2. % 1#+-$*%,2*%34-$*
5 Have a fabulous Festival
6 The Director’s cut
Director Ruth Mackenzie
gives a taste of the
Festival programme
8 Where will you be
on 21 June?
Four sensational performances
taking place on opening day
12 The unforgettable
summer of 2012
Once-in-a-lifetime experiences
18 The great art escape
Find something amazing
happening near you
20 Free London
Cultural experiences
across the city
22 Artists who change the world
Astonishing bodies of work
from Hitchcock to Hirst
24 Swing into action
Ring a bell to give the
Games a rousing start
26 Unmissable Unlimited
Disabled artists take up
the challenge
28 The kids are alright
Performances and exhibitions
for kids to enjoy
30 How to book tickets
All the information you need
% 56,7%8*+-3#%9%:;2-<-,-"#+
32 Objects to inspire
Thomas Heatherwick designs
33 Event listings
&
Welcometo the London 2012 Festival! When the UK won the bid for
the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we promised that this
‘once in a lifetime’ event would include a great cultural programme
that could involve people nationwide. When we are asked why,
we go back to the example of Ancient Greece, where the Olympic
Games included artists as well as athletes. As recently as the
London 1948 Games, artists were awarded medals along with the
athletes. This Festival has invited artists from all over the world to
create amazing events from Shetland to Cornwall, from Enniskillen
to Edinburgh, from Hackney to Hadrian’s Wall – with more than
10 million FREE opportunities to take part.
The Festival would not be possible without our cultural and community
partners throughout the UK. But most of all, it simply would not have
happened without our great funding partners and sponsors. We offer
our huge thanks to them for what we hope will be a fantastic Festival
for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Seb Coe
Chair, London 2012
Organising Committee
Tony Hall
Chair, Cultural
Olympiad Board
The London 2012 Festival is only possible thanks to the exceptional
and generous support of our funders, sponsors and partners. We
are enormously grateful to the following:
Premier Partners of the London 2012 Festival
Principal Funders of the London 2012 Festival
Supporters of the London 2012 Festival
3. Find more information at london2012.com/festival =
% >"?*$@
43 Playing it for laughs
Stephen Fry curates at
the Criterion Theatre
44 Event listings
8/#A*
46 Power and beauty
Dance inspired by
extraordinary places
47 Event listings
% )-0?7%B6"/$A/+,%9%8-3-,/0
53 New films
Four new commissions by
exciting UK film-makers
54 Event listings
% C4+*4?+%9%D*6-,/3*
58 Magnificent feats
Artefacts of Games history,
including how the medals
were forged
59 Event listings %
% C4+-A
60 London’s great gig
Performances along
the Thames
62 Get in on the acts
Radio 1’s biggest-ever
free live music event
63 Event listings
70 BBC Proms 2012
How to Prom, plus full
event listings
% E4,$""6%9%>/6#-./0
78 Tricks of the light
Fell runners illuminate the
landscape in Edinburgh
79 Event listings
% F"*,6@%9%G,"6@,*00-#3
84 A world of words
The Poetry Parnassus festival
85 Event listings
% H2*/,6*%9%F*6I"6?/#A*
87 Artist of the theatre
The great director Robert Wilson
87 Wine, madness and ecstasy
Three classics celebrating the
Greek god Dionysus
87 In the limelight
Julie Walters at the
National Theatre
88 Event listings
96 All the world’s a stage
A celebration of the world’s
playwright, plus event listings
% 8/-0@%8-/6@
106 Plan your Festival day by day
134 The road to Rio
Passing the baton
138 Winning teamwork
Meet our sponsors
This page: Circa & I Fagiolini
– How Like an Angel page 88
Front cover: Rachel Whiteread, LOndOn 2O12
Back cover: Tracey Emin, Birds 2012
The posters are part of the Official London
2012 Olympic and Paralympic Poster
Display page 39
5. W
ith thousands of
performances and
events around the
UK, the London
2012 Festival promises an exciting
summer of culture. It starts on
21 June and ends on 9 September,
the last day of the Paralympic
Games. Whether you love dance,
music, comedy, theatre, fashion, art
or film, you’ll find something you
can get involved in.
Plan your Festival
Inside you’ll find listings of all
London 2012 Festival events
taking place this summer – you
can read about the highlights,
browse events by artform category,
or check out what’s happening
today in your area using the Daily
Diary – it’s up to you! Dive in and
plan your festival.
Hot tickets
Many events in the Festival are free
to attend, and these are clearly
marked in the listings with a FREE
symbol. For events where you need
to reserve or buy a ticket in
advance, we’ve given you the Box
Office details of each venue. See
page 30 for more details on how
the listings work.
Bring the kids
The Festival is all about getting
involved – so why not bring the
kids? The ‘family friendly’ symbol in
the listings shows those events that
There are millions of opportunities to take
part in the London 2012 Festival, many
completely free – here’s how to find
something you’ll love
Have a
fabulous
Festival
Find more information at london2012.com/festival K
have been created with families
and young people in mind – you
can also read about some of our
events for children on page 28-29.
The Festival on your
doorstep
The Festival is bringing the spirit of
the Games to you, with thousands
of events in every corner of the UK.
The Daily Diary is broken down by
nation and region, so you can find
something near you at a glance.
You can also search for events
using your postcode or home town
at london2012.com/festival.
Get connected
We’ve crammed in as much as we
can, but there’s even more to come!
We’ll be running some surprise
pop-up events during the Festival,
as well as offering plenty of
exclusive looks behind-the-scenes,
special ticket offers and
competitions – and our online
followers will be first to hear!
Our website also includes more
details on each Festival event,
including access information,
ticket prices, start times and video
previews. So make sure you don’t
miss out...
Visit us online at
london2012.com/festival
Like us on Facebook:
facebook.com/london2012festival
Follow us on Twitter:
@london2012fest
6. L
How do you create a ‘once
in a lifetime’ festival?
The Olympic and Paralympic
Games come to our home country
once in a lifetime, and we faced
the challenge to deliver a London
2012 Festival just as amazing. We
started by giving world-class artists
the same chance as the athletes: to
create once-in-a-lifetime special
events – the best from around the
world working with the best of
British. We asked arts centres and
creative leaders for their top ideas.
Then we chose the most exciting to
be in this showcase of brilliant
musicians, comics, film stars,
museums, galleries, theatres,
dance companies, carnival makers,
acrobats, poets and much, much
more. The stakes are high – the
eyes of the world will be on us
this summer; but if we get the
Festival right, people will
remember 2012 not just for
amazing moments of sport, but
for unforgettable art as well.
What can people do for free?
It is really important that everybody
gets the chance to take part in the
London 2012 Festival, so we have
over 10 million FREE tickets and
opportunities – all over the UK, not
just in London. We have free
concerts, exhibitions and special
outdoor spectaculars at some of the
UK’s most beautiful landmarks –
Stonehenge, the Tower of London,
Giant’s Causeway, Zaha Hadid’s
new museum on the River Clyde,
the shore of Cardiff Bay and places
near you. All free, but please check
if you need to book in advance. It’s
a great chance to experiment with
something new, see artists or take
part for free in events you may
never experience again.
Have the Games inspired
the artists?
Of course. Take the idea of
Olympic Truce: in Ancient Greece,
all nations agreed to stop fighting
to listen to the artists and watch
the athletes. The United Nations still
has a resolution before each
Games, and this year we can
enjoy pop stars, musicians and
artists in all art forms inspired by
this theme of world peace. The
Paralympic Games have inspired
our funders to set up Unlimited, a
special programme to commission
our best disabled and deaf artists.
The results are incredible, and
I know that disabled artists will
be up there in the greatest hits
of the London 2012 Festival.
Can people be creative
and take part?
We really want people to take part,
to be creative themselves. With the
Big Dance, for example, we hope
five million people will join us in
dancing all around the UK. This
is the true spirit of the Cultural
Olympiad – the formal name of the
creative programme we have been
running since 2008 with the help of
16 million people, building up to its
finale, the London 2012 Festival.
What do you recommend?
With thousands of events,
10 million free tickets and
opportunities, comedy and TV stars,
world-famous musicians, top tips for
the stars of tomorrow, artists new
and old from around the world and
spectacular venues all over the UK,
where do I start? Only you can tell
us what was unforgettable – what
will go down in history as the best
event of 2012. We have worked
with partners in communities all
over the UK and with festivals and
creators all over the world to make
a summer like no other. All that’s left
is for you to join us and, most
important of all, have great fun!
‘IF WE GET THE FESTIVAL RIGHT,
PEOPLE WILL REMEMBER 2012 NOT
JUST FOR AMAZING SPORT, BUT
FOR UNFORGETTABLE ART AS WELL’
RUTH MACKENZIE LONDON 2012 FESTIVAL DIRECTOR
F
rom Midsummer’s Day on 21 June to the last day of
the London 2012 Games on 9 September, the London
2012 Festival hopes to astonish and delight the UK
with an explosion of arts and creativity all over the
country. There are more than 10 million free tickets and
opportunities to take part: Festival Director Ruth Mackenzie
invites you to join the fun.
7. Find more information at london2012.com/festival M
H2*%8-6*A,"6N+%A4,
A taste of Festival experiences that will live with you forever
Towering over the
Olympic Park
Anish Kapoor’s The Orbit: a
115-metre high sculpture that
will remain a monument to
the Games.
Page 42
The world’s playwright
The World Shakespeare
Festival: a celebration of
the great playwright’s
impact on our lives.
Page 96
Pushing boundaries
Unlimited: this programme
spotlights the talents of deaf
and disabled artists.
Page 26
Three ways to
appreciate Wilson
Robert Wilson in London,
Enniskillen and Norfolk.
Pages 65, 91, 93
Acrobatic extremes
in the city
Streb: Extreme Action:
Elizabeth Streb’s troupe
reimagines London’s
landmarks.
Page 83
Dancing the globe
Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina
Bausch: profiling 10 world
cities in a celebration of the
legendary choreographer.
Page 52
Film legend’s
sporting short
Mike Leigh’s A Running Jump:
a short film about love and
sport in east London.
Page 56
Making ancient walls
communicate
YesYesNo’s Connecting Light
pulses messages along the
73 miles of Hadrian’s Wall.
Page 59
Rocking the world
Peace One Day’s
Global Truce Concert:
from the heart of
Derry/Londonderry.
Page 67
Let the music flow
BT River of Music: six stages
with artists from five
continents beside iconic
landmarks on the
River Thames.
Page 64
The transformative
power of music
The Big Concert: young
players from Scotland and
Venezuela under the baton
of Gustavo Dudamel.
Page 69
Biggest-ever Radio 1
live music event
BBC Radio 1’s Hackney
Weekend 2012: free to an
audience of 100,000
and broadcast.
Page 64
The song king
Damon Albarn’s
Dr Dee: a new opera about
the Elizabethan magician.
Page 65
Illuminating the past
Compagnie Carabosse:
transforming Stonehenge
into a Fire Garden.
Page 79
Beethoven at the Proms
Daniel Barenboim’s
West-Eastern Divan in
a complete Beethoven
symphonies cycle.
Page 72-73
Heroines of comedy
Trailblazers: special
screenings in tribute to
the funniest women of
British television.
Page 45
Helicopters in harmony
The world premiere of the
opera that Stockhausen saw
as his masterpiece,
Mittwoch aus Licht.
Page 69
Lighting the way
Cardiff’s Paralympic Flame
Festival: an exciting build-up
to the opening of the
Paralympic Games.
Page 81
A star of the Tate
Olafur Eliasson: the artist
who drew vast crowds with
The Weather Project
collaborates with
the Tate.
Page 39
Surprises round
the corner
Pop-up performances:
unexpected, one-off events
showing the UK in
a new light.
Stonehenge Fire Garden,
page 79
8. Where
will you
be on
21June?
‘A stunningly choreographed,
large-scale firework spectacular
underscored with furious,
elemental percussion and dance,
On the Night Shift explores
enlightenment versus obscurity,
destruction versus regeneration
and light versus darkness’
Julie Tait, Director, Lakes Alive
The London 2012 Festival starts on
a high with four thrilling events lined
up for the opening day
O
When the Olympic Flame comes to
Lake Windermere on 21 June it will
spark an evening of explosive
sound and spectacle.
French pyrotechnic wizards Les
Commandos Percu will be setting
the sky ablaze and filling the air
with rhythmic drumbeats from their
unique fusion of fireworks and
percussion work.
Part of the Lakes Alive season,
this free spectacular will be the
world premiere of the company’s
new show On the Night Shift,
which will include music and
dance, and will feature specially
selected UK artists.
Lakes Alive: Les Commandos Percu
– On The Night Shift, page 80
1. On the Night Shift
Lakes Alive, Bowness-on-Windermere
10. ('
In a community of only
3,000 people, the 450 children
under 12 years old practise four
nights a week. Everyone learns
together, no one is turned
away. The results, musically
and socially, are amazing.
‘Heaven knows what kind of hip
hop will come out of here,’ says
George Anderson, one of the Big
Noise team. ‘What will these kids
do when they know how to
arrange a string quartet and put
samples on it and use beat boxes?’
For the children, rehearsing
together has become a way
of life. ‘It’s brought a lot of music
into Raploch and made a lot
of difference,’ says William,
an 11-year-old cellist.
Musical fireworks
El Sistema changed countless lives
in Venezuela, none more than for
Dudamel, who rose to become the
youngest ever conductor of the Los
Angeles Philharmonic. On 21 June
he will lead a concert in the
shadow of Stirling Castle for an
audience of 8,000 people, which
will show the musical talent of all
the young people, Scottish and
Venezuelan, with musical and real
fireworks to finish the evening.
The Big Concert, page 69
‘I’ll have butterflies in my tummy but I’ll be jumping on my toes.
I’m always excited for concerts, but sometimes I’m really nervous
– and this one has 8,000 people’ William, 11, cello player
A small Scottish suburb may seem
like a strange place to make musical
history, but on 21 June the children
of Raploch will be conducted by
one of the greatest conductors in
the world, Gustavo Dudamel,
together with the Simón Bolívar
Youth Orchestra from Venezuela,
who travel the world with him.
Making a Big Noise
But the musical history started years
ago, with the Big Noise project
offering children in Raploch the
chance to learn an orchestral
musical instrument, working on the
same philosophy pioneered years
before by El Sistema in Venezuela.
2. The Big Concert
Raploch, Stirling
11. Find more information at london2012.com/festival ((
Edward Gardner and Simon Halsey
raise their batons together for the
UK premiere of Weltethos (Global
Ethos). It was originally
commissioned by Sir Simon Rattle
for the Berlin Philharmonic
Orchestra. The six movements each
portray one of the world’s major
religions: Confucianism, Judaism,
Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism and
Christianity. Two conductors will
harness the massed forces of the
specially enlarged orchestra, pipe
organ, speaker and three choruses
in a deeply moving call for
greater global understanding.
City of Birmingham Symphony
Orchestra, CBSO Chorus,
CBSO Youth Chorus &
Children’s Chorus.
Jonathan Harvey’s Weltethos
– City of Birmingham Symphony
Orchestra, page 66
‘Music has an important role to play
in society because, in my opinion, it
is the most spiritual of all the arts’
Jonathan Harvey, composer, Weltethos
‘It feels a lot better doing
things for other people than
doing things for yourself’
Jude Law, Peace One Day Ambassador
As ambassador for Peace One
Day, there’s only one place you’ll
find actor Jude Law on 21 June – in
the heart of Derry/Londonderry’s
new cultural quarter. There, in the
shadow of the sparkling new
Peace Bridge, historic Ebrington
Parade Ground will rock with the
hope of the Peace One Day
Global Truce 2012 concert.
This will be the first major event
to take place in the former army
barracks, and the echoes of the
soldiers marching will be pushed
firmly back in history as the walls
resonate with music from a
star-studded line-up of artists.
It’s the perfect location to inspire
reconciliation and change on the
day that will mark the three-month
countdown to Peace Day 2012,
the focus of Peace One Day’s
Global Truce 2012 campaign.
Peace One Day was founded by
filmmaker Jeremy Gilley back in
1999, with the aim of establishing
an annual day of global ceasefire
and non-violence on 21 September.
Since then, the campaign has
inspired action on Peace Day
throughout all sectors of society, in
every country of the world. And in
2007 and 2008, Gilley and Law
travelled to Afghanistan to
spearhead an initiative that has
resulted in the vaccination against
polio of 4.5 million children due to
Peace Day agreements.
A second concert will take place
at London’s Wembley Arena on
Peace Day 21 September 2012.
Peace One Day,
page 67
4. Weltethos –
Jonathan Harvey
Symphony Hall, Birmingham
3. Peace One Day
Global Truce
Countdown Concert
Derry/Londonderry
12. (&
The unforgettable
summer of
2012It’s here: from the Isle of Wight to the
Isle of Lewis, in helicopters,
warehouses, barges, galleries and
theatres – a nationwide arts festival of
unprecedented scope. We’ve picked
out many exciting events, but there are
loads more. From world premieres to
free festivals and outdoor spectaculars,
the Festival offers experiences that the
UK will remember forever.
E
lizabeth Streb and her
extraordinary dancers
deliver one of the most
memorable free shows of
the London 2012 Festival as they
leap, dance, swoop and catapult
themselves around some of the
capital’s major landmarks.
Brooklyn-based choreographer
Streb, 62, has earned a formidable
reputation for pushing herself and
her dancers (she calls them action
specialists) to the very limits of
human endurance. Their daredevil
performances incorporate aspects
of free-running, rodeo and
gymnastics. Reviewers have called
her the Evel Knievel of dance.
‘Air is the ultimate public space,’
she told Time Out New York. The
team is recruiting and training UK
dancers so it will be a true
New York/London collaboration.
Streb: Extreme Action
– One Extraordinary Day is
performing from dawn until dusk
in a series of pop-up surprises
around the capital.
To find out where and
when, follow London 2012
Festival on Twitter @london2012fest
or visit molpresents.com.
Streb: Extreme Action – One
Extraordinary Day, page 83
8/6*$*.-0%+,4#,+%".*6%!"#$"#
13. Find more information at london2012.com/festival (=
Damon Albarn is performing in
his own opera Dr Dee this summer
at English National Opera. It is
directed by Rufus Norris and tells
the story of the mysterious Dr Dee,
a spy (code number allegedly 007)
and mystic who lived hundreds of
years ago, and died on a secret
mission abroad. He was a regular
at Queen Elizabeth I’s court, and is
said to be the model for William
Shakespeare’s Prospero.
For the music, Albarn makes use
of his innate gift for melody and
brilliance in mixing genres. He
explores his own English roots, and
adds aspects of grand opera and
Elizabethan masques to his pop
culture and world music influences.
Albarn’s musical ensemble,
featuring traditional instruments
including an old English lute, joins
him on stage adding Elizabethan
flair to the orchestral score.
Damon Albarn’s Dr Dee,
page 65
Come to Cardiff on 27 August
and follow the magical glow of the
lantern procession as the
Paralympic Flame is lit at Cardiff
Bay. Surprise stars, community
groups, Paralympians and a stage
of great performers come together
in a free spectacular to remember.
The Welsh Flame then travels to
Stoke Mandeville, to unite with
Flames from England, Scotland
and Northern Ireland, and start the
final journey to the Opening
Ceremony of the London 2012
Paralympic Games.
‘Albarn makes use of his
innate gift for melody and
brilliance in mixing genres’
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14. (J
MUSIC, LOVE &
LAUGHTER
Left: Tales of the
Riverbank Comedy
Barge. Below: Peace
Camp. Right: Shingai
Shoniwa from the
Noisettes will perform
at BT River of Music.
Below right: Ninagawa
Company at the
Barbican, for the World
Shakespeare Festival
Take a group of comics, a barge
and a wifi connection (at least
some of the time), promise some
digital comedy classes, pop-up
gigs by the canalside, and surprise
star guests. Ask them all to sail
on canals from London to
Edinburgh’s celebrated Fringe
venue, The Pleasance, and
give them a deadline. What
could possibly go wrong?
Tales of the Riverbank Comedy
Barge, page 45
Peace Camp is just one of the
ways you can participate in the
London 2012 Festival – and
experience one of its most powerful
themes: the appeal for global truce.
Eight glowing encampments are
appearing simultaneously at
beautiful and remote coastal
locations around the UK – from
County Antrim to the tip of
Cornwall, from the Isle of Lewis to
the Sussex cliffs. A collaboration by
renowned director Deborah
Warner and actress Fiona Shaw,
the installations are designed to be
visited between dusk and dawn,
and feature the audible murmuring
of love poetry from within the tents.
You can contribute to Peace
Camp online by nominating your
favourite love poems, and submitting
your own message to create an
online anthology that celebrates our
rich poetic tradition.
Peace Camp, page 85 !".*%Q"*,6@%/6"4#$%,2*%A"/+,
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15. Find more information at london2012.com/festival (K
More than a thousand
artists from around the
world will take part in 72
Shakespeare productions
Incredible performers from
every one of the 205 nations taking
part in the London 2012 Games
are playing at iconic Thames-side
locations in the BT River of Music.
This amazing festival, with over
160,000 free tickets, celebrates the
spirit of the Games by teaming
major artists with young musicians to
create unique collaborations. Six
stages, representing the world’s
major continents, will present two
days of live music, DJs and a party
atmosphere on Saturday 21 and
Sunday 22 July.
Artists include Scissor Sisters,
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
with Wynton Marsalis, Baaba
Maal, Angelique Kidjo, Zakir
Hussain, Andy Sheppard and
the Noisettes.
BT River of Music, page 60
Shakespeare’s global
influence is celebrated in the World
Shakespeare Festival. Produced by
the Royal Shakespeare Company,
it’s an unprecedented collaboration
with leading UK and international
arts organisations, and with Globe
to Globe, a major international
programme produced by
Shakespeare’s Globe. There will be
performances and events in more
than 25 venues around the UK from
Edinburgh to South Wales.
The Open Stages project gives
amateur companies the chance to
perform on the RSC’s stages in
Stratford-upon-Avon, while anyone
can join in online through the digital
project My Shakespeare.
World Shakespeare Festival,
page 96. See also BBC
Shakespeare season, p55
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16. (L
AFRICAN FESTIVAL
Top: African art and
performance will
pervade the streets
of Manchester
West Africa in Manchester:
‘We face neither East nor West,
we face Forward,’ said Kwame
Nkrumah, the first President of
Ghana. His words are the
inspiration for a great festival of
West African contemporary art,
fashion, photography, video,
installations, music and more.
Manchester’s main galleries have
joined forces for the first time to
present this free city-wide exhibition,
which also offers children’s
storytelling, workshops and special
surprises such as a touring,
have-a-go-yourself art-bus modelled
on the flamboyant taxi-buses found
in Senegal and Mali.
We Face Forward, page 42
C/#A2*+,*6%?**,+%5I6-A/
The hot choreographer in
Berlin, Constanza Macras works for
the first time with National Theatre
Wales, taking brave audiences into
the darkness of the forest of North
Wales. For the unaware in Cardiff
town centre, billboards turn into
screens and the adventures in the
forest become dance videos on
a giant scale. Playing with dance
and immersive theatre, handheld
cameras capture scary rites of
passage to bring ancient Welsh
myths vividly alive. Once seen,
never forgotten!
Branches, page 88
A horse and waggon, Rolls
Royce and vintage motorcycle &
sidecar are just some of the modes
of transport the runners in Hansel of
Film will employ. In this wonderfully
wacky relay race, volunteers share
the route from Shetland to
Southampton and back, passing
on short films as their baton. The
handover points en route are venues
for the screenings of the films that
have been made by the public
all around the UK.
A Hansel of Film – Shetland to
Southampton and Back, page 54
Ensemble by Benin artist
Meschac Gaba
C/3-A/0%<*-#3+
17. UK fashion designers and artists
have come together to create
special one-off works of art inspired
by the Games. Britain Creates
2012: Fashion and Art Collusion
brings together an array of glittering
talent, including Giles Deacon and
Jeremy Deller, Paul Smith and
Charming Baker, Jonathan
Saunders (whose work is pictured,
left) and Jess Flood-Paddock,
Stephen Jones and Cerith Wyn
Evans, Hussein Chalayan and
Gavin Turk, Matthew Williamson
and Mark Titchner. The artists
are sewing, the fashion
designers are casting in
bronze; anything is possible.
Britain Creates 2012,
page 35
It’s being staged in a former
warehouse in Birmingham and will
feature a string quartet streamed
live from four flying helicopters. The
much-anticipated world premiere
of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s
Mittwoch aus Licht promises to be
a musical and theatrical revelation.
The most significant 20th-century
composer of electronic music,
Stockhausen regarded Mittwoch
as his masterpiece. He is reputed
to have prayed daily for its first
complete performance in order to
spread its message of love and
collaboration through the central
characters Eve, Lucifer and
Michael. This production by
Birmingham Opera Company will
be the first time all six parts of the
opera have been staged together.
Mittwoch aus Licht / Wednesday
from Light, page 69
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The great
art escape
Who says drama has to be
confined to theatres and art trapped
in galleries? The Festival is setting
imaginative and original pieces free
to inhabit unusual and beautiful
locations across the nation
Giant’s Causeway
Hans Peter Kuhn – Flags:
The dramatic landscape
seen in a new light. p59
Belfast
Land of Giants:
Northern Ireland’s
largest-ever outdoor
arts event. p80, 81
LLandow, Wales
Y Storm: Welsh translation of
Shakespeare’s The Tempest with
live music and magic. p105
Ilkley
Jez Colborne – Irresistible:
Open-air choral symphony by the
Bradford musician. p66
Valtos, Isle of Lewis
Peace Camp: Love-poetry-
inspired encampments on
the coast. p85
19. (M
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Edinburgh
Speed of Light:
Runners in
glowing suits
light up Arthur’s
Seat at night.
p81
Borders
Forest Pitch:
Football matches
in the middle of
the woods. p36
Windermere
On The Night
Shift: Pyrotechnics
and percussion by
the lakeside.
p80
Ripon
How Like an
Angel: Aerial
circus skills in the
country’s finest
cathedrals. p88
Aldeburgh
Aldeburgh World
Orchestra:
Musicians from across
the globe form an
orchestra. p63
Stonehenge
Fire Garden: The
monument
transformed into
a glowing fairytale
environment. p79
Bexhill
Hang On A Minute Lads:
A full-size coach dangles
off De La Warr Pavilion.
p40
Telford
Kurt Hentschläger
– CORE: Digital
projections at
Ironbridge Gorge.
p38
Bristol
See No Evil: Street artist Inkie
creates Europe’s largest street
art festival. p40
Hadrian’s Wall
Connecting Light: art that pulses
messages along the length of the
wall. p59
London
Mark Rylance in pop-up
Shakespeare all around the
capital. p95
Nottingham and
Birmingham
Mandala: 3D architectural
projection is fused with South
Asian dance and music p80
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20. Free LondonThe capital will be fizzing with live arts events, festivals,
exhibitions and street art during the Festival – and dozens
of them are free. Here’s our pick of the best
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Serpentine Gallery
Pavilion 2012
Hyde Park
Powerhouse architectural art from Ai
Weiwei and Herzog & de Meuron.
p33
Rachel Whiteread façade
Whitechapel Gallery
You can admire Whiteread’s
beautiful new frieze from the street
(and the gallery’s free too). p40
Tate Modern Oil Tanks
Experience Tate’s dramatic new
performance space (pictured right)
with Fase (p50), Ei Arakawa (p36)
and Tania Bruguera (p93).
50%I6*+A"%I4#
Inside Out
National Theatre
Outdoor spectaculars and activities
for kids. p81
West End Live
Trafalgar Square
A star-spangled spectacular
featuring casts from every
West End musical.
p95
The Royal Ballet
Royal Opera House
The 2012 BP Summer Big Screen
relays a live performance of the
ROH’s Metamorphosis: Titian. p52
SHOWTIME: Entertainment
Everywhere
Entertainment in all 33 London
Boroughs, including Theater
Tol/Akademi (pictured left). p83
21. Find more information at london2012.com/festival &(
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SECRETS: Hidden London
City-wide
Discover another side of London,
along its canals (The Owl and the
Pussycat), in its lidos (Like a Fish Out
of Water), and on its hills (Northala
Fields, pictured left). p82
The Pineapple Banqueting House
Blackfriars
A tropical-fruit-shaped gastro surprise
from jelly makers extraordinaire
Bompass & Parr. p42
Streb Extreme Action
Awe-inspiring acrobatics in and
around London landmarks.
p83
BBC Radio 1’s Hackney
Weekend 2012
Hackney Marshes
Megastars including Jay-Z
and Rihanna take the stage for
Radio 1’s biggest free event. p64
BT River of Music
Along the Thames
Six stages of music from all over the
world in a free weekend festival for
more than 160,000 spectators. p60
Urban Classic
Waltham Forest Town Hall
A groundbreaking mashup between
the BBC Symphony Orchestra and
urban acts including Ms Dynamite
(pictured right) and Fazer. p69
The London 2012 Olympic and
Paralympic Games Medals
British Museum
Learn the fascinating life story of the
London 2012 medals. p59
Olympic and Paralympic Posters
Tate Britain
On display are the12 official
Games posters (some pictured left),
from a roster of the UK’s
biggest artists. p39
BT Road to 2012
National Portrait Gallery
Photos exhibition of the people
behind the Games, from unsung
heroes to athletes. p35
The Olympic Journey
Royal Opera House
Treasures from the Olympic Museum
in Switzerland illustrate the history
of the Games.
p59
Big Dance
City-wide
Dancing in the streets – and
the parks, palaces, museums,
and libraries – from performers
and the public.
p47
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22. 3. Tracey Emin:
She Lay Down
Deep Beneath
The Sea
Emin explores
love, sex and
romanticism at
the Turner
Contemporary
Gallery in her
home town of
Margate. Works
on erotic subjects
by Emin, JMW
Turner and
Auguste Rodin
will be presented
together for the
first time.
Page 42
2. Jubilation:
The Music of
George
Benjamin
Virtuoso concerts
drawing together
a great range of
Benjamin’s music.
It centres on the
Philharmonia
Orchestra’s
performance of
‘Jubilation’, his
1985 work for
orchestra, mixed
children’s group
and choir,
conducted by the
composer.
Page 66
1. Damien Hirst
An insight into
Hirst’s work at
Tate Modern.
More than 70
works will
provide a survey
of the 25 years
this influential
and controversial
artist has been in
the public eye.
Page 36
6. The Genius of
Hitchcock
The BFI National
Archive has
restored a series
of Alfred
Hitchcock’s silent
masterpieces to
their former glory.
Musical
luminaries such
as Nitin
Sawhney and
Soweto Kinch
have written new
scores, which will
be performed
live at Festival
screenings.
Page 57
4. Tanztheater
Wuppertal Pina
Bausch
Sadler’s Wells
and the Barbican
are staging
a major
retrospective of
choreographer
Pina Bausch. The
season features
10 works (seven
UK premieres),
each created at
the invitation of
a global city and
exploring a
different location.
Page 52
5. DruidMurphy
Three plays by
Tom Murphy tell
the epic story of
Irish immigration
from 1846 to
1980. The Tony
Award-winning
Druid Theatre
Company
performs the
plays over the
course of three
evenings or in an
entire cycle on
one day.
Page 89
&&
Artists who
change the
world
The Festival has invited rare collections of work from great
figures of contemporary art, music, theatre, film, comedy
and dance, giving unparalleled insights into their art
=W
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24. &J
Swing
into
action
27 July is the first day of the
London 2012 Games. And if artist
Martin Creed has his way, it will
go off with a clang in one of
many Festival events that invite
you to be part of the art
O
n the morning of
27 July the whole of
the UK will wake up
with a joyous ringing in
their ears. That’s the intention of
Turner Prize-winning artist Martin
Creed, whose latest work, All The
Bells, is an open invitation for the
whole nation to ring whatever bell
they have to hand, for three minutes
between 8am and 8.03am, to
launch the opening day of the
London 2012 Games.
‘The sound of bells to herald a
big event is what bells were made
for,’ said Creed enthusiastically,
‘which is why I thought it would be
good for the Games. And also
because bells are one of the oldest
and loudest musical instruments,
with a sound that can carry for
miles without amplification. The
idea is to make a great big
celebratory sound and that anyone
can take part, with a handbell or
bicycle bell or whatever, so that it’s
totally democratic. I’m hoping that
professional church bell-ringers
don’t feel that it’s being
disrespectful to their craft, because
I’d like them to be involved. But
I don’t think that a big bell is better
than a small bell, so I want to make
a piece of music that reflects that.
That’s why it’s not a composition.
I don’t want people to play a
melody; I want a cacophony.’
Sign up online
Everyone planning to participate
can sign up at allthebells.com,
where they will be able to
download a special free ringtone
that the artist is creating.
‘It’s not a phone pretending to be
a bell,’ said Creed. ‘I’m including
actual samples from as many
different bells as possible –
including doorbells, cowbells
and big church bells.’
Creed initiated a smaller-scale
version of this project in the Italian
town of San Gimignano in 2000,
when he invited the churches in the
town to ring their bells. This time
the outcome of the Games version
of All The Bells depends not just on
engaging the interest of churches,
but on the maximum voluntary
participation of an entire
25. To sign up to ring a bell,
go to allthebells.com...
...and you’ll get an
exclusive free Martin
Creed ringtone
Find more information at london2012.com/festival &K
Some other ways you can join in
U*,%-#."0.*$V
StoryLab
Children’s summer
creative fun sorted.
p85
Radio 1 Academy
Learn business, arts, career
and media skills in the run-up
to BBC Radio 1’s Hackney
Weekend 2012.
p60
Kids Week in the West End
Cool events, workshops and
prizes in central London.
p90
Tino Sehgal – The Turbine
Hall Commission
People power propels this
major work.
p42
World Record Improv!
Head for Barnsley to take
part in this mass
improvisation event.
p45
Let’s dance!
Britain is experiencing a dance
epidemic. It’s the country’s fastest
growing artform, and the number of
young people attending classes has
almost doubled in the past four years.
So expect the nation to go crazy for
Big Dance, the London 2012 Festival’s
irresistible dance celebration.
Big Dance takes place over nine
days from 7 to 15 July and invites the
entire British public to get up off the
sofa and boogie, pirouette, jive, salsa
or otherwise shake their stuff. You can
join in classes, workshops, courses,
flashmobs and competitions, and if
you need to catch your breath you
can also take in breathtaking
performances and film screenings.
Be a record breaker
At 1pm on the day the Olympic Flame
arrives in the UK (18 May) thousands of
schoolchildren all over the world will
attempt to break the record for the
largest simultaneous multi-venue dance.
At the time of going to press,
the record is held by the Netherlands,
with 264,188 people dancing in
1,472 locations.
The record-breaking hopefuls will
be learning a routine by Wayne
McGregor, resident choreographer at
the Royal Ballet, which they will dance
on the day to an original score by
Scanner and Joel Cadbury.
McGregor said: ‘Young dancers
throughout Britain and in our partner
countries worldwide will share a
moment in time, dancing together
and in unison, sharing our passion
for the artform we love.’
Big Dance 2012, pages 47-50
To join in, visit bigdance2012.com
B
ig Dance is the ultimate
dance experience,
showcasing just about
every style of dance you
can imagine and encouraging
everyone to join in the fun.
community: all of us. Is Creed
worried about that?
‘The piece will stand or fall
on how many people take part
on the day. And it is an invitation,
not a request. As I see it we’re
a bit like kids saying – hey,
everyone, come and play this
great game with us. It’s a strange
project because to ring every
single bell in the country at the
same time is an impossibility. But
that’s also why I like it, because
it’s reaching for the impossible.’
Martin Creed – Work No. 1197:
All the bells in a country rung as
quickly and as loudly as possible
for three minutes, page 66
26. &L
Unmissable
Unlimited
Festival, but she has also
choreographed a Festival piece
for the international dance
company Candoco.
‘Ménage à Trois physically and
technically is very big, and required
working with a large team of
designers, even though there are
only two of us on stage’, she says.
‘The Candoco piece was the
flipside of that – 12 performers,
but a very small creative team.’
In just six years, Claire has
achieved more than many dancers
do. Does she think we are at a
point where disability and
mainstream arts are finally coming
together? ‘It can only enrich all
artforms if they are open to different
lived experiences,’ she says. ‘If the
work is of a high standard, there’s
no longer any reason to think about
it as “other”, except in the sense of
it coming from other experiences.’
Candoco Unlimited, page 50
Ménage à Trois, page 50, 51
The Paralympic Games challenge disabled
athletes to exceed their personal best. That’s
why London 2012 Festival’s Unlimited
programme invites deaf and disabled artists to
raise their game – and they certainly have
S
he’s got a gift for
self-expression and is
renowned for her balletic
grace, but what makes
dancer and choreographer Claire
Cunningham so extraordinary is
that she never wanted to do it in
the first place. ‘Not in the slightest,’
she admits from her Glasgow
home. ‘I was quite set on becoming
a singer and, within my heart of
hearts, music is still my first love.’
Award-winning
The way Claire tells it, she
discovered dance in 2005 thanks
to the US choreographer Jess Curtis
and the performance artist Bill
Shannon. It was with them that she
first started to explore the use of her
crutches on stage.
Within two years her first
show, Evolution, had been
nominated for an award at the
2007 Dublin Fringe Festival. In her
next work, ME (Mobile/Evolution),
Claire integrated her crutches as
fully into the performance as
they are in her life.
Turned into trapezes or used
as props in intricate dance
manoeuvres, they propelled her
with an elegance and vigour that
recalled both high-wire circus acts
and ballet. It was a moving,
life-affirming spectacle, and ME
took a Herald Angel award at the
2009 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Claire is keen to share the credit.
‘I’ve been fortunate in having very
supportive people around me. Even
though I’m often on stage alone,
there’s a huge team behind
anything that I make. It’s vital to
have that team behind you.’
Rich collaborations
The Unlimited initiative has been
a key part of that team. ‘The rich
collaboration and the funding to
make things a bit bigger has been
marvellous,’ Claire says. ‘Working
with the National Theatre of
Scotland has been fantastic. I’m
learning to work on a bigger scale
and there are people there to make
sure I’m not going to fall down.
They’ve done it before and know
what the hazards are. To have
access to that level of knowledge
is very reassuring.’
These new collaborations have
led to Cunningham’s busiest year
to date. Not only is she performing
her fourth work, Ménage à Trois,
as part of the London 2012
27. Find more information at london2012.com/festival &M
‘It can only enrich all artforms
if they are open to different
lived experiences’
Claire Cunningham
WHAT IS NORMAL
ANYWAY?
What is normal? Who
decides? The Dutch exhibition
Niet Normaal: Difference on
Display questions the very
notion of normal by bringing
together unusual work by
artists such as Bob and
Roberta Smith, Christine
Borland, Ben Cove and
Aaron Williamson. When it
was first seen in Amsterdam,
weekend visitors were even
offered the chance to take
a DNA test to see how
‘normal’ they really are.
Niet Normaal, page 39
Diverse City – Breathe
The show opening the London
2012 sailing events has a cast
of 50 – some disabled.
Page 79
Jez Colborne and Mind the
Gap – Irresistible
Ilkley Moor provides a rugged
setting for Colbourne’s unusual
choral symphony, which turns
the cacophony of sirens into
a work of musical beauty.
Page 66
Paul Cummins – The English
Flower Garden
The ceramics artist has fired
thousands of blooms (above),
tailoring each to its location.
Cummins hopes his work will
help make art as accessible as
the flowers he mimics.
Page 40
Sinéad O’Donnell – CAUTION
Communication is the key
to this venture, in which six
visual and performance
artists, collaborating across
four continents, explore
each other’s ideas.
Page 41
Sue Austin – Creating
the Spectacle
Performance artist Sue Austin
pushes a wheelchair to its limits
in this underwater spectacular.
Page 88
To read about the full
Unlimited programme, visit
london2012.com/festival
All Unlimited commissions
will be showcased at the
Southbank Centre, London,
31 August – 9 September,
during the Paralympic Games
D",%,-AR*,+X%%
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28. C
hildren all around the UK
can get involved with
this summer’s London
2012 Festival – whether
they’re performing in collaborative
community extravaganzas,
or simply reading a book.
Join in Doctor Who
The Festival sees the return
of the sell-out live Doctor Who
adventure, The Crash of the
Elysium (page 94). Based on
an idea by Steven Moffatt, it
premiered at last year’s Manchester
International Festival and is now
taking up residence in Ipswich.
Described by its creators,
innovative theatre company
Punchdrunk, as ‘an immersive
adventure’, the show takes place
inside a purpose-built labyrinth. It is
centred around the mysterious
disappearance of Victorian steamer
the Elysium. It quickly turns into a
race against time to defeat some of
the Doctor’s deadliest enemies. The
audience has one hour to save the
Doctor, his TARDIS and the world.
As most of the Manchester
performances were just for children,
we asked Jack Shorrock, aged 12,
from Lancashire, for his verdict. ‘At
the start I thought it was going to
be a bit boring, but quickly realised
it was going to be one of the best
things I’d ever been to. It was like
‘The audience are
the heroes, and
it’s their mission’
Felix Barrett
Artistic Director, Punchdrunk
&O
There are loads of ways for kids to get involved
in the London 2012 Festival, with a fantastic
variety of events to choose from. Don’t forget to
look for the family-friendly logo in the listings
The kids
are alright
5%8"A,"6%Z2"%/$.*#,46*
29. being submerged right into the
middle of a scary, real-life Doctor
Who episode. The time whizzed
by as so many exciting things
happened. I liked it so much that
I saw it twice and would happily
go again. I’ll remember it forever.’
Jack is sworn to secrecy about
exactly how the action unfolds,
but expect time travel, aliens,
planet-threatening jeopardy
and lots of running.
Inspired by peace
Elysium packs the adrenaline-fuelled
punch of attacking and defending
the universe, but many of the other
shows in the Festival have been
inspired by the call for truce that
occurs at the beginning of every
Olympic Games.
The Ambassador Theatre Group
is taking the theme of The Sacred
Truce (page 94) into local
communities. Five regions each
develop their own 15-minute
segment. The work is connected
digitally and performed in its
entirety in the West End.
Giving kids a buzz
Bee Detective is a new outdoor
performance that invites young
audiences on an adventure into
the inner sanctum of a beehive.
The story centres on an
extremely busy worker bee,
Sophie Bee, whose happy and full
life comes under threat.
Set in a tent in an outside space,
this intimate spectacle evokes the
sights and sounds of a hive through
inventive new technology and
creative captioning, making the
show dynamic and accessible
for everyone, deaf and hearing.
As well as acting the parts, all
three bee characters will use
elements of British Sign Language,
and the show is fully captioned.
Animal antics
In Belfast, NI Opera takes its staging
of Britten’s well-loved children’s
opera, Noye’s Fludde, to a natural
home: the zoo. After premiering
the production at Belfast Zoo, the
whole company sets out across
the world to present further
performances in Beijing Zoo.
Big-screen fun
Cinema-lovers should look out for
local screenings of two funny and
endearing animations. The Itch of
the Golden Nit (page 57) is
constructed from ideas and artwork
by 34,000 children and assembled
by Aardman Animations. Then
there’s Joel Simon’s Macropolis,
pictured above (page 56), in which
a group of soft toys make a break
from the production line and set out
for the world beyond.
Find more information at london2012.com/festival &P
Great events for and by children
D",%,-AR*,+
StoryLab
Free fun for children:
storytelling, reading
and creating in local
libraries and arts
centres nationwide.
Page 85
StoryCloud
A web app of new
illustrated stories, such as
Down the Plughole
(pictured above).
Page 85
The Caucus Race
Take a fantastic trip to
Wonderland and join
Alice and more of Lewis
Carroll’s famous
characters for the race
where everybody wins.
Expect dance, arts and
outdoor fun.
Page 83
Before Your Very Eyes
– Campo and
Gob Squad
Seven actors aged eight
to 14 are locked inside
a room of one-way
mirrors to look into their
futures and look back
at their past.
Page 88
Alan Ayckbourn
– The Boy Who Fell
Into a Book
Soho Theatre leads a
programme celebrating
Alan Ayckbourn’s brilliant
plays for young people.
Page 88
KidsWeek in the
West End
West End theatres throw
open their doors for kids
to test their star qualities.
Page 90
In a Pickle
Oily Cart and the RSC
set out on a voyage of
discovery through
Shakespeare’s
landscapes. Multi-
talented performers
create a total theatre
experience for two- to
four-year-olds.
Page 100
The family-friendly icon in
our listings pages means the
event is suitable for families
and young people
%H"@+%"#%,2*%64#
5%I*+,-./0%"I%+,"6-*+
30. ='
8/-0@%8-/6@
The Daily Diary lists
events day by day
The title of the event
The coloured icon
shows you the
category of the
event – there’s a key
at the bottom of each
Diary page
You can then see which events
are taking place in each region
– don’t forget some events are
UK-wide, online or broadcast
The page reference tells
you where to look in the
guide for more details
The family-friendly
icon means the event
is particularly suitable
for families and
young people
How to book tickets
There are millions of opportunities to get involved in the London 2012
Festival. Here’s how to find something you’ll love
Booking tickets
Each event listing includes a
website address where you can
buy tickets or register for free tickets
where the event is marked ‘FREE
– ticket required’. If a listing says
the event is FREE you don’t need
to register for tickets in advance
– just turn up. Some events will
also give you the venue’s box
office phone number if you’d
prefer to book by phone.
Access information
Festival events take place across
the UK in a huge variety of venues,
and we aim to make the Festival
accessible to all. The website or box
office for each event will provide
more specific access details.
Event listings
You can search for events in this
guide by their event category. Or
use the Daily Diary, which is broken
down by region.
Event categories
Each category of event has its own
colour – look for the colour of your
desired category on the side of
each listing page or next to the
event name in the Daily Diary.
Nations and regions
We have divided the Daily Diary
into nations and regions to help you
find events near you. You can
use the search function at
london2012.com/festival to
find events using your
postcode or home town.
Languages
Where a performance is given in a
language other than English, this
has been indicated. Check the
venue’s website for details of
translation or surtitling.
:.*#,%0-+,-#3+
A short description
of the event
The start and end
dates of the event
Venue and city
If the event is marked
FREE, just turn up. If it
says ‘FREE – ticket
required’, visit the website
for details on how to
reserve a free ticket
Event website – visit
for access and ticket
information
Box office – some venues
provide a phone number
for booking tickets
The family-friendly icon
highlights events created
with families and children
in mind. Check the
website for suitability
Event title
31. =(
Event
listings
Choose from thousands of
events and performances all
around the UK, in the
following categories
!" 32 Art, Design & Exhibitions
!" 43 Comedy
!" 46 Dance
!" 53 Film, Broadcast & Digital
!" 58 Museums & Heritage
!" 60 Music
!" 78 Outdoor & Carnival
!" 84 Poetry & Storytelling
!" 86 Theatre & Performance
All listings were correct at the time of going
to press. For the most up-to-date details
visit london2012.com/festival
BBC Radio 1’s Hackney Weekend 2012: Jay-Z (page 64)
Tanztheater Wuppertal
Pina Bausch (page 52)
32. =&=&
Great artists from around the world
have created new commissions,
installations, exhibitions, digital work
and some pop-up surprises – many
of which can be enjoyed for free.
From Hans Peter Kuhn on the
Giant’s Causeway to Alex Katz in
St Ives, the artists have risen to the
challenge of 2012 and its legacy
Art,
Design &
Exhibitions
The largest commission
of all, the Orbit by Anish
Kapoor (page 42),
towers above the
Olympic Stadium
OBJECTS
TO INSPIRE
The first major solo exhibition of
the work of Thomas Heatherwick’s
design studio is held at the V&A.
Feats of architecture, engineering
and sculpture go on display with
prototypes, design drawings and
objects of inspiration. Founded in
1994, the Heatherwick Studio has
received praise for its innovative
and exciting designs. These
include the UK Pavilion (Seed
Cathedral) at the Shanghai World
Expo 2010, the new design for
the London double-decker bus
and the 2012 Olympic Cauldron.
Heatherwick Studio: Designing
the Extraordinary, page 37
33. ====
Tino Sehgal
– Turbine Hall
•
Tate Modern,
London
•
Artists have used all kinds
of materials to create the
annual commission for Tate
Modern’s Turbine Hall –
from helter-skelter slides to
millions of hand-crafted
sunflower seeds – but Tino
Sehgal doesn’t make
objects of any kind.
He prefers to construct
a thought-provoking, and
often fun, social encounter.
All Turbine Hall
commissions are free but
are kept secret until they
open. Tino Sehgal is
famous for surprising
audiences – his recent
commissions for the
Guggenheim in New York
and Manchester
International Festival
showed the playful and
disturbing sides that make
his work unforgettable.
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After Gold
Japanese artists create new works, including
Atelier Bow-Wow’s straw towers and platforms
along the Olympic Torch Relay route. FREE
30 June – 5 July
Various Venues, Loughborough
www.arts.lboro.ac.uk/radar
Ai Weiwei and Herzog & de
Meuron – Serpentine Gallery
Pavilion 2012
Artist Ai Weiwei and architects Herzog &
de Meuron mine the Serpentine’s lawn for
archaeological inspiration. FREE
1 June – 14 October
Serpentine Gallery, London
www.serpentinegallery.org
020 7402 6075
Alex Katz
Cool and seductive canvases, spanning the full
breadth of the Brooklyn-born artist’s career since
the 1950s.
19 May – 23 September
Tate St Ives, St Ives
www.tate.org.uk/stives
01736 796226
Anthony McCall – Column
A vertical, spinning column of cloud rising
from the surface of Wirral Waters, visible
across the North West and beyond. FREE
East Float, Wirral Waters, Merseyside
www.london2012.com/festival
Antony Gormley – a new work
The sculptor presents a new work inspired
by Waiting for Godot. Part of Happy Days:
Enniskillen International Beckett Festival. FREE
1 July – 27 August
The Grand Yard at Castle Coole, Enniskillen
www.happy-days-enniskillen.com
028 6632 2690
Arnie Somogyi, Robert
Macfarlane and Jane & Louise
Wilson – Orford Ness: A Response
A collaborative cross art-form response to this
important location and its history as a site for
military experiments during the Cold War.
8 July – 30 July
Orford Ness, Suffolk
www.commissionseast.org.uk
Art in the Park – Carsten Nicolai
– Ifo spectrum
A colourful representation of the five Olympic
Rings as a dramatic, oscillating sound wave,
using the colour spectrum of a sunset.
From 27 July
Olympic Park, London
www.london2012.com/olympic-park
Merseyside is the site for Anthony McCall’s Column, a vertical cloud stretching as high as the eye can see
34. =J
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Art in the Park – Grenville Davey
– Inter Alia
The artist collaborates with local residents and
the RCA on a series of personal interventions
along the Central Park bridge.
From 27 July
Olympic Park, London
www.london2012.com/olympic-park
Art in the Park – History Trees
– Ackroyd & Harvey
Beautifully engraved bronze and stainless steel
rings are suspended in the crowns of three
mature trees planted at the entrances into the
Park, capturing an archive of local history.
From 27 July
Olympic Park, London
www.london2012.com/olympic-park
Art in the Park – Keith Watson
– Steles (Waterworks)
These striking installations evoking nautical way-
markers in vivid colours connect the parkland
with the river flowing through it.
From 27 July
Olympic Park, London
www.london2012.com/olympic-park
Art in the Park – Monica Bonvicini
– RUN
Acting as a mirror by day and glowing by night,
three 9m-tall letters form a striking permanent
artwork for the Copper Box.
From 27 July
Olympic Park, London
www.london2012.com/olympic-park
Art in the Park – Winning
Words
A programme of permanent poems in the park
includes specially commissioned works and
in the Athletes’ Village an existing favourite
nominated by the public.
From 27 July
Olympic Park, London
www.london2012.com/olympic-park
Arthur Bispo do Rosário
– Azul dos Ventos
Explore the work of this visionary artist
who continues to influence Brazilian
art and whose global reputation continues
to grow. FREE
13 August – 30 September
V&A, London
www.vam.ac.uk
020 7907 7073
Atom Egoyan – Steenbeckett
The film director pays tribute to Beckett
with this installation. Part of Happy Days:
Enniskillen International Beckett Festival. FREE
11 August – 27 August
The Clinton Centre, Enniskillen
www.happy-days-enniskillen.com
028 6634 2806
Arthur Bispo
do Rosário
•
V&A, London
•
Bispo do Rosário, one of
Rio’s best-loved artists
(1911-1989), died without
ever considering himself
an artist. Diagnosed with
paranoid schizophrenia,
he spent most of his life
after 1938 in institutions in
his native Brazil. His
creative work began
shortly after his first
hospital admission, when
he started to embroider
found fabrics with
Christian imagery and
poetry. Before long, his
work spread throughout
the hospital on everything
from asylum uniforms
to bed sheets.
This will be the first major
show of his work in the
UK, shared with the
São Paulo Biennial. Jeff Koons’s car from BMW Art Cars, a collection of cars with bodywork designs by world-renowned artists
35. =K=K
Cape Farewell – Sea Change:
Things Unseen
New solo work by visual artist Anne Bevan
on the invisible life of the sea. FREE
3 August – 16 September
Bonhoga Gallery, Shetland
www.capefarewell.com/seachange
Cape Farewell – Sea Change:
Things Unspoken
New work by visual artists Anne Bevan
and Andrea Roe exploring human and
animal behaviour, natural history and the
environment. FREE
24 May – 13 July
Royal Society of British Sculptors, London
www.rbs.org.uk/whats-on
020 7373 8615
Cape Farewell – Sea Change:
Water Works
A series of video works about water as a
resource developed and presented by Indian
environmental artist Atul Bhalla. FREE
24 April – 4 June
Taigh Chearsabhagh, North Uist
www.capefarewell.com/seachange
01870 603 970
21 June – 24 June
An Tobar, Isle of Mull
www.capefarewell.com/seachange
Cape Farewell – Sea Change:
Ditty Boxes
Sculptor John Cumming and furniture maker
Cecil Tait collaborate on a travelling installation
based on hand-made sailors’ boxes. FREE
18 May – 28 May
SAMS Festival of the Sea, Oban
www.capefarewell.com/seachange
7 August – 28 August
Shetland Museum, Shetland
www.capefarewell.com/seachange
01595 695 057
Cape Farewell – Sea Change:
Na Fir Chlis/Aurora Borealis
A collection of Gaelic poems from Rody
Gorman inspired by Cape Farewell’s four-week
expedition across the Hebrides in 2011. FREE
18 May – 28 May
SAMS Festival of the Sea, Oban
www.capefarewell.com/seachange
21 June – 24 June
An Tobar, Isle of Mull
www.capefarewell.com/seachange
BMW Art Cars
A collection of BMW bodywork designs by
artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol
and Jeff Koons. FREE – ticket required
20th July – 12 August
Car Park in central London
www.bmw-art-cars.de
Boyd & Evans – Views
The first major UK survey of Boyd & Evans’s
work, including penetrating landscapes of
the American Southwest. FREE
18 July – 2 September
Ikon Gallery, Birmingham
www.ikon-gallery.co.uk
0121 248 0708
BP Portrait Awards – Next
Generation
A series of events aimed at encouraging
young artists inspired by the free
BP Portrait Award exhibition.
FREE – ticket required
21 June – 23 September
National Portrait Gallery, London
www.npg.org.uk
020 7306 0055
Britain Creates 2012: Fashion
+ Art Collusion
Leading British fashion designers and artists
including Hussein Chalayan, Giles Deacon and
Jeremy Deller collaborate to celebrate London
2012. FREE
6 July – 29 July
V&A, London
www.vam.ac.uk
020 7907 7073
BT Road to 2012
Portraits of the people behind London 2012
– from those staging the event to athletes like
Ellie Simmonds, Phillips Idowu and Jessica
Ennis. FREE
19 July – 23 September
National Portrait Gallery, London
www.npg.org.uk
020 7306 0055
Cape Farewell – Sea Change:
Bird Yarns
Artist Deirdre Nelson and Mull’s knitters create a
flock of lost Arctic terns, then provide a welcome
of food, music and poetry. FREE
Hebridean tiger moths studied during Cape Farewell’s boat expedition across the Scottish Islands
Search for events near you at
london2012.com/festival
36. =L
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DASH Arts – M21
Disabled artists explore what it’s like to
live in middle England, from medieval to
modern times. As part of Unlimited. FREE
5 May – 6 May
The Priory Hall, Much Wenlock
www.dasharts.org.uk
31 August – 9 September
Southbank Centre, London
www.southbankcentre.co.uk
0844 847 9910
Design Stories – The Architecture
behind 2012
Films, images, models and a new 14m mural
showcase the design stories behind London’s
newest architectural landmarks. FREE
25 June – 21 September
Royal Institute of British Architects, London
www.architecture.com
020 7307 3694
Douglas Gordon – The End of
Civilisation
A piano burns in this epic film from the
celebrated Scottish artist, set against the stark
northern landscape. FREE – ticket required
5 July – 6 July
Tyne Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne
www.greatnorthrunculture.org
Caroline Bowditch – Leaving
Limbo Landing
Experience performance artist and
disabled dance-maker Bowditch’s
new collaborative installation. As part
of Unlimited. FREE
31 August – 9 September
Southbank Centre, London
www.southbankcentre.co.uk
0844 847 9910
Casa Brazil
An exhibition of the hottest talent in Brazilian
arts and design as part of Casa Brazil’s
cultural programme.
21 July – 8 September
Somerset House, London
www.somersethouse.org.uk
020 7845 4600
Craig Coulthard – Forest Pitch
A forest in the Scottish Borders becomes home
to a full-size football pitch for two games only in
Coulthard’s arts project.
21 July
Clarilawmuir Plantation, near Selkirk
www.forestpitch.org
Crystal Ball
Nine new single-screen media works from Asian
and European artists, commissioned by Samsung
for the IOC collection. FREE
11 August – 12 August
De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill
www.dlwp.com
01424 229100
29 August – 2 September
Abandon Normal Devices Festival, across the
North West
www.andfestival.org.uk
Damien Hirst
The first substantial survey of the work of Damien
Hirst, one of the most prominent British artists to
emerge in the 1990s.
4 April – 9 September
Tate Modern, London
www.tate.org.uk/modern
020 7887 8888
Damien Hirst continues to divide opinion about his works, which have become iconic symbols of Britart
Edmund de Waal
Ceramicist and best-selling author Edmund de
Waal exhibits a new series of works created for
the opulent interiors of the Manor.
20 April – 28 October
Waddesdon Manor, Aylesbury
www.waddesdon.org.uk/collection
01296 653226
Ei Arakawa
New commission by the award-winning, New
York-based Japanese artist. FREE
24 July – 29 July
Tate Modern – Oil Tanks, London
www.tate.org.uk/modern
020 7887 8888
Exploratory Laboratory
Artists meet scientists on the Jurassic Coast
in a diverse range of new contemporary
artworks installed in unusual locations. FREE
27 July – 9 September
Various Venues, Across Dorset
www.exlab.org.uk
Frieze Projects East
New commissions of public art for east
London communities from artists including
Gary Webb, Sarnath Banerjee and Anthea
Hamilton. FREE
37. =M=M
23 June – 26 August
FACT, Liverpool
www.fact.co.uk
0151 707 4464
Humble Market-Place
Immersive live digital performance that connects
Brazil with UK audiences, between intense
spectacle and intimate encounter. FREE
7 September – 9 September
Guildhall Square Clocktower, Derry
www.cityofculture2013.com
International Architecture and
Design Showcase
A series of international exhibitions and
installations. FREE
23 June – 23 September
Embassies and Cultural Institutions, London
www.britishcouncil.org/london2012
Jeremy Deller – Sacrilege
The Turner Prize-winning artist presents his major
new interactive artwork – a full-scale version of
Stonehenge as a bouncy castle. FREE
21 June – 9 September
Various outdoor locations and dates, across
the UK
www.london2012.com/festival
John Gerrard – Exercise (Djibouti)
2012
A major new simulation by John Gerrard that
looks at the exercise and representation of
power. FREE
6 July – 27 July
Modern Art Oxford Offsite, Oxford
www.modernartoxford.org.uk
01865 722733
Jorge Macchi – Liverpool
Biennial 2012
Artist Jorge Macchi presents a full-sized
shipping container absurdly and impossibly
wedged inside Liverpool’s oldest art
gallery. FREE
8 September – 25 November
Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
www.biennial.com
0845 220 2800
25 June – 9 September
Poplar Baths, William Morris Gallery,
billboard sites across London
www.friezefoundation.org/projects-east
Government Art Collection
at the Whitechapel Gallery
Highlights from this world-class collection
of British art are shown in a public gallery
for the first time in its 113-year history. FREE
21 June – 2 September
Whitechapel Gallery, London
www.whitechapelgallery.org
020 7522 7888
Hans Peter Kuhn – Flags
Hans Peter Kuhn creates a dramatic new
installation of patterns and codes for the
Giant’s Causeway. FREE
20 August– 28 October
Giant’s Causeway, County Antrim
www.london2012.com/festival
Heatherwick Studio –
Designing The Extraordinary
The first major solo exhibition celebrating
the work of one of Britain’s most inventive
design studios.
31 May – 30 September
V&A, London
www.vam.ac.uk
020 7907 7073
Helen Petts – Throw Them Up and
Let Them Sing
Digital film explores artist Kurt Schwitters’
escape from Nazi Germany and journey
to the Lake District. As part of Unlimited. FREE
28 June – 18 August
Hatton Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne
www.twmuseums.org.uk/hatton
0191 222 6059
31 August – 9 September
Southbank Centre, London
www.southbankcentre.co.uk
0844 847 9910
Humble Market – Trade Secrets
Embark on a journey of discovery with
interactive market stalls created by Zecora
Ura and artists Persis-Jade Maravala,
Alastair Eilbeck and James Bailey. FREE
Frieze
Projects
East
•
Popping up across
the UK
•
Frieze are based in East
London and, for the first
time, they commission
artists including Sarnath
Banerjee (see below),
Anthea Hamilton and
Gary Webb to create
exciting contemporary art
for their local communities.
Jeremy Deller, also a local
east London artist, creates
Sacrilege – a life-sized
replica of Stonehenge
as a bouncy castle. It
will pop up all over the UK
and around London.
All free, these new
works invite audiences
of all ages to have
fun discovering
contemporary art.
Search for events near you at
london2012.com/festival
38. =O
Marc Rees – Adain Avion
A mobile art space made from the recycled
fuselage of a DC-9 airplane travels to
locations across Wales.
24 June – 1 July FREE
National Waterfront Museum, Swansea
www.adainavion.org/swansea
1 July – 7 July FREE
The Works, Ebbw Vale
www.adainavion.org/ebbw-vale
8 July – 14 July FREE
Venue Cymru, Llandudno
www.adainavion.org/llandudno
4 August – 11 August
The National Eisteddfod of
Wales, Llandow
www.adainavion.org/llandow
12 August FREE
St Fagans National History Museum, Cardiff
www.adainavion.org
Maria Thereza Alves – Ballast
Seed Garden
A floating Ballast Seed Garden on a
grain barge in Bristol Harbour, producing
a living history of the city’s trade and
maritime traditions. FREE
=O
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Kurt Hentschläger – CORE
Giant projections give glimpses into a weightless
world populated by humanoid figures, at
Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site. FREE
23 March – 30 September
Enginuity, Ironbridge Gorge, Telford
www.ironbridge.org.uk
01952 433424
Lucian Freud Portraits
A major exhibition focusing – for the
first time – on 70 years of portraiture by
the great artist.
9 February – 27 May
National Portrait Gallery, London
www.npg.org.uk
0844 248 5033
Lynette Wallworth
– Rekindling Venus
Artist Lynette Wallworth’s immersive film
celebrates a rare astronomical event, the
Transit of Venus.
7 June – 6 July
Peter Harrison Planetarium, Royal
Observatory, London
www.rmg.co.uk/visit/planetarium-shows
020 8312 6608
A mysterious aeroplane from Spain turns into an artistic time capsule for Wales, in Marc Rees’ Adain Avion
Official
London
2012
Olympic and
Paralympic
Poster
Display
•
Tate Britain, London
•
Since 1912, every
Olympic host city has
commissioned one or more
posters to mark the
occasion. Together, they
form an iconic body
of work.
For London 2012, a
panel that included Tate
director Nicholas Serota
commissioned 12 leading
UK artists to design the
posters. Martin Creed,
Anthea Hamilton, Howard
Hodgkin, Chris Ofili,
Bridget Riley and Rachel
Whiteread interpreted the
Olympic Games, and
Fiona Banner, Michael
Craig-Martin, Tracey Emin,
Gary Hume, Sarah Morris
and Bob and Roberta
Smith (see below) the
Paralympic Games. All
their work is featured
in this free exhibition.
39. =P=P
21 June – 21 September
Tate Britain, London
www.tate.org.uk/britain
020 7887 8888
Olafur Eliasson
A major new commission from artist
Olafur Eliasson, whose previous work
includes the Weather Project at Tate
Modern. FREE – ticket required
Tate Modern, London
www.tate.org.uk/modern
020 7887 8888
Oscar Muñoz – Draw
Down the Walls
Colombian artist Muñoz explores the
commonality of loss and remembrance at one of
Belfast’s most disputed interface walls. FREE
10 July – 17 July
Flax St/Crumlin Rd Interface, Belfast
www.goldenthreadgallery.co.uk
028 9033 0920
Niet Normaal – Difference
on Display
Groundbreaking exhibition questioning what is
normal and who decides, as part of DaDaFest
2012. FREE
12 July – 2 September
The Bluecoat, Liverpool
www.dadafest.co.uk
0151 702 5324
Oded Hirsch – Liverpool
Biennial 2012
Artist Oded Hirsch presents a lift unexpectedly
bursting through the ground in Liverpool
ONE. FREE
8 September – 25 November
Liverpool ONE, Liverpool
www.biennial.com
0845 220 2800
Official London 2012 Olympic
and Paralympic Poster Display
A free exhibition of the London 2012 Games’
official posters, including artists Bridget Riley,
Tracey Emin and Chris Ofili. FREE
From 21 June
Floating Harbour (North side), Bristol
www.arnolfini.org.uk
0117 917 2300
Martin Creed – Work No 1197:
All the bells in a country rung as
quickly and as loudly as possible
for three minutes
Join in at 8am as the UK celebrates the first day
of the London 2012 Games with simultaneous
bell ringing all around the UK. FREE
27 July
UK Wide
www.allthebells.com
Maurice Orr – The Screaming
Silence of the Wind
Five sensory installation pieces inspired
by the raw, barren landscapes of the visual
artist’s native Northern Ireland.
As part of Unlimited. FREE
11 June – 3 August
Great Hall Stormont, Belfast
www.mauriceorr.co.uk
028 9052 0700
6 August – 29 August
Flowerfield Arts Centre, Portstewart
www.flowerfield.org
028 7083 1400
31 August – 9 September
Southbank Centre, London
www.southbankcentre.co.uk
0844 847 9910
Metamorphosis: Titian 2012
A unique collaboration between the National
Gallery and The Royal Ballet in response to
works by Titian. FREE
11 July – 21 September
National Gallery, London
www.nationalgallery.org.uk
020 7747 2885
NEST
Brian Irvine and John McIlduff bring thousands
of individual possessions, thoughts and sounds
together for a single nest. FREE – ticket required
22 July – 29 July
T13, Belfast
www.t13.tv/events
Search for events near you at
london2012.com/festival
Kurt Hentschläger’s work CORE, at Enginuity, Ironbridge, Telford
40. J'
1 July – 30 August
Althorp Estate, Northampton
www.althorp.com
01604 770107
31 August – 9 September
Southbank Centre, London
www.southbankcentre.co.uk
0844 847 9910
Rachel Gadsden – Unlimited
Global Alchemy
Gadsden and the South African
Bambanani group present a film and art
exhibition around human fragility, resilience
and survival. As part of Unlimited.
21 June – 18 August FREE
Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology,
Cambridge
www.maa.cam.ac.uk
01223 333516
30 August FREE – ticket required
The Bluecoat, Liverpool
www.dadafest.co.uk
0151 702 5324
31 August – 9 September FREE
Southbank Centre, London
www.southbankcentre.co.uk
0844 847 9910
Paul Cummins – The English
Flower Garden
Thousands of hand-thrown ceramic flowers
made by artist Paul Cummins create a typically
English garden. As part of Unlimited.
25 April – 27 May FREE
Chiswick House Gardens, London
www.chgt.org.uk
28 April – 27 May
The Secret Gardens of Sandwich,
Sandwich
www.the-secretgardens.co.uk
01304 619 919
1 June – 31 August
Castle Howard,
York
www.castlehoward.co.uk
01653 648333
4 June – 26 August FREE
Cromwell Green, Houses of Parliament,
London
www.parliament.uk/get-involved
5 June – 17 September
Blenheim Palace, Oxford
www.blenheimpalace.com
01993 810530
Rachel Whiteread – Whitechapel
Gallery Commission
The British artist creates a new permanent work
of art for the historic facade of the Whitechapel
Gallery. FREE
From 14 June
Whitechapel Gallery, London
www.whitechapelgallery.org
020 7522 7888
Richard La Trobe-Bateman
– Making Triangles
Spanning 45 years of work, where
structure, construction and materials are
critical. FREE
7 July – 9 September
Ruthin Craft Centre, Ruthin
www.ruthincraftcentre.org.uk
01824 704774
Richard Long (Artist Rooms) and
Luke Fowler
Richard Long, one of Britain’s leading artists,
brings nature into the gallery; and a film
exploring radical politics in the North by Luke
Fowler. FREE
23 June – 4 October
The Hepworth Wakefield, Wakefield
www.hepworthwakefield.org
01924 247360
Richard Wilson – Hang on
a Minute Lads, I’ve Got a
Great Idea
A full-sized replica coach, balanced
from the Pavilion roof, recreates the final
scene of The Italian Job. FREE
7 July – 1 October
De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea
www.dlwp.com/events
01424 229111
See No Evil
Street artist Inkie curates Europe’s largest
street art festival, with over 20 commissions on a
disused site in the heart of Bristol. FREE
16 August – 19 August
Temple Meads and Temple Quay, Bristol
www.seenoevilbristol.co.uk
Rachel Gadsden’s Global Alchemy explores themes of human fragility and resilience
56,7%8*+-3#%9%:;2-<-,-"#+
41. J(J(
Staffordshire Hoard – artists’
response
Specially commissioned artists’ response to the
largest collection of Anglo Saxon gold and silver
metalwork ever found. FREE
21 July – 1 September
The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery,
Stoke-on-Trent
www.stokemuseums.org.uk/pmag
01782 232323
Susan Philipsz – Timeline
at the Edinburgh Art Festival
The Turner Prize-winner’s latest sound installation
follows a historic line through the city, and
responds to the famous 1pm gun. One of a
series of commissions from Scottish artists.
2 August – 2 September
Edinburgh Art Festival, Edinburgh
www.edinburghartfestival.com
0131 226 6558
The Changing Room
Artists from the Arab World occupy an
underground gallery, a magic shop and an
office hub evoking the signs of change. FREE
15 August – 30 September
Underground Gallery,
London Westminster Hub,
London Davenports Magic Shop
www.britishcouncil.org/london2012
Shezad Dawood
– Piercing Brightness
An exhibition by the acclaimed artist,
including new film, with vintage textile
paintings. FREE
24 June – 29 September
Newlyn Art Gallery, Penzance
www.newlynartgallery.co.uk
01736 363715
30 June – 15 September
The Exchange, Penzance
www.newlynartgallery.co.uk
01736 363715
Sinead O’Donnell – CAUTION
Belfast-based Sinead O’Donnell leads a
showcase of work by disabled and deaf artists
from the USA, Peru, Canada, and Kurdistan-Iraq.
As part of Unlimited. FREE
24 August – 29 September
Golden Thread Gallery, Belfast
www.goldenthreadgallery.co.uk
028 90330920
31 August – 9 September
Southbank Centre, London
www.southbankcentre.co.uk
0844 847 9910
Rachel
Whiteread
Frieze
•
Whitechapel
Gallery, London
•
More than a century has
passed since it was first
proposed. Now artist
Rachel Whiteread has
designed a frieze to
complete the front of the
Whitechapel Gallery. In
1901 a mosaic by Walter
Crane was planned, but
was deemed too pricey
and the gallery’s entrance
remained unadorned. That
was until the London 2012
Festival helped commission
the new work from the
Turner Prize-winning artist.
The façade is inspired by
the tree of life motif seen
elsewhere on the building.
‘There’s gold leaf on it –
it’s the most ostentatious
I’ve ever been,’ said
Whiteread. To design the
piece she worked on a
full-scale model. ‘I find it
quite difficult to work with
computer-generated
images,’ she said. ‘I’m
a sculptor, I like to work
in three dimensions.’
Search for events near you at
london2012.com/festival
Tony Cragg’s Cass (page 42) – outdoor sculptures on Exhibition Road, London and in Goodwood, West Sussex
42. J&
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YesYesNo – Connecting Light
New York-based artists YesYesNo create
a line of lights for sending messages along
Britain’s most dramatic Roman frontier,
Hadrian’s Wall. FREE
31 August – 1 September
Hadrian’s Wall, Various Sites
www.hadrians-wall.org/festival.aspx
01434 322002
Yinka Shonibare
The Royal Opera House unveils a new
public art commission. FREE
From 21 June
Royal Opera House, London
www.roh.org.uk
020 7240 1200
Yoko Ono – To the Light
A major retrospective of the conceptual artist,
featuring new and existing work plus large-scale
project SMILE.
19 June – 9 September
Serpentine Gallery, London
www.serpentinegallery.org
020 7402 6075
Yoko Ono – Imagine Peace
Translated into 24 world languages, the Imagine
Peace message will appear in a range of
surprising locations across the UK. FREE
21 June – 9 September
BBC Live Sites across the UK
www.artproductionfund.org
Tracey Emin: She Lay Down Deep
Beneath the Sea
The first major exhibition by the celebrated British
artist in her home town, Margate, including work
by Turner and Rodin. FREE
24 May – 23 September
Turner Contemporary, Margate
www.turnercontemporary.org
01843 233000
Tyntesfield Takeover
somewhereto_ and the National Trust
showcase young artists’ talent with a
digital graffiti light show projection and
live music. FREE – ticket required
22 July
The National Trust Tyntesfield, Bristol
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/tyntesfield
01275 461900
We Face Forward:
Art from West Africa Today
Manchester’s main galleries join forces for the
first time for a major exhibition of contemporary
art from West Africa. FREE
2 June – 15 September
Gallery of Costume, Manchester
www.manchestergalleries.org
0161 245 7245
2 June – 16 September
Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester
www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk
0161 275 7450
2 June – 16 September
Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester
www.manchestergalleries.org
0161 235 8888
Wendy Ramshaw – Rooms
of Dreams
A major exhibition spanning 50 years of key
pieces from one of Britain’s leading designers,
known for her art jewellery and scuplture. FREE
7 July – 9 September
Ruthin Craft Centre, Ruthin
www.ruthincraftcentre.org.uk
01824 704774
The Orbit
Anish Kapoor’s 115m-high visitor structure
dominates the Olympic Park, offering views
across the Stadium and London.
From 27 July
Olympic Park, London
www.london2012.com/olympic-park
The Pineapple Banqueting House
Bompas & Parr curate a culinary spectacle in
an extraordinary new piece of architecture, The
Pineapple, in the middle of the River Thames. FREE
23 June – 23 September
Pineapple Banqueting House,
Blackfriars Bridge, London
www.jellymongers.co.uk
The World in London
Outdoor exhibition and website of over 200
photographs of Londoners each born in one of
the competing nations. FREE
27 July – 12 August
Victoria Park, London
www.photonet.org.uk
Tino Sehgal – The Turbine
Hall Commission
An exciting new commission for the Turbine Hall
from the artist known for putting live encounters
at the centre of his work. FREE
24 July – 28 October
Tate Modern, London
www.tate.org.uk/modern
020 7887 8888
Tony Cragg – Cass
Sculpture Foundation
An exhibition in West Sussex of outdoor
sculptures by the British artist.
21 June – 4 November
CASS Sculpture Foundation, Goodwood
www.sculpture.org.uk
01243 538449
Tony Cragg – Cass Sculpture
Foundation at Exhibition Road
Major new outdoor sculptures on show in
central London along with a number of indoor
works on display at different museums. FREE
1 September – 25 November
Exhibition Road, London
www.exhibitionroad.com
020 7942 6973 Yoko Ono’s SMILE seeks to bring people together
43. J=
Comedy takes on Olympic and
Paralympic themes with the BBC’s
Comedy Marathon in Edinburgh, a
world-record improv attempt in Barnsley
and Tim Minchin playing the home of
sustainability, Cornwall’s Eden Project.
There are two major retrospectives, from
the British Film Institute (BFI) and the
Hackney Empire, and more to come
with pop-up gigs nationwide
Comedy
Stephen Fry and friends
will be Playing the
Games at the Criterion
Theatre, London
PLAYING IT FOR
LAUGHS
Stephen Fry is co-curating a major
comedy and performance season
at London’s famous Criterion
Theatre. We tracked him down
in New Zealand to ask whether
sport can be a laughing matter.
Playing the Games will
give performers and
athletes the chance to quiz
one another in front of an
audience. Who will be
more nervous?
I think it’s equal. I’ve sat watching
cricket matches with rock stars and
ex-test players. The rock stars want
to talk cricket and the cricketers
want to talk rock. It’s very common
for actors, singers, whatever to be
less impressed by meeting those in
their own profession than meeting
a sporting legend. I could barely
speak when I was first introduced
to Ian Botham. And Jimmy White.
What do sport and the arts
have in common, and
where do they diverge?
We actors moan about being
misunderstood and assassinated
by critics. Although I’m completely
sensitive and absurd about it, I
always have to remind myself that
a ‘Stephen Fry was disappointing
as…’ buried away in a small arts
column is nothing compared to
‘England shame’ or ‘hopeless
failure’. Sport is so unquestionable.
A win is a win. A loss is a loss.
On the day the smallest hiccup
(deep breath for a cliché) can
make the difference between gold
and nothing, let alone silver or
bronze. The arts are more
subjective. Which doesn’t mean
that an inner sense of failure or
achievement is less real. Sport
and arts share the quality of being
non-necessities. Food and shelter
and warmth and education and
healthcare are necessities. It is, of
course, the extras that make life
worth living. You need bread to
exist, but wine to live. Art and
sport are the wine.
Do you regret not being
more sporty in your youth?
I do and I don’t. I am aware of the
colossal disappointment that lies in
wait for sporting heroes. By their
30s in most sports, it’s all over. Like
ballet dancers, their days of grace
and glory are fleeting. And yet
there’s always a part of one that
would give up all the security of a
career like acting or writing – that
should, in theory at least, richen
and deepen like good wine with
the years – for the experience of
that radiant burst of victory.
Playing the Games, page 45
44. JJ
Australian comedian and musician Tim Minchin performs at the Eden Project
>"?*$@
BBC Comedy Presents...
Three weeks of live comedy from the BBC’s
purpose-built venue at the world’s biggest
comedy festival. Follow @bbccomedyprsnts for
line-ups. FREE – ticket required.
3 August – 27 August
Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Edinburgh
www.edfringe.com
0131 226 0026
BBC Radio 1’s Fun and
Filth Cabaret
Scott Mills and Nick Grimshaw return to the
Fringe with their Fun and Filth Cabaret show;
broadcast live on Radio 1 every day from the
BBC Bubble space. FREE – ticket required.
3 August – 27 August
Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Edinburgh
www.edfringe.com
BBC Three Comedy Marathon
A specially billed, anarchic, live, late-night
Comedy Marathon for BBC Three. FREE
– ticket required.
3 – 27 August
Edinburgh Festival Fringe and BBC Three
www.edfringe.com
Ha Ha Hackney: Homo of Comedy
Gay Extravaganza 2012!
Britain’s top LGBT comics pay tribute and
celebrate over half a century of Gaiety.
8 July
Hackney Empire, London
www.hackneyempire.co.uk/whatson
020 8985 2424
Ha Ha Hackney:
Looking Black
The artists you know and love from
shows such as The Real McCoy,
The Posse, BiBi crew and
Desmond’s are back together for
a one-night spectacular.
2 September
Hackney Empire, London
www.hackneyempire.co.uk/whatson
020 8985 2424
Ha Ha Hackney: Maggie, Maggie,
Give us a Wave – The Comedy of
the Thatcher Years
Top comedians take us through the Thatcher
years and have a thing or two to say about
today’s political scene.
Ha Ha
Hackney
•
Hackney Empire,
London
•
There’s a lot to cram in to
this celebration of 111
years of comedy at the
theatre that has nurtured so
many of history’s greatest
comedians. Morecambe
and Wise, French and
Saunders, Charlie Chaplin
and Marie Lloyd all played
here, and many more of
today’s East End heroes.
Enjoy actor Ram John
Holder’s (pictured below)
performance in
Looking Black.
EastEnders queen Barbara
Windsor MBE recalls:
‘Grandad Charlie Ellis first
took me to the Hackney
Empire. I was eight years
old and I was hooked. This
is a truly magnificent
theatre – Hackney without
the Empire is like fish
without chips.’ If you can’t
join Barbara, BBC Three
transmits a special
celebration on 23 June.
45. JK
Trailblazers – Britain’s Queens
of TV Comedy
A unique collaboration between BFI
Southbank and Hackney Empire
celebrating past and present comedy
divas of British television.
14, 21 and 28 August
BFI Southbank, London
www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/bfi_southbank
020 7928 3232
16 and 23 August
Hackney Empire, London
www.hackneyempire.co.uk/whatson
020 8985 2424
World-Beating Improv
Neil Mullarkey from the Comedy Store
Players leads a hilarious attempt to create
a new world record.
10 August
Building 21, Elsecar, Barnsley
www.barnsleylive.co.uk
01226 740 203
Spasticus – Channel 4
Channel 4’s prank-filled show made by a
disabled cast, with sketches often at the expense
of the non-disabled public.
Channel 4 TV, UK Wide
www.channel4.com
Tales of the Riverbank
Comedy Barge
A Comedy Relay to the Edinburgh Festival on
a canal boat. Live by web, mobile and digital
platforms. And the odd gig.
1 July – 27 August
Through the waterways of England
and Scotland
www.pleasance.co.uk
London: 020 7609 1800
Tim Minchin– Eden Project
Comedy
Australian comedian, composer and musician
Tim Minchin brings his own unique blend of
musical comedy to Eden.
23 June
Eden Project, Cornwall
www.edenproject.com/sessions
01726 811 972
1 July
Hackney Empire, London
www.hackneyempire.co.uk/whatson
020 8985 2424
Ha Ha Hackney: The Golden
Years of Variety
The Variety Club of Great Britain and Hackney
Empire celebrate the post-war golden years
of entertainment.
9 September
Hackney Empire, London
www.hackneyempire.co.uk/whatson
020 8985 2424
Laurence Clark – Inspired
Laurence Clark’s comedy show asks why
everyday activities are inspirational when they’re
done by disabled people. As part of Unlimited.
26 June
Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff
www.wmc.org.uk
029 2063 6464
3 August – 27 August
Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Edinburgh
www.edfringe.com
0131 226 0026
30 August
Dada Fest, Liverpool
www.dadafest.co.uk
7 September
Bloomsbury Theatre, London
www.thebloomsbury.com
020 7388 8822
Playing the Games
A West End first – two weeks of
comedy, new plays, Sunday concerts
and lunchtime platforms. Featuring
Stephen Fry and guests.
26 July – 12 August
Criterion Theatre, London
www.criterion-theatre.co.uk
020 7839 8811
Pop Up – Comedy
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to be among
the first to hear about special pop-up comedy
events during the Festival.
21 June – 9 September
UK Wide
www.london2012.com/festival for details
www.facebook.com/london2012festival
Twitter @london2012fest In Inspired, Laurence Clark asks why everyday activities are inspirational when done by disabled people
Search for events near you at
london2012.com/festival
46. The UK’s biggest celebration of
dance, with thousands of events
taking place across the UK
Dance
JLJL
POWER AND
BEAUTY
One of the joys of dance is its
sheer diversity of styles, which is
mirrored by the range of talent
appearing in the Festival’s
dance programme.
There’s an Olympian feel to the
works performed by Tanztheater
Wuppertal Pina Bausch (page 52).
The influential German
choreographer, who died in
2009, toured the globe
creating dance-theatre works
commissioned by the cities she
visited. Now, for the first time,
London gathers them all together.
Fase in the Tate
Belgium’s Anne Teresa De
Keersmaeker (page 50) has been
at the forefront of global dance for
three decades. For the Tate
Modern’s brand-new performance
space, the Oil Tanks, she recreates
one of her early works, Fase, set
to Steve Reich’s score.
Cut from a rather different cloth
is Scotland’s Michael Clark,
whose angular deconstruction
of ballet serves as a flamboyant
counterpoint to De Keersmaeker.
Clark is a maverick talent,
unpredictable and frequently
brilliant. So expect the
unexpected when he unleashes
his latest work at Glasgow
Barrowland (page 51).
Where Clark morphs ballet
and modern dance, Shobana
Jeyasingh unites classic Indian
dance with a contemporary
aesthetic. Adding further
interest, her company presents
her latest work in a brace of
London churches.
The humorous production
of Pina Bausch’s Viktor
(page 52) takes its
inspiration from the city
of Rome and its
breathtaking imagery
47. JM
8/#A*
Big Dance 2012 at Cardiff
Mela
This multicultural celebration of dance and music
includes a world-record attempt for the largest
Bollywood dance performance. FREE
15 July
Roald Dahl Plass, Cardiff
www.bigdance2012.com
Big Dance 2012 at The Big
Weekend
A dance marquee for events including
a Street-Morris-Molly dance-off, ceilidhs
and an iconic flashmob. FREE
7 July – 8 July
Parkers Piece, Cambridge
www.bigdance2012.com
Big Dance 2012 Camp
Watch an evening of dance films in a
big-top tent, camp overnight then experience
performances across the site.
7 July – 8 July
National Water Sports Centre, Nottingham
www.bigdance2012.com
Big Dance 2012 Day Brighton
A performance stage on the seafront hosts local
dance groups and offers open workshops,
including mass participation routines. FREE
14 July
The Promenade, Brighton
www.bigdance2012.com
Big Dance 2012 Norfolk Long
Dance
An afternoon of opportunities to take part in folk
and traditional dance, including an amazingly
long Norfolk Long Dance. FREE
8 July
St George’s Street, Norwich
www.bigdance2012.com
Big Dance 2012 Day
Yorkshire
A day of dance celebration, featuring specially
commissioned dance and talent from across
Yorkshire. FREE
15 July
Millennium Square, Leeds
www.bigdance2012.com
Big Dance 2012 DAZL
Marathon
Dance workshops and performances including
information on careers in dance and concluding
with a mass-participation dance marathon. FREE
7 July
South Leeds Youth Hub, Leeds
www.bigdance2012.com
Big Dance 2012 Edinburgh
Have a go and watch professional, community,
school and youth groups at three city centre
sites. FREE
30 June – 1 July
City Centre, Edinburgh
www.bigdance2012.com
Big Dance 2012 Immersion
Tent
An inclusive participatory and performance
programme, presented in a Big Dance
immersion tent. FREE
21 July – 22 July
Gloucester Park, Gloucester
www.bigdance2012.com
Big Dance 2012 in the Baylis
A performance to highlight some of the
incredible dance that has been created and
performed across north London for Big Dance.
10 July – 11 July
Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler’s Wells, London
www.bigdance2012.com
Big Dance 2012 Lancashire at the
Preston Guild
The premiere performance of the Lancashire Big
Dance North West Link Up performance along
with a mass-participation piece and more. FREE
23 June
Preston Flag Market, Preston
www.bigdance2012.com
Big Dance 2012 Live at the
Bandstand
Five boys’ dance groups, one intergenerational
group and five older people’s groups perform
with professional dancers. FREE
15 July
Abbey Grounds, Hexham
www.bigdance2012.com
Big Street
Dance Day
•
Trafalgar Square,
London, and
UK Wide
•
On 14 July the entire
population of the UK is
invited to fill streets and
public spaces with a
celebratory day of dance.
At London’s Trafalgar
Square you’ll see Wayne
McGregor, resident
choreographer at the
Royal Ballet, bringing
together dance groups
from across the capital.
This performance will
feature 2,000 dancers
on multiple stages and
giant screens.
Throughout the rest of the
country streets, squares
and parks will come alive
as communities come
together for the fun of
dance. It’s the flagship
event for the Big Dance
programme, so get moving
and get involved.
These pages feature
only a handful of
Big Dance events – visit
www.bigdance2012.com
to find out how to get
involved near you.
Search for events near you at
london2012.com/festival
48. JO
8/#A*
Big Dance 2012 – Hat Fair
Site-specific performances, a mass dance for
all to join, participatory workshops and some
unexpected surprises. FREE
6 July – 8 July
City Centre, Winchester
www.bigdance2012.com
Big Dance 2012 – 30 Years
of Style
Hip-hop pioneers B Boy Pervez and DJ Billy
Biznizz present a one-off celebration of breaking
in London. FREE
8 July
Stratford Centre, London
www.bigdance2012.com
Big Dance 2012 – Aberdeen
Dance Hunt
A treasure hunt for dance across the city as
audiences are invited to discover, watch and
participate in a variety of dance styles. FREE
7 July – 8 July
Across the city, Aberdeen
www.bigdance2012.com
Big Dance 2012 – Big Dance Shorts
Five brand-new short films in association
with BAFTA screen on Channel 4. FREE
7 July – 15 July
TV, UK wide
www.bigdance2012.com
Big Dance 2012
– Brazil Day
Experience the physical culture of Brazil with
Samba performances, Capoeira displays and
an outdoor screening of Rio. FREE
15 July
Wandsworth Park, London
www.bigdance2012.com
Big Dance 2012 – City Steps
Outdoor performance festival showcasing
dance pieces by local and national artists,
including participatory opportunities for all. FREE
15 July
Hope Street, Liverpool
www.bigdance2012.com
Big Dance 2012 on the Beach
Dance classes and mini-performances throughout
the day in the Spa Gardens ending with a mass
dance on the beach. FREE
14 July
The Spa Promenade, Bridlington
www.bigdance2012.com
Big Dance 2012 Picnic at
Horniman Museum
An afternoon of Morris dancing, maypole
dancing and folk music aplenty to accompany
the Mummers, Maypoles and Milkmaids
exhibition. FREE
8 July
Horniman Museum, London
www.bigdance2012.com
Big Dance 2012 Picnic at
Trinity Laban
Bring a picnic and experience dance and circus
performers, face painting, creative play areas
and interactive inclusive activities. FREE
23 June
Trinity Laban, London
www.bigdance2012.com
Big Dance 2012 – Streets of Brass
Live site-specific performances encompassing
dance and music from the Durham
community. FREE
21 July – 22 July
Wharton Park, Durham
www.bigdance2012.com
Big Dance 2012 U.Dance
The youth dance showcase features the premiere
of the first-ever UK-wide youth dance company
with choreography by Hofesh Shechter.
13 July – 16 July
Southbank Centre, London
www.bigdance2012.com
Big Dance 2012 Walk
Site-specific dance in Oxleas Meadows with an
intergenerational cast of local people, signed
into British Sign Language. FREE
15 July
Oxleas Meadows, London
www.bigdance2012.com
The
Royal Ballet
Metamorphosis:
Titian 2012
•
Royal Opera House,
London
•
Titian was the greatest
painter of 16th-century
Venice, experimenting with
many styles throughout his
distinguished career. Now
three of his most famous
works, Diana and Actaeon,
The Death of Actaeon
and Diana and Callisto
have inspired new ballets.
Wayne McGregor (pictured
below), Resident
Choreographer of the Royal
Ballet, choreographs more
than 100 dancers
performing the works at the
Royal Opera House.
Page 51