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{{use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
The '''2012 Cultural Olympiad''' was a programme of cultural events across the United Kingdom that accompanied the [[2012 Summer Olympics]] and [[2012 Summer Paralympics]]. It included 500 events nationwide throughout the UK, spread over four years and culminating in the '''London 2012 Festival'''. The Cultural Olympiad's programmes included: Artists Taking the Lead, Discovering Places, Film Nation: Shorts, New Music 20x12, Stories of the World, World Shakespeare Festival, and the BT River of Music.

==Background==
The [[Olympic Charter]], the set of rules and guidelines for the organization of the Olympic Games and for governing the Olympic Movement states that <blockquote>"The [[LOCOG]] shall organise a programme of cultural events which must cover at least the entire period during which the [[Venues of the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics|Olympic Village]] is open."<ref>{{cite web |title=Olympic Charter |url=http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Olympic%20Charter/Charter_en_2010.pdf |publisher=International Olympic Committee |access-date=6 May 2011|page=80 |date=11 February 2010}}</ref></blockquote>

==London 2012 Festival==
The London Olympic Games' Cultural Olympiad included 500 events nationwide throughout the UK, spread over four years and culminating in the London 2012 Festival. The cost of the events was over £97&nbsp;million<ref name="boat project">{{cite news| title=Cultural Olympiad 2012 reaches the critical masses | first=Mark|last= Brown | date=12 March 2012 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/mar/12/cultural-olympiad-2012-critical-masses | access-date=27 March 2012 | location=London | work=The Guardian}}</ref> with funding provided by [[Arts Council England]], [[Legacy Trust UK]] and the [[Olympic Lottery Distributor]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Cultural Olympiad |url=http://www.london2012.com/get-involved/cultural-olympiad/index.php |publisher=London 2012 website |access-date=6 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110428104744/http://www.london2012.com/get-involved/cultural-olympiad/index.php |archive-date=28 April 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Osborn |first=Michael |title=Why we have a Cultural Olympiad |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7598013.stm |publisher=BBC News |access-date=6 May 2011 |date=4 September 2008}}</ref>

Those involved in the festival, which ran from 21 June to 9 September 2012, included [[Academy Award|Oscar]]-winning actress [[Cate Blanchett]], director [[Mike Leigh]], musician [[Damon Albarn]], artists [[David Hockney]], [[Lucian Freud]], [[Rachel Whiteread]], and writer [[Toni Morrison]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Cultural Olympiad reveals celebrity line-up |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11934812 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=6 May 2011 |date=7 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520153159/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11934812 |archive-date=20 May 2011  |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Mark |title=Cultural Olympiad's London 2012 festival lines up arts world A-list |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2010/dec/07/cultural-olympiad-london-2012-festival |access-date=6 May 2011 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=7 December 2010}}</ref>

Twelve British artists were commissioned to design posters for the games: [[Martin Creed]], [[Bridget Riley]], [[Rachel Whiteread]], [[Chris Ofili]], [[Tracey Emin]], [[Bob and Roberta Smith]], [[Anthea Hamilton]], [[Fiona Banner]], [[Michael Craig-Martin]], [[Gary Hume]], [[Sarah Morris]] and [[Howard Hodgkin]].<ref>{{cite news | title=London 2012 Olympic posters bring best out of BritArt | author=Jonathan Jones | date= 4 November 2011 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2011/nov/04/london-2012-olympic-posters-britart?INTCMP=SRCH | access-date=27 March 2012 | work=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Posters | url=http://festival.london2012.com/about/posters/posters | publisher=London 2012 | access-date=27 March 2012}}</ref>

The Cultural Olympiad comprised a number of programmes including: Artists Taking the Lead, Discovering Places, Film Nation: Shorts, New Music 20x12, Stories of the World, World Shakespeare Festival. Many of these involved public participation; for example, Discovering Places encouraged people to explore their local environment and identify 2012 species, Film Nation was aimed at young people making short films, and Stories of the World involved young people working with 50 museums across the UK.<ref>{{cite web | title=Cultural Olympiad | url=http://www.london2012.com/cultural-olympiad | publisher=London 2012 | access-date=27 March 2012 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321172831/http://www.london2012.com/cultural-olympiad | archive-date=21 March 2012 }}</ref>

The [[Bandstand Marathon]] on 9 September 2012 was the closing event of the London 2012 Festival, and saw live music events take place at more than 200 locations across the UK. Participating bands were invited by [[Coldplay]] to perform their 2008 single "[[Viva La Vida]]" simultaneously at 2pm to celebrate the end of the games.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/news/articles/marathon-music-mark-the-end-the-london-2012-festival-and-the-games.html |title=Bands across the UK to perform Coldplay hit in closing event of the London 2012 Festival |date=7 September 2012 |work=Official site of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games |publisher=London 2012 |access-date=5 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103213102/http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/news/articles/marathon-music-mark-the-end-the-london-2012-festival-and-the-games.html |archive-date=3 January 2013 }}</ref>

==Artists taking the lead==
'''Artists taking the lead''' consisted of 12 major [[Arts Council]] funded [[public art]] projects one for each of 12 UK regions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/what-we-do/our-priorities-2011-15/london-2012/artists-taking-the-lead/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111224204921/http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/what-we-do/our-priorities-2011-15/london-2012/artists-taking-the-lead/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 December 2011 |title=Artists taking the lead |publisher=Arts Council |access-date=26 March 2012 }}</ref> Each project received £500,000 funding.<ref name="flow">{{cite news|title=Newcastle floating artwork turns river into music | first=Mark|last= Brown | work=The Guardian | date=21 March 2012 | access-date=27 March 2012 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/mar/21/newcastle-floating-artwork-river-music | location=London}}</ref>

[[File:Nowhereisland at Ringstead Bay 2012-07-25.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Nowhereisland by [[Alex Hartley (artist)|Alex Hartley]] being towed to [[Weymouth Bay]], 25 July 2012.]]

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Region
!Project
!Artist
!Details
|-
|East || On Landguard Point || [[Pacitti Company]] || A series of outdoor events, forming a community feature film
|-
| East Midlands || Lionheart Project || [[Shauna Richardson]] || Three giant hand-crocheted lions recreating Richard the Lionheart's three lions crest
|-
| London || Bus-Tops || [[Alfie Dennen]] and [[Paula Le Dieu]] || 30 LED screens on the roofs of bus shelters displaying works created by the public
|-
| North East || ~Flow || [[Owl Project]] and [[Ed Carter]] || Electro-acoustic musical machinery powered by the River Tyne<ref name="flow"/>
|-
| North West || Column || [[Anthony McCall]] || A 100m vertical column of steam [not realised]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/artist-anthony-mccalls-olympic-column-for-merseyside-scrapped-wasting-500000-arts-council-england-cash-8575348.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/artist-anthony-mccalls-olympic-column-for-merseyside-scrapped-wasting-500000-arts-council-england-cash-8575348.html |archive-date=1 May 2022 |url-access=subscription|first=Jonathan|last=Brown|title=Artist Anthony McCall's Olympic 'Column' for Merseyside scrapped|work=[[The Independent]]|date=16 April 2013|access-date=29 June 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
|-
| South East || Boat Project ||  [[Gregg Whelan]], [[Gary Winters]] ||  A 30&nbsp;ft vessel made from donated wooden items<ref name="boat project"/>
|-
| South West || [[Nowhereisland]] || |[[Alex Hartley (artist)|Alex Hartley]] || A floating island nation
|-
| West Midlands || Godiva Awakes || [[Imagineer Productions]] || A 10-metre-high carnival puppet of [[Lady Godiva]]
|-
|Yorkshire || Leeds Canvas || [[Quay Brothers]] || Overworlds and Underworlds, a month-long series of interventions and art ambushes with film, music and movement
|-
|Scunthorpe || Cycle Song Opera || [[Proper Job Theatre Company]]  || Outdoor opera starring Richard Stuart, celebrating Scunthorpe's olympic cycling hero, Lal White
|-
| Northern Ireland || Nest ||  [[Brian Irvine (composer)|Brian Irvine]], [[John McIlduff]] || A creation made from donated objects and a large-scale music and choral event
|-
|Scotland || Forest Pitch || [[Craig Coulthard]] || A full size football pitch hidden within a forest
|-
| Wales || Adain Avion || [[Marc Rees]] || A mobile art space created from the wreckage of a DC-9 airplane
|}

==Paralympic Cultural Festival – Unlimited==
Alongside the [[2012 Summer Paralympics]], the '''Paralympic Cultural Festival''' (or Unlimited Festival) brought hundreds of deaf and disabled artists together, and Unlimited featured 29 new commissions, including artist [[Sue Austin]]'s film documenting her performances in a self-propelled underwater wheelchair, and [[Paul Cummins]]' 'English Flower Garden'.<ref>[http://unlimited.southbankcentre.co.uk/events/the-english-flower-garden Southbank Centre. Paul Cummins. The English Flower Garden].</ref> Ticketed events were held at the [[Southbank Centre]], as part of the London 2012 Festival, featuring the debut performance from the [[Paraorchestra]].

The place widely regarded as an inspiration for the modern Olympic games, [[Much Wenlock]], also featured with a May Day event called ''M21: From the Medieval to the 21st Century'' in collaboration with DASH (Disability Arts in Shropshire);<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/news/arts-council-news/m21-brought-disabled-artists-much-wenlock-over-may/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130110014425/http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/news/arts-council-news/m21-brought-disabled-artists-much-wenlock-over-may/|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 January 2013|title=M21 brought disabled artists to Much Wenlock over the May Day weekend - Arts Council|date=10 January 2013}}</ref> artists included [[Simon McKeown]].

The Unlimited commissions drew much mass-media and popular attention,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18787268|title=Disabled artists launch festival|work=BBC News |date=10 July 2012}}</ref> as did the [[2012 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony]] called Enlightenment, featuring [[Stephen Hawking]].

==New Music 20x12==
New musical works commissioned from 20 composers performed around the UK and at the [[Southbank Centre]], London. Artists included [[Howard Skempton]], [[Mark-Anthony Turnage]], [[Irene Taylor Trust]], [[Luke Carver Goss]], [[Joe Cutler]], [[Graham Fitkin]], [[Mark Prescott]], [[David Bruce (composer)|David Bruce]], [[Aidan O'Rourke (musician)|Aidan O'Rourke]], [[Emily Howard]], [[Conor Mitchell]], [[Sheema Mukherjee]], [[Michael Wolters]]; [[Oliver Searle]], [[Aaron Cassidy]], [[EXAUDI]], [[Richard Causton (composer)|Richard Causton]] and [[Jason Yarde]] and Wonderbrass. <ref>{{cite web| title=New Music 20x12 | publisher= London 2012 | url=http://festival.london2012.com/about/culturalolympiad/new-music-20x12.php | access-date= 26 March 2012}}</ref>

==World Shakespeare Festival==
Most of the programming was part of a strand titled the World Shakespeare Festival, which included translations, adaptations, and re-workings of Shakespeare's plays.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thestage.co.uk/features/feature.php/36427/london-2012-festival-drama-on-display |title=London 2012 Festival: Drama on display – Features |publisher=The Stage |access-date=14 October 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Maev Kennedy |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2011/sep/06/shakespeare-festival-straddle-london-olympics?INTCMP=SRCH |title=Biggest Shakespeare festival ever will straddle the London Olympics &#124; Culture |work=The Guardian |date= 6 September 2011|access-date=14 October 2012}}</ref> Programming themed around the plays of [[William Shakespeare]] was a major part of the London 2012 Festival. It was produced by the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] and sponsored by the [[Arts Council]], [[BP]] and [[National Lottery (United Kingdom)|Lottery]] with about 60 participating organisations including the [[BBC]], [[British Museum]], [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]], the [[Barbican Centre]], the [[Almeida Theatre]] and [[Shakespeare's Globe]].<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-15240406 | date=10 October 2011 |title=World Shakespeare Festival tickets go on public sale |publisher=BBC}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/london-2012-festival/8915818/London-2012-Festival-Top-10-guide-br3.-The-World-Shakespeare-Festival.html  |title=London 2012 Festival Top 10 guide: 3. The World Shakespeare Festival |journal=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |author=Neil MacGregor |date=29 Nov 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://yearofshakespeare.com |title=A project documenting the World Shakespeare Festival, the greatest celebration of Shakespeare the world has ever seen |publisher=Year of Shakespeare |access-date=14 October 2012}}</ref> This festival began on 23 April 2012 and finished in November 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldshakespearefestival.org.uk/about/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111128195106/http://www.worldshakespearefestival.org.uk/about/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 November 2011 |title=About the Festival &#124; World Shakespeare Festival 2012 |publisher=Worldshakespearefestival.org.uk |access-date=14 October 2012 }}</ref> It included approximately 70 productions related to Shakespeare's plays, over half of which were performed in a language other than English (particularly those which formed part of the [[Globe to Globe Festival]] at Shakespeare's Globe). Shakespeare also featured in the [[BBC]]'s "Shakespeare Unlocked" 2012 season (particularly ''[[The Hollow Crown (TV series)|The Hollow Crown]]'' and in the [[2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Minard |first=Jenny |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16761126 |title=BBC News – London 2012: How Shakespeare's Tempest shapes the ceremonies |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=2012-01-27 |access-date=14 October 2012}}</ref> The World Shakespeare Festival also included the Worlds Together Conference, an international interdisciplinary conference exploring the role of Shakespeare and arts learning in young people's lives.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldshakespearefestival.org.uk/education/workshops-conferences-training/worlds-together.aspx |title=Worlds Together &#124; World Shakespeare Festival 2012 |publisher=Worldshakespearefestival.org.uk |date=2012-09-08 |access-date=14 October 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121224104325/http://www.worldshakespearefestival.org.uk/education/workshops-conferences-training/worlds-together.aspx |archive-date=2012-12-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref> At the grass roots and with the support of the performers' union, Equity, many events occurred around the country, not least the première of a new play entitled Shakespeare's Queen Elizabeth the Second, which was also performed in Stratford-upon-Avon and open air celebration of Shakespeare in, literally, John O'Groats and many locations south. Equity-backed events also occurred in London, for young people and school children, every two months from 2010–2012.

== Poetry Parnassus ==
'''Poetry Parnassus''' was a week-long series of events at the Southbank Centre at the end of June, featuring poets from around the world in what has been described as "the biggest gathering of poets in world history", with one poet representing each of the 204 competing Olympic nations.<ref>{{cite news|last=Flood|first=Alison|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/apr/17/poetry-parnassus-poets-olympic-nation |title=Poetry Parnassus to gather poets from every Olympic nation|newspaper=The Guardian|date= 12 April 2012}}</ref> Led by artist-in-residence [[Simon Armitage]], it was a festival of readings, performance, and debate that attracted an audience of more than 13,000 people.<ref>[https://www.britishcouncil.org/london-2012/culture-heart-games/poetry-parnassus "World Poetry Summit at Poetry Parnassus"], [[British Council]].</ref>  The opening ceremony for the event included a ''[[Rain of Poems]]'' where 100,000 English translations of the 204 poets' poems were dropped from a helicopter.<ref>{{cite news |author=Neil Curry |title=A deluge in London, but this time it's raining poems |url=https://www.cnn.com/2012/06/28/showbiz/britain-rain-of-poems/index.html |access-date=22 February 2021 |work=CNN |date=28 June 2012 |language=en}}</ref>

== Tales from the Bridge ==

''Tales from the Bridge'' was a vast poetry soundscape (among the largest ever created) commissioned by the Mayor of London for the 2012 Cultural Olympiad.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atomictv.com/TFTB.html|title=Tales form The Bridge|website=atomictv.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://poetrysociety.org.uk/poems/from-tales-from-the-bridge/|title = *from* Tales from the Bridge – the Poetry Society}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53hX3DTrlvM|title=Tales From The Bridge – Martyn Ware|last=KitmonstersTV|date=1 August 2012|via=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://illustriouscompany.co.uk/news/2012|title=News 2012 – Illustrious Company|website=illustriouscompany.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kitmonsters.com/blog/tales-from-the-bridge|title=KitMonsters – Tales From The Bridge}}</ref>  The project was "installed for eight weeks along the entire length of the Millennium Bridge and experienced by an estimated four million people".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bl.uk/events/happy-hour-tales-from-the-bridge|title='A soundscape meditation on the history of the Thames' [The British Library]}}</ref>  Collaborators for the project included [[Martyn Ware]] ([[The Human League]]) and [[Eric Whitacre]], whose composition prefaces the piece. The flowing narrative of the main section drew on "the fascinating history of the Thames and the people, stories, life and times on both banks of the river", providing "a contemplative auditory platform that links the City of London in the north with the Southbank and vice versa".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases-4836|title=Mayor of London press release|date=29 July 2012}}</ref>  Composed as a complex overlapping hybrid prose poem, and performed using subtle sonic textures and multiple interleaving voices, the text was conceived, written and vocally choreographed by [[Mario Petrucci]]. The project was shortlisted for the 2012 [[Ted Hughes Award]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://poetrysociety.org.uk/competitions/ted-hughes-award/|title = Ted Hughes Award – the Poetry Society}}</ref>

==BT River of Music==
The BT River of Music was a series of free events, with music from every country participating in the Olympics performed on five stages down the Thames.<ref name=tw/> There were artists from 204 countries who performed six concerts.<ref name=denselow2012>{{cite web |last=Denselow |first=Robin |title=BT River of Music, Africa and Americas stages – review |website=The Guardian |date=23 July 2012 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/jul/23/river-of-music-africa-americas |access-date=28 October 2024}}</ref> The stages were located as follows:<ref name=marchal2012>{{cite web |last=Marchal |first=Nahéma |title=BT River of Music: festival preview |website=the Guardian |date=17 July 2012 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2012/jul/17/bt-river-music-festival-preview |access-date=28 October 2024}}</ref> 
* Asia Stage, [[Battersea Park]]
* Europe Stages, [[Trafalgar Square]] and Battersea Park
* Americas Stage, [[Tower of London]]
* Oceania Stage, [[Old Royal Naval College|Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich]]
* Africa Stage, London Pleasure Gardens

The Oceania Stage featured music from the [[Pacific region]], including a special commission from in [[Indigenous Australian]] theatre company [[The Black Arm Band]] as well as Wantok's SingSing.<ref name=tw>{{cite web |title=BT River of Music- London Olympics |website=Turning World |date=13 October 2017 |url=https://turningworld.com.au/project/bt-river-of-music-london-olympics/ |access-date=28 October 2024}}</ref> [[Aboriginal Australian]] musician [[Frank Yamma]] also gave a performance.<ref >{{cite web |title=Biography |website=Frank Yamma |url=https://www.frankyamma.com/biography |access-date=27 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Vincent |first=Peter |title=Frank Yamma: a fire that burns brighter |website=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=14 October 2014 |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/frank-yamma-a-fire-that-burns-brighter-20141014-115sfg.html |access-date=27 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Sullivan |first=Mitch |title=Frank Yamma – World Music Series |website=NQ Music Press |date=20 September 2016 |url=http://www.nqmusicpress.com/news/interview-news/frank-yamma-world-music-series/ |access-date=28 October 2024}}</ref>

Other performers included: [[Scissor Sisters]], [[Staff Benda Bilili]], the [[Noisettes]], [[Matthew Herbert]], [[Penguin Cafe Orchestra]], [[Roberto Fonseca]], [[Beverley Knight]], [[Mariza]],<ref name=marchal2012/> [[King Sunny Adé]], [[Angélique Kidjo]], [[Baaba Maal]], [[Markitos Mikolta]], [[Will Holland]], [[La Bottine Souriante]], and many others.<ref name=denselow2012/>

==See also==
*[[All The Bells]]
*[[See No Evil (artwork)|''See No Evil'' (artwork)]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140221145754/http://www.london.gov.uk/city-hall/city-hall-blog/2012/08/an-olympics-legacy-in-a-digital-age TESTIMONIES. An Olympics legacy in a digital age]

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120321172831/http://www.london2012.com/cultural-olympiad 2012 Cultural Olympiad official website]
* [http://unlimited.southbankcentre.co.uk Unlimited, the 2012 Paralympics Cultural Festival]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110624045640/http://www.worldshakespearefestival.org.uk/ World Shakespeare Festival]
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}

[[Category:2012 Cultural Olympiad| ]]