ARTS
National programmes of the Cultural Olympiad – an additional four
As we explained in our previous newsletters, a number of major nation-wide cultural projects featured in the London 2012 bid. These world-class cultural events will form the initial backbone of the Cultural Olympiad.
As yet no final decision has been made on the details of these projects but an additional four nation-wide projects are now expected, which will encompass science, literature, heritage and dance. Kent is well-placed to take advantage of many of these projects, having an identified member of the Kent 2012 Arts sectoral task group agreed to link in with each and every one as they develop.
For further details please contact the chair of the Kent 2012 Arts sectoral task group sally.staples@kent.gov.uk
Image © Strange Cargo
Kent 2012 - Will you be Inspired By 2012?
In March 2008, London 2012 launched Inspire – 'a Cultural Olympiad briefing pack'. The Cultural Olympiad will now be officially launched across the weekend of 26 – 28 September 2008. Projects (that are 'like never before' and are inspirational and aspirational) may now apply for the London 2012 Inspire mark – which will be very similar to the main London 2012 logo, but be white, be against a circular background and have the words 'inspired by' within it, rather than the word ‘London’, or the Olympic rings or the Paralympic ‘swooshes’.
Interested applicants must advise the South East’s Creative Programmer, Caterina Loriggio, that they wish to apply, and Cat will guide them through the process as appropriate. Cat can be contacted on caterinaloriggio@seeda.co.uk. To gain access to the brand you must meet all three core values and three of the seven core themes.
Core values are
- Celebrate London and the whole of the UK welcoming the world
- Inspire and involve young people
- Generate a positive legacy
Core themes are
- Bringing together culture and sport
- Encouraging audiences to take part
- Animating public spaces
- Using culture and sport to raise issues of environmental sustainability, health and wellbeing
- Honouring and sharing the values of the Olympic and Paralympic Games
- Encouraging collaborations and innovation between communities and cultural sectors
- Enhancing the learning, skills and personal development of young people by linking with education programmes
The brand will be available to not-for-profit events for up to 12 months usage. If partners are seeking to have a programme branded with the Inspire mark, then they would have to reapply every 12 months. The brand is initially for cultural projects only. Sports projects will be able to apply from 2010 onwards.
The 'themes' for the 26 - 28 September Cultural Olympiad launch will be 'Open Up', which aims to allow people to visit spaces, places and people and/or get involved in thought provoking creative activities they may not have done before, and 'Light Up' which is to make people aware of a cultural or sporting building by lighting them up in a different colour (it is suggested a London 2012 logo colour - i.e. bright orange, pink, green, or blue), or a changing colour.
Please follow this link for more details on Inspire (pdf)
Handover Ceremonies and Live Sites
To celebrate the Handover Ceremonies from the Beijing Olympiad to the London Olympiad that will take place on 24 August (Olympic Handover) and 17 September (Paralympic Handover) the BBC is working with London 2012 to install or utilise a range of large digital screens (‘Live Sites’) across the country. These will not only show the two Closing Ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics and the Beijing Paralympics (and the eight minute Handover Ceremonies that exist within those), but host towns will stage large community cultural events to ensure that communities across the UK can really celebrate the moment.
Although it is not likely that Kent will host any permanent Live Sites this summer, we are exploring how we may use large screens at community celebrations in the four year Cultural Olympiad leading up to London 2012.
For further details please contact Stephanie.holt@kent.gov.uk in the first instance.
Legacy Trust – the South East England vision
Legacy Trust UK is independent of both the Government and London 2012 but has funding to 'support a wide range of innovative cultural and sporting activities for all, which celebrate the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and which will leave a lasting legacy of them in communities throughout the United Kingdom.' It cannot be approached directly to fund projects, rather it commissions projects at either regional or national level.
The South East’s headline bid to the Legacy Trust has been accepted, and commended for originality. Its vision is “To use the inspiration provided by the International Paralympic movement, with its origins in South East England, to tackle disadvantage, raise aspirations and celebrate excellence.” Efforts continue to match fund the Trust’s £1.9m for the region, and it is anticipated this will be achieved within 12 months. Consultation on the menu of projects to deliver the vision will take place between March and July 2008.
More details on The Legacy Trust can be found here www.legacytrustuk.org/
To find out more about The Legacy Trust within the South East, please contact Culture South East at info@culturesoutheast.org.uk
Illustration: Ties That Bind Sarah Pickthall, Tiina Tuomisto and Rachel Gadsden
Courtesy of Rachel Gadsden