- A powerful, eloquently-argued essay by Tim Abrahams. that takes apart the Stadium for London 2012 piece by piece, providing fascinating insight into the process by which this strange structure was designed and built. Drawings by the excellent illustrator and architect Nigel Peake.
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Category Archives: 2012
A Very British Torch Relay.
As the organisers of the London Olympics propose ever more stupid stunts that the Olympic Torch must perform during the Olympic torch relay – zip-wire over the Tyne, abseiled down a tower in Grimbsy, taken in a steamer across Lake Windemere, … Continue reading
Posted in 2012, Pageantry
Tagged athletics, britain, kevan gosper, London, Olympics, torch, torch relay
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Interview: Cecil Balmond
Cecil Balmond is a Sri Lankan born, British designer, engineer, artist, architect, and writer. Known for his close collaborations with architects, such as Toyo Ito on the Serpentine Pavilion and Rem Koolhaas on the Casa da Musica in Porto and … Continue reading
Posted in 2012, Design, Engineering, Interview
Tagged AGU, arcelormittal, arup, cecil balmod, james stirling, london 2012, non-linear, orbit, rem koolhaas
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Of Montreal
After the establishment of the Committee d’Organisation des Jeux Olympique (COJO) in 1972, the body tasked with not just running the Olympic Games in Montreal but controversially to build the structures, the Canadian Ambassador for Argentina wrote to his superiors … Continue reading
Posted in 2012, Architecture, Media, Old Things, Urbanism
Tagged beijing 2008, games, jean drapeau, london 2012, montreal, nick auf der maur, Olympics, paul charles howell, roger tallibert
2 Comments
A History of the Olympic Torch Relay: Part III, Race Resurfaces
As we have previously discussed, the Olympic Torch Relay was founded by the Nazi party in the 1936 to communicate an idea of racial hegemony . We have also seen that the Torch itself slowly became a means of showing … Continue reading
Posted in 2012, Design
Tagged bud greenspan, Helen Jefferson Lenskyj, Ichikawa, kevan gosper, Paavo Nurmi, sophie gosper, tokyo 1968, tokyo olympiad, torch relay, Yianna Souleles
2 Comments
Reaching for My Revolver
Will Gompertz on the Today programme this morning said that the arts has “always been embedded in the idea of hosting the Olympics.’ As portions of the £80m Cultural Olympiad were officially announced – a group of artists to create … Continue reading
Posted in 2012, Art, Urbanism
Tagged 1948, 1976, corridart, cultural olympiad, de coubertin, London, london 2012, montreal, nero, ode to sport, Olympics, tony hall
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A History of the Olympic Torch Relay: Part I, Owning Antiquity
In the late 1950s, two British archaeologists made an important discovery whilst excavating at the ancient site of Delphi in Greece. Here, several hundred years before the birth of Christ a famous oracle had been established. During the classical period, … Continue reading
Posted in 2012
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When Doves Fry
A plan to ban fireworks from the Opening Ceremony of the games, prompted IOC President Jacques Rogge into prolonged reminiscence about a salutary tale from the annals of Olympic history. Rogge, one of the rare members of the IOC to … Continue reading
Posted in 2012, Media, Pageantry
Tagged antwerp, Architecture, ceremony, danny boyle, design, doves, ioc, jacques rogge, Olympics, Tlatelolco
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A Cathedral Dedicated to Excrement
As London’s sewer system accepts into its gaping maw a huge autumnal deluge, it is worth sparing a thought for those who created it. The Metropolitan Board of Works was created in 1855 to improve the cities infrastructure ‘under the … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, 2012, Engineering
Tagged Architecture, Urbanism, Bazalgette, John Lyall, London, sewage, Olympics, Metropolitan Board of Words, design
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