautiful and thoughtful response to this historic artery. Creed describes the project as a microcosm of the whole world – stepping on the different marble steps is like walking through the world, the new staircase dramatising Edinburgh’s internationalism and contemporary significance while recognising and respecting its historical importance.

The work can be found at: Scotsman Steps, 45 Market Street, EH1 1DF and happily can be viewed Monday - Sunday between 5am and midnight. See if you can squeeze it in during those hours.

Bold Tendencies sculpture project opens in Peckham car park

Adaptable Boardwalk (with Three Genetic Drifts) by David Brooks...

with the city of London in the background

The 5th edition of Bold Tendencies, the sculpture show on the upper floors of Peckham car park, opened to the public on 30 June. The show will run until 30 September, is free of charge, and open Thurs - Sun 11am - 10pm. 

Untitled(Osaka) by Eva Berendes

Bold Tendencies was the brainchild of the Hannah Barry Gallery, but has in recent years received public funding and is a non-profit making enterprise, with the aim of 'showcasing new art by international artists'. 

Tube by Lilah Fowler

The first Bold Tendencies took place in 2007, and has been growing ever since. 45,000 people attended the 2010 event. The 2011 event includes 15 large-scale new artworks. 


The top floor of the car park is occupied by a temporary 'pop-up' restaurant, Frank's Cafe and Campari Bar designed by Practice Architecture (Lettice Drake and Paloma Gormley). 

Restaurant designed by Practice Architecture

A new auditorium made of straw has been commissioned for 2011, which will host a series of screenings and events. For the events programme, visit: http://boldtendencies.com/events 

Straw auditorium

UP Projects' Floating Cinema project launched

On 1 July 2011 East London-based arts organisation UP Projects, one of the Arts Council's new NPOs, launched its most recent project: the Floating Cinema. This water-borne cinema space (a converted canal boat) will spend July - September navigating the canals and waterways around the Olympic Park in East London. The Floating Cinema has been produced by UP Projects, but was designed by artists StudioWeave. The project was originally created by artists and filmmakers Nina Pope and Karen Guthrie, otherwise known as Somewhere, and winners of the first ever Northern Art Prize in 2007. The programme of screenings and events has been curated by Somewhere.

Inside the cinema (capacity: 12) Photo by Je Ahn

The project is a continuation of UP Projects 'Portavilion' programme of temporary pavilions for London's public spaces. The great benefit of the Floating Cinema being, of course, that it is not only portable, but doesn't even require to be de-constructed in order to be re-erected elsewhere. Plus you're surrounded by the wildlife of the canals while in transit - an extremely relaxing way to travel.

The cinema will host intimate onboard screenings and discussions as well as providing a base for larger outdoor events at different locations on the waterways throughout summer. The programme includes new films made by local film-makers, historic archive screenings and tours by writers Iain Sinclair, Richard Mabey & Michael Smith and comedy performances by Holly Burn, Susie Donkin & Jemima Burrill. 

The project forms part of the Create 2011 summer festival and is commissioned by The Olympic Delivery Authority and funded by Arts Council England.

For the full events programme, visit: http://floatingcinema.info/events/ 

Mark Wallinger's White Horse for Ebbsfleet cost soars to £12m

The Ebbsfleet Landmark project's winning design by Mark Wallinger, with an original estimated budget of £2m, now has some more realistic figures in and the cost looks to be about 6 times the original intended cost. 

To read the Art Newspaper's full article, visit:

http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Costs-of-the-white-horse-run-away/24057

Cecil Balmond appointed to work with Charles Jencks on Gretna Landmark project

Architect Cecil Balmond has been appointed to work with landscape designer and architectural theorist Charles Jencks to design a new 'integrated sculptural form and landscape' to mark the border crossing between Scotland and England at Gretna. Titled the Star of Caledonia, the design is intended to welcome people travelling on the M74. 


The project has come at a time when there is a great deal of ongoing discussion about Scotland becoming independent of England. 


To watch a video with author Ian Rankin talking about why he likes Cecil Balmond's design, visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-13992689  


To read the full story, visit: http://www.creativescotland.co.uk/news/cecil-balmond-selected-to-work-with-charles-jencks-on-an-innovative-contemporary-landmark-for-s


To find out more about the project, visit: www.gretnalandmark.com