Folk Tales - Swale celebrates Cultural Olympiad launch
People of Swale enjoyed a range of exciting storytelling events across the borough coupled with an outdoor screening of archive footage and artists films to celebrate the official launch of the Cultural Olympiad over the 26th-28th September.
Free events included:
The
sleepy residential area around Chart Gunpowder Mills in Faversham was transported
back in time to the sounds and smells of gunpowder explosions. Historical
interpreter Roger Emmerson posed as an Ordnance Office inspector seeking
supplies for forthcoming the campaign in Flanders and fired pistols and muskets
to test his ‘black powder’ to a delighted, but slightly nervous
audience. - Sitting in a field on a September evening may not be the most obvious way to spend a Saturday night, but heritage enthusiasts, artists and film lovers gathered to watch a unique selection of films for free on the big screen. Films included never before seen archive footage from 1946 of the sea trials of HMS Sea Fox in Sheerness Dockyard, and some amateur footage of a journey from Medway to Sheerness that was filmed in 1938 by the prolific Kentish film-maker Sonny Hanson. The programme also included the premiere of a zombie film from Sheppey residents Big Fish Arts entitled The Haunting, and artist Peter Downsbrough’s film And Here, which documents the changing industrial landscape of North Kent.
A
storytelling event for children, including a Medieval puppet show from 'The
Theatre of the Small', and a historical story about Queenborough performed
by Sheppey residents 'Big Fish Arts'. Beggars rose and Emperors fell in “Fortunes
Fools”; while man had to pit his wits against a host of demons in “The
Blacksmith and the Devil.”- The grounds around Minster Abbey Gatehouse Museum were transported back to two historical eras on Sunday 28 September. The award-winning World War II re-enactment group ‘Battle for Europe’ gave a demonstration of kit and weaponry used by the Home Guard, and local residents ‘Big Fish Arts’ brought the founder of the Abbey Queen Sexburgha back to life through historical storytelling and street theatre.
Catherine Herbert, Swale Borough Council’s Arts and Heritage Officer, said “I hadn’t anticipated how great it would be to see World War II soldiers and 7th century monks chatting to each other. It was surreal. It was fantastic to see plenty of young people at the event, who probably didn’t notice they were having a history lesson.”
A grant from the national Museums, Libraries and Archives Service supported this weekend of fun activity put on by Swale Borough Council.
Gravesham’s School Children are a Shining Light in promoting Cultural Diversity
Gravesend
town centre was brought to a standstill on Friday evening as over 400 schools
children, teachers and parents were involved in the Festival of Light parade
to mark the national launch of the Cultural Olympiad which will build up to
the London 2012 Olympic Games.
The parade also featured the Bloco Fogo Samba Group, Four by Four Bhangra, Cultural Beats and Northfleet Brass Band. The children carried lanterns and torches which they have made themselves in special workshops which were delivered by renowned arts company Samesky.
Once the parade arrived at the Fort Gardens the Cultural Olympiad was officially launched by the Mayor of Gravesham Councillor Ken Jones in a special ceremony which saw the London 2012 flag raised. There then followed a stage programme with performances across the age spectrum including Cultural Beats, Four by Four, Lethal Soundz and Bloco Fogo. The whole event culminated with a fireworks display which the audience really enjoyed.
The event was organised by North West Kent REC in partnership with Cultural Beats Project, Gravesham Borough Council and Kent County Council to mark the national launch of the Cultural Olympiad which will build up to the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Gurvinder Sandher the Assistant Director of North West Kent Racial Equality Council who co-ordinated the event “I was really pleased with how the whole event went. For me it highlighted the positive contribution young people make in our borough and how events like this help to promote community relations. I feel that this is now the start of our journey to London 2012 and I already have plans to organise something even bigger next year as part of the Cultural Olympiad.
Be part of the journey which will culminate in London 2012
For more information visit www.kentbmenetwork.com
Lighting Up Dover goes off with a bang!
Dover
harbour and iconic Dover Castle were illuminated in a blaze of fire and light
to celebrate the launch of the national Cultural Olympiad, the four year programme
leading up to London 2012 which will celebrate Britain welcoming the world,
the inspiration of young people, and the delivery of a positive legacy.
An estimated 12, 000 people flocked to Dover Harbour on Friday 26 September to enjoy a dramatic and ground-breaking fire show remembering and celebrating the town's rich history. The evening also served to highlight the Kent campaign, led by Kent County Council, to welcome the Olympic torch relay into the UK through Dover for the London 2012 Olympics, as it did at the last UK Games in 1948.
The show started with Dover's harbour animated by a magnificent pyrotechnic display, beginning with a moody meditation on the sea, culminating in great celebration of fire and the torch - linking the sea, the harbour, and the white cliffs. Nostalgic songs with a contemporary twist were incorporated into a dramatic soundscape to accompany the show.
Spontaneous applause and gasps of wonder accompanied the finale to the event as residents as well as visitors to the town came together for an unforgettable evening.
The event was organised by the Kent Campaign for the 2012 Games - a partnership led and managed by Kent County Council's Sport, Leisure and Olympics Service. Partners for this event were Kent County Council's Sport, Leisure and Olympics Service and Arts Development Unit, Dover District Council, and Dover Pride with the substantial support of Arts Council England, South East England Development Agency, Culture South East, Dover Harbour Board, English Heritage and BBC Radio Kent.
The spectacular display was courtesy of pyrotechnicians The World Famous, a Kent-based company who have combined fireworks, flames, special effects and theatre at events in the UK and across the globe.
KCC Cabinet Member responsible for the Kent Campaign for the 2012 Games Mike Hill said: "This is an opportunity to celebrate Dover and its heritage and the part the town can play in the London 2012 Games. We are very grateful for Arts Council England's support for this innovative event which showed how passionately Kent feels about the Dover torch campaign and supporting London 2012”.
New Experiences in Dover
Following
on from the spectacular fire show, and to continue the celebrations of the
national launch of the Cultural Olympiad, Dover ‘opened up’ a range
of buildings and sites, some usually closed to the public over the 27-28th
September.
Hundreds of people enjoyed an eye opening experience into Dover and were encouraged
to collect a PINK BADGE from the sites below
and the first 150 people to collect two badges gained free entry to Dover Castle.
Open Up Venues:
- Buckland House – former headquarters of the famous Conqueror paper company – reams of paper were replaced with rolls of film such as “The Road to Dover.”
- Charlton Arts Centre – a film showing The Cox Family in the fifties by Bernard Cox and an exhibition of works created by graduates from the University for the Creative Arts.
- Dover Castle – people enjoyed access to the Secret Tunnels and the guided tour.
- Dover Museum – an exploration into Dover town life.
- Grand Shaft – people scaled the multiple staircases linking cliff top to town.
- Louis Armstrong pub – legendary local venue, steeped in music saw jazz bands and progressive rock.
- Royal Cinque Ports Yacht Club - a collection of photographic portraits which celebrated the foundation of Dover’s Royal Yacht Club in 1872.
- Samphire Hoe – a hugely popular free guided three hour walk in glorious conditions.
- Sing Up: Pass the Passion – for 7 – 14 year olds sung their hearts out to record a professional recording of the Torch Song for Dover!
Dover Open Up formed part of the launch of the national Cultural Olympiad, the four year programme leading up to London 2012 which will celebrate Britain welcoming the world, the inspiration of young people, and the delivery of a positive legacy.
Beijing Games inspire children to rise to the challenge!
Run
through the Forbidden City, march alongside the terracotta warrior army, crawl
through the mouth of the dragon and you will have mastered the Beijing Challenge!
During the Summer, 1000 children from across Kent completed the Beijing Challenge, a specially commissioned obstacle course inspired by the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The Beijing Challenge was part funded by Kent County Council’s Kent 2012 Campaign’s Small Grants Fund which is administered by the Sports, Leisure and Olympics Service. The project itself was conceived and co-ordinated by Canterbury City Council and the Animate Arts Company.
The Beijing Challenge, like the Olympic and Paralympic Games, combined both sport and culture. Children took part in physical activity whilst developed an understanding of Chinese culture.
The Beijing Challenge demonstrated the three Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect:
- Participants were timed to complete the course so that they can challenge themselves in the pursuit of excellence.
- The event is community based so people can come together and friendships can be formed.
- Participants can develop an understanding, appreciation and respect of Chinese culture through the different obstacles relating to China’s history and iconic landmarks
The Beijing Challenge was enjoyed by pupils across Whitstable, Canterbury,
Sheerness, Faversham, Sittingbourne, and Tunbridge Wells and was a key feature
of the Olympic Handover Celebration at the Herne Bay Festival.
The Animate Arts Company hopes to develop similar projects to the Beijing Challenge in the future and for further information contact email@animatecommunityarts.com
For more information on how to apply for the Small Grants Fund and make initiatives like this a reality please contact Thomas.Marsh@kent.gov.uk
Dance in the Dragon Spirit!
Celebrate the launch of the Cultural Olympiad by participating in a traditional Chinese dance workshop with China Arts, Turner Contemporary.
China Arts will be running a traditional Chinese dance workshop for families at Droit House, Margate on Saturday 27 September, 1-4pm.
Experience typical ribbon, fan and handkerchief dance with experienced Chinese dancers, learning characteristics of the dances and special dance skills.
Cultural Olympiad:
This Far West workshop forms part of the Cultural Olympiad which will be launched on the 26 September.
From then on and for the next four years we will start to see cultural projects across the whole of the UK that have been inspired by the Olympic spirit.
The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is more than just four weeks of sport, it is as the founder of the modern Olympic movement once said,’ a wedding of sport and art’.
Turner Contemporary:
The Chinese Dance is being organised through the visual arts organisation Turner Contemporary. It celebrates JMW Turner's association with Margate and, through a varied programme of exhibitions and events, promotes an understanding and enjoyment of historical and contemporary art.
Further Information:
Free admission, no booking necessary, children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
Participants are not required to bring anything for this workshop however comfortable shoes are recommended.
Venue Tel: 01843 280261: www.turnercontemporary.org
2012 Olympic and Paralympic Handover and Launch Events - South East- Options for Regional Events
London 2012 has a real desire to make 17 September a great day on the road to the London 2012 Games as we celebrate the Handover from Beijing to London & the UK. This will be swiftly followed by the Cultural Olympiad Launch weekend, 26 – 28 September. You are encouraged to join in one or all of these events in any inspiring way you see fit. Do make the best use of regional resources, be as idiosyncratic as you please, do be inspired.
Key dates for 2008
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| Wednesday 17 September | Handover Ceremony at the Closing of the Beijing Paralympic Games Theme: Education |
| Friday 26 – Sunday 28 September | Cultural Olympiad Launch Weekend Theme: Participation |
Paralympic Handover Ceremony - Education
On Wednesday 17 September the Paralympic Handover Ceremony will be the major focus for a second project which will reach out to every community through young people and specifically through education routes. On this day London 2012 will launch its Education Programme – an outline for this will be made available on June 16.
The ceremony will follow roughly the same timetable as the Olympic Games (with Handover expected at approximately 2.30pm); the format is similar and London 2012 will mark it in the same way. Stephen Powell is directing both ceremonies and he is using the same artistic cast in both. The opportunities throughout the UK will be distributed widely over the coming months and we hope that it will give a real chance to celebrate in a way specific to these Games which Stoke Mandeville created in 1948. We are very proud in the South East of all that Stoke Mandeville has done; celebrating their achievement and finding inspiration in it will be at the core of our Cultural Olympiad and our Legacy Trust programme – Accentuate. We would therefore also encourage you to mark this occasion.
You may want to organise something special during or after school hours or you might want to get local under-graduates or FE or HE institutions to organise something to underline the Education focus. However, outside of an education context, you may want to create an extraordinary event led by deaf and disabled artists, film makers, cultural providers or fully involve the disabled community in a specially devised celebration. We are hoping to launch our Accentuate programme that day and are currently making plans for what this might look like.
Cultural Olympiad Handover Weekend – Participate
The aim of Cultural Olympiad is to show that London 2012 is about more than just 5 weeks of fantastic sport. The launch weekend, September 26 – 28, kicks off a four year celebration of our cultures, on a scale that has not been attempted before, designed to enable the widest range of people across the UK to take part.
The launch weekend will also launch a number of the Cultural Olympiad Major projects. We will not only get content detail but also a timeline for these projects illustrating how they will be played out during the four years. We do not have confirmation of which projects will be announced that weekend but it is likely to be: Stories of the World, 2012 Sounds, Artists Taking the Lead, Extraordinary Ability and Young Futures. After the launch weekend it will become clearer how we can get involved and play our part in the Cultural Olympiad.
The weekend will also begin the Cultural Olympiad awareness campaign for the public. We want the general public to understand what it is all about, find out how, where and when they can get involved and build personal interest, growing to widespread national understanding over the four year period. Consequently we will help promote any activity taking place over this weekend. It will open up creative opportunities for individuals, communities, organisations, boroughs, cities, counties. It is our chance to open up and try something new and different, to enable inspiring cultural activity to reach more people in often unexpected places, to think differently about the Olympics and Paralympics and to present ourselves to the world in a variety of different ways, which represent the creative UK. This has led to two specific themes, Open Up and Light Up.
Open Up
The aim is to open up opportunities for people across the UK to get involved in imaginative, thought-provoking creative activities they may not have done before. Cultural groups and organisations are encouraged to work together to do something unusual, open up different spaces, provide opportunities for people to try something new, or offer free or discounted tickets to events.
Examples might be: opening up part of your collection normally in storage, organising workshops or seminars so people can better understand your work, open house events such as tours of the Town Hall or Mayor’s House – places that the public cannot usually access, devising special trails in woodlands or across natural landscape, free taster sessions or classes, opening up rehearsals to the public, staying open longer or at unusual times, organising something unusual in your space or building.
Light Up
The aim is that people will know the 2012 journey has started over that weekend without having to go inside a cultural building – many people are not familiar with how close they are to a cultural or sporting venue. It will act as a visual marker for the weekend, repeated over the course of 4 years.
A variety of buildings and other spaces around the UK will 'present themselves' in one of the London 2012 brand colours – you may want to do the same? Other e xamples might be: a light art installation, staying open late or throughout the night (therefore keeping your lights on), fireworks, film making, coloured gels in your windows, lantern processions, digital or web based work, can you get everyone in your area to light up their mobile ‘phones at the same with a special message/screening? Use this opportunity to highlight low energy lighting or alternative sources of power.
We would like to see people in the South East of England light their coastal and millennium beacons over this weekend. We are currently discussing a lead town for this to give the cue, will get back to you with dates and times once this has been agreed. Mean time do let Caterina Loriggio, the Creative Programmer, know if you can get involved in this way. You may contact Caterina at: c.loriggio@culturesoutheast.org.uk
Hidden Treasures Film Archive Project
Screen South has developed a film heritage idea inspired by Open Up and Light Up to engage the public in activities across the South East for the Cultural Olympiad Launch. We will be inviting the public to bring out their old films from 
under the bed or out of the attic – open up the boxes and light up their films on screens in village halls, community centres and cinema screens.
It will be a real insight to see their personal stories up on a big screen for the first time. We will compliment this local activity by inviting those public archives, cultural centres, museums, libraries, academic institutions, stately homes, who hold rarely seen fascinating film archives, to open up their doors and invite the public in to see their treasures in a unique setting. The UK Film Council who, in principle, is supportive of the idea being linked in with their new regional archive access programme may be able to support Screen South by providing some seed funding to kick start the initiative. The idea is at very early stages of discussion, but these early discussions are getting a very warm reaction. We are in the process of drawing up an activity and marketing plan and will seek to engage a regional steering group to lead the programme.
Screen South would be happy to discuss the idea with those who feel they could contribute something positive and imaginative. They will be calling a meeting in early June to take the idea forward with key stakeholders and partners. Please let Jo Nolan know if you or any other partners would like to attend - jo.nolan@screensouth.org
Open Space
We will be running an Open Space event shortly after launch weekend for the South East’s cultural providers to get together to discuss both the Cultural Olympiad and Accentuate. We hope that this will be managed by Improbable - www.improbable.co.uk
Inspire Mark
Projects can carry the London 2012 Inspire mark from launch weekend onwards. See www.london2012.com/beinspired for more detail. Applications need to be received by June 13 to be considered for September 26 - 28.
Don’t forget
The event that you are organising might need a licence. We advise contacting your Local Authority Licensing Officer and Environmental Health Team as early as possible. Some authorities will require up to three months notice for a licence application.
Contacts
Caterina Loriggio, the Creative Programmer for London 2012 South East, should be your first port of call for getting involved in any of the above events. She can be contacted on c.loriggio@culturesoutheast.org.uk .
Further information on the Cultural Olympiad and the Inspire mark can be found on www.london2012.com/beinspired , please look on this website first before contacting Caterina with a general question. Through this web page you can also subscribe to Create newsletter which will keep you informed on London 2012 cultural activity.
Thank you for considering participation and we hope you will join us on the first steps of the road to 2012!
Kent’s Young People share their thoughts on Olympic Handover
To mark the start of the Cultural Olympiad, Kent libraries will be working alongside Young People from across Kent to engage and record students' thoughts and aspirations during 
the Handover Celebrations.
Young People from six secondary schools and six Pupil Referral Units will be invited to visit their local library to record their impressions directly on to the BBC Memoryshare Website assisted by library staff and Time2Give web wizard volunteers.
This is a first in Olympic history that the stories of individuals and communities in the host country will be captured in such a unique community archive project.
Several hundred students in Kent will have the opportunity to take part in these activities – part of MLA’s Setting the Pace programme - which coincide with the Olympic Handover from the Beijing Games on August 24th, Paralympic Handover on September 17th and the start of the Cultural Olympiad on the weekend of the 26th -28th September.
For more information contact Michelle Giles, Service Development Librarian Culture, 2012 Olympics and Young People
