The Cultural Olympiad
The founder of the modern Olympic Games, Baron Pierre de Coubertin originally envisaged the Games as a celebration of sport, culture and education. Following on from the founding principles of the Olympic Games, Cultural activities and education will combine with sport for an unforgettable experience and lasting change. The Handover Ceremonies taking place in Beijing and celebrated across the UK will be an important part of these activities this year.
At the moment there are national and regional projects in development across the country which will be part of the Cultural Olympiad and there is now a network of ’Creative Programmers’ with support from Regional Cultural Consortia, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and other cultural and regional agencies. There’s one for each of the English regions, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, plus two in London team. They will all have a particular focus on supporting local and regional projects.
There’s still plenty of time to get involved in this four year festival. Tessa Gordziejko, Creative Programmer for London 2012 (Yorkshire and Humber) will be undertaking briefings across the region over the next 12 months to let cultural and community organizations know how inspirational projects can become part of the Cultural Olympiad and how brilliant ideas can be developed into inspirational projects. One way for organisations or individuals who are already well informed on the framework for the programme, is a series of intensive creative workshops we are running called Charettes. This will be an opportunity for great ideas to be developed in collaboration with others. The first of these is on 1st and 2nd July in Wakefield and you can find out more here.
I move therefore I am
‘I move therefore I am’ is a four year exploration, celebration and evaluation of The Moving Body through culture and sport, with the themes of Olympism and the UK’s aspirations for London 2012 as the springboard for change.
'i move therefore i am' will comprise events, ambience and programmes of activity inspired by the vision of the modern Olympics as the pinnacle of human achievement in culture and sport ; and the Olympic values of body, mind and spirit.
Using the 2012 opportunity to supercharge aspirations for positive change, 'i move therefore i am' will form part of Yorkshire’s Cultural Olympiad programme, with the ambition of:
“Enhanced perception of Yorkshire and Humber as outward facing, culturally rich and internationally connected. The Golden opportunity is to make sure the region’s cultural offer of attractions and experiences stimulates people who live here and seduces tourists to visit. The region must be part of the ‘Cultural Olympiad’ complementing activity in London and making our own unique contribution”
Sector Briefings
The first 'I move therefore I am' sector briefing took place in Leeds, at the Carriageworks Theatre, on 22nd March. Presentations were given by Tessa Gordziejko, Creative Programmer for London 2012 (Yorkshire and Humber), Mary Wright of Arts Council England, Barney Mynott and Annie Mauger of MLA Yorkshire and Jay Arnold of Screen Yorkshire. Click on the names of the speakers to view a copy of their presentations. To view the 'i move therefore I am' framework paper please click here.
If you would like to receive regular updates on the Cultural Olympiad please sign up to the newsletter below.
Useful links
London 2012 Culture Page
London 2012 Education Page
Legacy Trust UK