London 2012 blog

So, at last the 2012 culture programme is ‘open for business’ – and with just over six months to go before the public launch of the Cultural Olympiad it’s not a day too soon.

The open nature of the programme and the new ‘Inspire mark’ are breaking new ground for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, as are the network of Creative Programmers all around the UK.  It’s another important step towards making this everyone’s Games.

But this is all process, structure and construct. The philosophy of culture and creativity taking its place at the heart of London 2012 was there for all to see in the bid. The intellectual architecture was won in the values and vision for the Cultural Olympiad that emerged last summer. Now we have systems, criteria and brand mark to offer the hope of practical reality.

The truth is that all of this will come to naught without great content. Thankfully, as if to remind me of what we’ve been fighting for these last months, my diary over recent days has been brim full of it!

Take the Carnival company I met last week, roots deep in Notting Hill, but now with an international reputation and winning commissions that draw on carnival traditions from India, the West Indies and China.

Or the music collective from the East End of London that brings together musicians from just about any culture in the most creative and astonishing jam sessions. On the night I saw them the 20 or so musicians must have been drawn from almost as many countries or cultural backgrounds, and the music was spellbinding.

Tonight I’m going to one of the world’s great classical cultural centres here in London, but to see a reggae musical which has emerged unmistakably from Newham with rave reviews and  credibility fully in tact.

In a couple of days I’m in Plymouth for a 2012 conference. Our Regional Programmer for the South West tells me that one local authority already has some thirty cultural projects ready and waiting to launch.

Add in the world famous British fashion designer who’s told us she’d love to help inspire young people through design, or the Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House who’s determined to populate our new network of Live Sites around the UK with world class performances and youth projects. There’s the National Theatre helping ‘Shakespeare in Schools’ and planning an amazing weekend of events to help us mark an ‘Open’ weekend for the start of the Cultural Olympiad in September. Add in the Central School of Ballet campaigning to open a new building in the heart of Southwark, the better to draw on pupils and influences from myriad cultures on offer in that borough.

There was also the impressive collection of delegates from the UK Heritage sector debating how to open up the nation’s historical assets like never before.

All of this has come our way in just the last few days, and thankfully, it’s not unusual. Why? And what do they have in common? Well, the projects or their creators claim they are, in some way, inspired by London 2012.

If even a small proportion of all this can find its way into the London 2012 culture programme it will be a huge step forward as we try to turn the philosophy, the structures and the brand into reality. It won’t all happen over night. We have almost five years ahead of us and the programme will have to start modestly. With a following wind there’ll be a handful of projects joining the programme by the autumn and then if all goes well, far more can join in as we head towards 2012. So go on…be inspired!