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funked)out_frog
Hey forumites. My fella is a conceptual artist, and has been asked to produce a piece (several pieces) (further expained below). He's asked me to post this here (as I talk to him about the threads and such). So if you feel like posting, or whatever please do. I'mma give a link to this thread. Thanx and stuffs.


QUOTE
I am in an exhibition in a few weeks where the brief is to come up with a piece of work that takes a sideways look at the 2012 Olympics. This being especially within the East End and it's effects on community and the 'regeneration' that is going to happen.

I guess it is important to say that my take on the Olympics (living and working near(ish) to the development and it having a direct effect on my working life) is that it is a complex argument to weigh up the 'for and against' arguments and we are not being well informed. I'm not a political monster but it's not hard to see that things aren't going well.

The Olympics offer a great opportunity but I am sure that the reality will be far far different from the washy media propaganda that floods our lives and tells us 'everything we need to know'. I hope these works will reflect something of an undecided standpoint.

After a brainstorm I thought I would write fictional letters dated from the present up to the 2012 Olympics, from aspiring young athletes (from across the globe) addressed to Sir Seb Coe (as he is something of a figure head).

The content/idea of these letters is to convey a grim reality that comes across as 'truth from the mouth of babes'. But these letters would also convey a naive belief in the dream that we are being sold. I'm into black humor.

Here is where you come in. I wanted the work to involve a community of some kind, so I thought about online communities. So I'd like suggestions for areas of negative impacts. I will gladly credit your contributions within the exhibition if you wish.

Negative impacts I have thought of so far. Capacity of London's transport links, environmental impact (the draining of Hackney Marshes being on the top of my list), the toll on local/small business in the upheaval of the 'regeneration', housing, the aftermath/Olympic legacy, global political events in the run up to the games, drugs, crime.

Most of my suggestions are London based. Would anyone care to venture global impacts?

Thanks in advance.
elphaba2
Dunno if this will help, but I'm thinking (globally) about the silly diplomatic way that some countries think about the Olympics and how that can actually damage a nation's relations. Mostly the 1980 Olympics and our Cold War boycott thing. How in every Olympic Games some countries boycott, when it's supposedly this huge symbol of brotherhood and cooperation.

On a local level, what about how impending Olympics impact the homeless? Thinking specifically about the Games in Atlanta in the mid-nineties and how they were basically picked up and carted to the outer parts of the county where they would be less obvious and so the city would look cleaner. And sparklier.

Just some ideas off the top of my head, maybe they can be used?
Mata
To go for an obvious one, what is the carbon footprint of the games? The building work, the advertising, the transportation of tens of thousands of people around the world during the preparation and the event, the electricity for the coverage, the paper on which the advertising is printed...

Imagine if the amount of money being spent on the games were instead spent on a single impoverished country. Imagine if the whole world were to say 'let's not spend this on sport so a few thousand athletes can see who's fastest, let's change the lives of everyone in a nation'. What could be achieved if this level of dedication and resources were poured into getting water to everyone in the world who needs it? It sounds ridiculous, but it's definitely not unachievable and the people trying to do it just don't have the infrastructure.

For all the talk of the global unity of sport, wouldn't it be better to show some global unity for people instead?
Sir Psycho Sexy
Whatever you do, it should require an epilepsy warning!
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