The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Medals Exhibition at the British Museum
‘Mine to Medals: The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Medals’ at the British Museum
“And, if we thrive, promise them such rewards as victors wear at the Olympian Games” – William Shakespeare Henry VI, Part 3 – Act II Scene III.
You have until 9 September 2012 to head on down to the British Museum and learn about the production of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in an exhibition titled ‘Mine to Medals: The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Medals’.
This free exhibition is part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.
From the design process of the medals made by David Watkins and Lin Cheung, to the mining of the actual metal by Rio Tinto, this unique exhibition provides visitors with unique insight into what has become the modern Olympic Games most poignant and well-recognised symbols.
Although it’s not just information about the history and production of the Olympic medals that is being focused on during the ‘Mine to Medals’ exhibition, as the exposition is also focused on the role Great Britain has played in the creation and development of the modern Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Samples of the gold, silver and bronze medals the top athletes will be awarded with this summer are on display at this rare and one-off event, ranging from the Games that took place in the small Shropshire town of Much Wenlock in 1850 to the medals given to the winning athletes of the Paralympic Games that took place from 1960 and 1984.
London Field Day 2012
London Field Day 2012 – Melodic heaven of an alternative nature at Victoria Park.
If you live in London or will be visiting the capital in early June, be sure to leave the 2nd of June free in your calendar free with the intention of attending London Field Day 2012.
Held at Victoria Park in Tower Hamlets, London Field Day is dedicated to filling the park’s 86 hectares of open space with blissful melodies coming from of the most pioneering of contemporary musicians and DJ’s, playing music of an alternative and imaginative nature.
Starting its life as a village fete in 2006, the London Field Day has grown immensely in such a short timeframe and now attracts a crowd of more than 20,000 alternative music enthusiasts to celebrate collectively in one of London’s best kept secrets.
This year’s line-up for London Field Day 2012 promises to be more sensational and alternative than ever, with Com Truise, Beirut, Franz Ferdinand, The Vaccines, Papa M, Tortoise, THE MEN, Outfit, Revere and Peaking Lights – to mention just a few – gracing the grassy banks of Victoria Park with their mystical melodic charms on June the 2nd!
Of course not even the most ‘hard-core’ of music festival attendees could possibly last a whole day engrossed in watching their favourite artists perform live under the (usually) warm June sun in London without taking some ‘time out’ for a gastric refreshment.
Also in attendance at the London Field Day 2012 festival will be Clapham Common’s delightful Venn Street Market, providing Field Day revellers with some truly delicious cuisine. From a Hog Roast from the award-winning butcher Moen & Sons, to authentic Creole Fish Cakes and Banana Fritters from Yam the Cassava, this year’s Field Day Festival’s culinary delights really will complement the harmonious sounds drifting from Victoria Park’s stages.
The Damien Hirst exhibition at London Tate Modern
Since he was first catapulted into public attention in 1988 when he conceived and curated an influential exhibition of works in a disused ware house in London by himself and his fellow Goldsmith College students, Damien Hirst became internationally renowned and one of the most prominent and influential British contemporary artists.
The often controversial artist, whose central theme in his works is death, is, according to the 2010 Sunday Times Rich List, the richest living British artist, with a fortune of £215 million.
In celebration of the provocative artist’s work, from 4 April – 9 September 2012, London Tate Modern is holding a Damien Hirst exhibition which will feature more than 70 iconic Damien Hirst creations, which will be the first substantial survey of Damien Hirst’s work ever held in the UK.
Sponsored by the Qatar Museums Authority, the works to be featured at London’s Tate Modern span a journey of more than two decades and include some of his best known, shocking and imaginative pieces.
The Damien Hirst exhibition is also part of the London 2012 Festival, the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad, the largest cultural celebration in the history of the modern Olympic and Paralympic Movements. Spread over four years, the Cultural Olympiad gives everyone the chance to be involved in London 2012 as well as inspiring creativity across all forms of culture.
Hirst’s ‘Mother and Child Divided’, a four-part sculpture of a bisected cow and calf will be on display at the exhibition, as well as the equally thought provoking shark suspended in formaldehyde to which the artist called ‘The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living.’
Other works which will be featured at the Tate Modern include Hirst’s piece from 1990 called ‘A Thousand Years’, in which the cycle of life is represented by a cow’s head, flies and insect-o-cutor.
The London Cycling Festival
The Cycling Festival – A two-wheel equivalent of the London Marathon.
A new cycling event in London has been announced and will start in the summer of 2013. The two-day ‘Cycling Festival’, which aims to attract more than 100,000 cyclists to participate, will be one of the first sporting legacies in London, post the 2012 Olympics.
This fun event will be split into two different races, the first being held on day-one of the festival, whereby amateur 70,000 cyclists, will take to London’s free-from-traffic streets and ride past some of the capital’s most famous landmarks. The second race of the festival will be dedicated to professional cyclists, who belong to a club. The 35,000 participants will speed along the 100-mile Olympic race course.
Showing excitement about the London Cycling Festival is Mark Cavendish. In a statement about the new event, the world cycling champion referred to the Cycling Festival as being a ‘legacy’ for the 2012 Olympic Games.
“This is the ideal legacy not only for our world-class team of cyclists and paracyclists, but also for thousands of amateur cyclists who will hopefully be inspired by our performance at the Olympic Games,” said Cavendish.
“This event will be a fantastic opportunity to show Britain at its best and to share our Olympic cycling heritage,” added the world champion.
The 2012 World Sport Day
The London 2012 Committee has announced its plans for schoolchildren throughout the UK to participate in various sports and culture related activities for World Sport Day on June 25 this year.
The nationwide event, will mark the opening of Lloyds TSB National School Sport Week, and will be the last event of the official London 2012 education programme; known as ‘Get Set’, before the 2012 Games begin.
Zoe Smith British weightlifter and member of Team GB spoke of her elation at being part of the 2012 World Sport Day on the official London 2012 website:
“London 2012 World Sport Day is a great way to celebrate how London 2012 will bring athletes together from so many different cultures. I’m delighted to be part of World Sport Day and how it will help young people to learn about these different elements, as well as getting excited about the Games!”
Sharing Zoe Smith’s enthusiasm of how the June 25 event will give youngsters the opportunity the celebrate athletes and cultures from around the world is the London 2012 Committee Chair, Seb Coe, who said:
“With the Games almost here, World Sport Day presented by Lloyds TSB is a fantastic opportunity to bring the young people of the UK together on one day to celebrate our amazing athletes from all over the world and their nations and cultures.”
