In a project that offers far more than it’s fair share of “tingle on the back of the neck” moments, this one ranks right up there. In four and a half years time, world records will be broken on this very quagmire of mud and ballast. The hopes and dreams of the world’s best athletes will be made or dashed on that pile of smashed bricks over there. Four billion TV viewers will watch our Opening Ceremony exactly where those yellow bulldozers are currently rearranging a few centuries of earth.
I’ve not been to the site for months and the transformation is extraordinary. We’re sharing the journey with a delegation from the Beijing 2008 Organising Committee – our opposite numbers in their Ceremonies team. They’re with us for meetings about our Handover Ceremony – but for them this a journey back in time to the early work on their vast Olympic Park in the northern suburbs of Beijing. They seem genuinely impressed by the progress. My friend, the very jolly head of Ceremonies believes we’re well ahead of time – and coming from the Chinese, that sounds good! But with absolutely no responsibility for the construction work, its not the time or place for me to glow with pride – I’m happy to leave that to the team in the Olympic Delivery Authority.
So the rest of the week pales in to insignificance then? Well, almost. But we had a great meeting with International Olympic Committee in Lausanne. We presented some big plans for an international education programme which we hope to launch in 2010. We outlined our aspirations and IOC gave the thumbs up! Lots of work to do before we give the greenlight, but our Education Team are already busy on the next stage. When we won the games in Singapore, Seb said we’d use the power of 2012 to inspire the youth of the world – and we still mean it.
Add to that a fantastic youth theatre production of “Oliver” and for some reason it was photographic week. VisitBritain, the national tourism body, hosted an exhibition of glorious images of the UK coastline. VisitBritain and VisitLondon are key partners of ours and we’re already in talks about how they’ll promote the Cultural Olympiad.
Then off to the National Portrait Gallery for a celeb fest. When I was there most of the celebrities were hung on the walls in celluloid for a celebration of the best pictures from Vanity Fair Magazine. One or two commentators have bitchily accused the show of pandering to the lowest form of celebrity culture. They opine that every glossy image of a century of film stars, politicians, royals and sports people merely airbushes the already inflated egos of it’s subject. Yes of course, but that misses the point. This is still a hugely entertaining and insightful exhibition. The exploration is in seeing just how those stars want their image manicured and what we, therefore, read into them.
Sandie Nairn, the Gallery’s Director, can be proud of a show that will bring in large crowds but also upholds the unique purpose of the Gallery. A portrait is far more than a faithful representation of reality – whether in oils, pastels or in this case in photography we admire the skills of the artist but we also dig far deeper into the persona of the subject.
The team at the NPG are also busy brewing a great project for the 2012 culture programme. Sandie (himself a distinguished rower) wants to commission a number of young photographers to capture all the preparations for the games and our athletes over the next four years. I hope we can help him to pull it off.
Mental note to self; must invite Sandie to take the Stratford 4x4 experience...
My Olympics
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