The Olympic Torch

Throughout this project I am trying to remain aware of other Olympic designs therefore I have decided to take a closer look at the Olympic Torch for 2012.

The Olympic Torch is made from a golden aluminium alloy and is pierced with 8,000 circular holes which represents the 8,000 torch bearers and 8,000 miles that will be carrying the torch around the UK over 70 days. 

The torch represents the best of British, using British designers, engineers and manufacturers. The British theme and the representation of the holes for the communities and people carrying the torch shows symbolism similar to those that I want to see within my final piece. The torch has been heavily criticised for not being eco-friendly and the design itself has been questioned by critics. However, whether the torch is the most beautiful, least eco-friendly or most criticised; it still pulls opinion from people and whether bad or good, people having an opinion on the piece is better than them having no opinion at all. 

Understanding what the torch stands for is much more important than liking it.

John Lovely

A welder from Arizona has designed a messy metal tree, John Lovely created an 8 1/2 foot tall tree which started as basic branches and was then added to. It was built up from a flat metal base which provided a strong and secure platform for the tree to grow from. The final piece is a stunning mix which initially looks incredibly messy but taking a step back and look at the overall effect it creates a beautiful piece.

Written on the Leaves

One of my original ideas was to write the award winners name etc onto the leaves that can then be attached to the tree. A similar idea has been used at the Raoul Wallenberg Memorial in Budapest, it has over 5,000 Holocaust victims names engraved onto the leaves as a commemoration. This tree is meant to be a lasting memory and is a similar design idea to what i want to create. The symbolism of the names on the leaves is the congratualatory, history and experience I want to capture within the piece for Frederick Gent School. 

Recycled Flowers

Christine Eige has done some interesting floral displays by recycling tin cans, The use of the materials create extremely attractive final pieces. Unfortunately I am interested in the long lasting factor and these materials would be difficult to keep looking good for a long period of time. However, the use of the metal and the colours is extremely eye catching and I am interested by the iconic company names that can be seen as well. Although it seems to be quite an easy material to use the sharpness of cut tin means it can be very dangerous and would therefore be a little dangerous for a school courtyard.

2012

Having entered the year of the London Olympics it seems that the country has got even more excited about the prospect of the 2012 Olympic Games. 

Whilst thinking about sculptures and 2012 Olympics it is worth looking at the sculpture that will soon  become the tallest UK sculpture and will actually wit within the Olympic and Paralympic Park in London. The piece will be called the ArcelorMittal Orbit and will contain a viewing platform which will be 114.5 metres tall. Made from 2,000 tonnes of steel and designed by Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond the sculpture will give visitors views of 20 miles from the viewing platform. 

This piece has the foundations of what I hope to achieve with Frederick Gent School (although in a much smaller scale), the designer Anish Kapoor expresses that;

 “the ArcelorMittal Orbit has been conceived as a structure made-up of discreet elements which seek to engage the viewer in experience through form, colour and reflectivity. The work invites public participation and engagement."

These wishes of engagement and experience are very similar to what I hope to achieve using student, teacher and community participation as an actual element of the piece itself. Materials, interaction, form and function are all areas which must combine to create the final piece.