It Takes a Village: London’s art festival offers spectacle to coincide with the Olympic Games
Before the crack of the first starting pistol at the London Summer Olympics, Britain will resound with the chimes of bells. That’s the hope of Turner Prize-winning artist Martin Creed, who wants any bell—church, bicycle, or door—to be rung hard and fast for three minutes at 8 a.m. on July 27 to mark the opening of the international sporting event. Those lacking a bell can download a ringtone by the artist, which means they won’t be just members of the party but also owners of a Creed original.
This is one of the thousands of artworks and events lined up for the Cultural Olympiad to coincide with the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Launched in 2008 as part of London’s winning bid for the games, the Cultural Olympiad was recently given a reboot—culminating in the eight-week London 2012 Festival, which runs through September 9.
In all, 25,000 artists from each of the 205 countries participating in the Olympics are taking part in the festival. The projects are not restricted to London but encompass the entire United Kingdom, with art commissions ranging from colossal crocheted lions to a multiperson performance piece by Tino Sehgal.