Art in the Park: Visit to the British Association Archive at UEL

For Newham Heritage Month 2022, the project “Art in the Park” looks at the cultural events that took place along with the Olympics in London in 2012. 

During our research, we obtained access to the amazing archive of the Olympics British Association Archive at UEL (University of East London), including the torches of the London 2012 Games and the following one that took place in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. It was very special!

We had the opportunity to look at publications such as: the ‘London 2012 Official Report’ and the ‘London 2012 Official Commemorative Book’; a magazine called ‘Make Britain Proud’ – which was used as one of the tools to publicise London’s candidature as the host of the Olympics; a booklet called ‘Olympics & Arts’, that gathered information on all partnerships, projects and cultural events taking place during the Games in London; and a newspaper that was distributed to the athletes and those living in the Olympic villages – which is now is the East Village residential and cultural complex. 

We selected some for you to have a look – check it out:

Arts, culture & sports

Arts and culture have long been part of the Olympic programme. In Ancient Greece, art and sport were considered perfect partners. The ideal was to achieve harmony by exercising both the body and the mind.

With the birth of the modern Olympic Games in 1896, Pierre de Coubertin advocated for a strong alliance “among athletes, artists, and spectators”. At early editions of the Games (1912-1948), art competitions featured in the programme and medals were awarded in architecture, literature, musical composition, painting and sculpture.

Today the IOC (International Olympic Committee), working in close collaboration with a multitude of partners and cultural players within the Olympic Movement and beyond, leads or supports the production of arts and culture programmes during Games time and between the editions of the Games.

(Text extracted from the International Olympic Committee Official website).

Publication “Olympics & Arts”. British Association Archive/ UEL. Image © Sylvia Morgado

Sticker with the symbol of the Cultural Olympiad in front of the ArcelorMittal Orbit. Image © Sylvie Belbouab

If you want to learn more about our project, there are a number of resources we have put together:

– Interviews with artists Neville Gabie and Lucy Harrison who worked with local communities before the London 2012 Games,
– Our visit to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to look at its sculptures
– The work with a fantastic group of young people from Newham making poetry reflecting on the cultural heritage of the Olympics

Bibliography: 

https://olympics.com/ioc/the-olympic-foundation-for-culture-and-heritage/arts-and-culture