http://www.port.ac.uk/departments/ faculties/cci/air/projects/lookabout ‘Look About’ was a creatively driven, multilayered project weaving together geological metaphor with art led by artist/ geologist Jon Adams. The 2 year project involved collecting, capturing and interpreting material gathered from Deaf and disabled artists, audiences, and cultural organisations involved in the Cultural Olympiad and the Accentuate programmes. The main aim was to map any ‘shifts’ in attitudes to the work of disabled artists. Jon mapped 800,000 minutes of personal and Cultural Olympiad experiences. As a trained field geologist, his ‘Mapping’ days included Accentuate and Inspire Mark projects, Torch Relays and Open Weekends. All the drawings, observations and field notes will be presented together as a digital Geological Map of the Cultural Olympiad in the South East, with keys and explanation booklets.

“It is important to communicate autism research to a wider public, but equally it is important that people with autism have the opportunity to take what we do and portray it in their own words, or in this case, their own imagery. Just as the results of science are unpredictable, so the results of this artistic and creative dialogue will also be unpredictable, but we can be sure they will be highly novel and will provoke a lot of discussion. Jon’s background as a geologist gives him a firm grasp of how to map time and history and events, and his own autism gives him a terrific eye for detail, spotting details that others miss. The result is an artist who uses the science of geology to portray a new way of looking at the world.” Professor Baron-Cohen, University of Cambridge

Between June 2011 and September 2012, tens of thousands of people at 19 exhibitions engaged with fragments of ‘Look About’ including graphics, films and ‘found fossils’ as well as following online and through social media. The project encouraged people to record their lives in different ways; it has proved especially popular with young people and drawn considerable interest from the wider scientific community. The project has led to further high profile projects, and Jon becoming the subject of a chapter in an academic geographical paper to be published in 2013. It also led to partnerships with the University of Portsmouth, where Jon is Artist in Residence, the British Geological Survey and Jon becoming Artist in Residence at the Autism Research Centre (ARC) at Cambridge University where he is working with Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, funded by the Wellcome Trust. The work of the ARC is of great interest to Jon as an artist with Asperger Syndrome (which is just one of his disabilities).

The South East Live Sites were located in Portsmouth and Dover, where since 2008 outdoor cinema sized interactive screens have showcased local, national and international digital art, music, documentary, drama content and interactive applications, daily. This culminated in live coverage of all the Olympic and Paralympic action. The Big Screens have been a central focus for a number of other events, which include: annual screening of Last Night of The Proms; screenings of live opera; sites for marking events to raise money for Comic Relief, Sport Relief and Children in Need. Portsmouth has used their Live Site to develop partnership working throughout the city, to enhance existing events and develop new ones; it has provided a real opportunity for the people of Portsmouth to become involved. The screen has also enabled them to promote the breadth of activity in the city. Both sites have worked closely with artists and delivered London 2012 ‘Join In Moments’ such as Open Weekend. Photography: Mark John Smith

www.liveliveproject.com ‘LIVELIVE’ Project is a new digital arts periodical and community engagement programme designed and produced by young and emerging artist Mark John Smith for broadcast both online, and via the BBC’s network of Olympic Live Sites. ‘LIVELIVE’ aims to enrich the everyday experiences of the public by bringing art from the ‘gallery/institution’ into the public domain. 7 digital periodicals were produced each exploring a unique mix of emerging creative talent, art history information and user generated feedback. LIVELIVEProject.com had 6,546 unique website visits and over 90,000 members of the public are estimated to have engaged via the Live Sites. The project also established a new creative and engaged social online community of 1,327 people via twitter.

Over the last 4 years Portsmouth Artist Jon Adams has used Live Sites to engage the public with his public art projects. One of these, ‘Dream’, a digital slideshow, was featured over the lifetime of the Cultural Olympiad, the word ‘dream’ appeared in different colours randomly, drawing interest and questions. This was accompanied by ‘Dream Birds’ which made people think about their own Olympic hopes and gathered their responses, through local media and workshop events, as written submissions which first appeared on origami birds launched above Guildhall Square but then evolved into a digital slideshow for broadcast.

Arts Council England Arts Council England is proud to have been a principal funder of the Cultural Olympiad. We would like to congratulate everyone who made the Cultural Olympiad a huge success in the South East over the last 4 years. The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games created an incredible platform for sporting and cultural excellence in the South East. Some of these projects where high profile and captured international interest, while others made a huge impact at a local level, but they all shared common features: ambition and vision, supportive partners and the dedication of many individuals to ‘make things happen’. Regional organisations and artists embraced the Cultural Olympiad. In doing so, they reached new audiences, worked with new partners and challenged their own ways of working to achieve their ambitions. We all have valuable stories and experiences to relate. At Arts Council England, we urge anyone

involved in the Cultural Olympiad to share what has been achieved, so we can sustain the momentum created by the investment and participation in cultural activities across the South East. The impact of these accomplishments will be felt for years to come. Arts Council England will work with our partners to build on the South East’s achievements, to continue delivering against our mission of ‘Great art for everyone’. We want to see culture continue to be at the heart of communities, valued for the difference it makes to people’s lives and local economies. We will continue to support the ambitions of those who live and create in the region. As we have seen with the Cultural Olympiad, investing in ambition and talent produces fantastic results. Thank you to all who created events that inspired, provoked and surprised us. Let’s work together to build on this success. Marina Norris Senior Manager, Corporate Planning Arts Council England

London 2012

DCMS

Legacy Trust UK

The London 2012 Cultural Olympiad was the largest cultural celebration in the history of the modern Olympic and Paralympic Movements. The culmination of the Cultural Olympiad, the London 2012 Festival, a spectacular 12-week nationwide celebration, saw more than 12,000 events and performances produced by over 25,000 artists from all 204 participating Olympic and Paralympic nations. During the 4 year programme, the South East developed an impressive programme of new partnerships that empowered community members, emerging artists and new audiences all around the region. The Creative Programmer built an exceptional programme with Stoke Mandeville and Deaf and disabled artists for the Paralympics, which has contributed to transforming perceptions of disabled people. The region also played an important part in the London 2012 Festival with some terrific commissions and events, which helped to achieve the UK wide record audiences of 19.5m to the end of August.

Since 2008, the Cultural Olympiad has delivered on its promise of being the largest cultural celebration in the history of the modern Olympic and Paralympic Movements. Across the country, millions of people have taken part in extraordinary events which have provided a showcase for the UK cultural sector, attracting international visitors and highlighting Britain as a world-class cultural destination.

Since 2008 Legacy Trust UK has funded a wide range of projects across the UK to create a lasting cultural legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Trust has funded 2 key programmes in the South East; Accentuate, made up of 15 projects across the region which aim to create a cultural shift in perceptions of disability; and Tree of Light, one of 4 large scale Community Celebrations projects, which involved thousands of local people in 3 performances across the Thames Valley.

Ruth Mackenzie Director, Cultural Olympiad Photography by: James Pike www.jimpix.com

The South East region has been no exception and has made a huge contribution to the success of the Cultural Olympiad. And with its distinct links to the Paralympic Movement the South East has provided a unique platform for disability arts and culture, raising the profile for many talented artists. DCMS congratulates the hard work and determination of the region’s local authorities, cultural and voluntary organisations, communities and the South East Creative Programmer and her team in providing an unforgettable festival of culture. Clare Pillman, DCMS Director

The South East, as the birthplace of the Paralympic Games, has played a huge role in not only the Games themselves but also in the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival. Activities that have taken place across the region have been inclusive and innovative, celebrating all the South East has to offer, and leaving a lasting legacy for all involved. Moira Swinbank OBE, Chief Executive, Legacy Trust UK Legacy Trust UK, creating a lasting impact from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by funding ideas and local talent to inspire creativity across the UK.

RELAY was presented by South East

Photography Stephen White, Matt Wilson, Anthony Hunt, Adrenochrome Images, Jordan Allen, James Cousens, Nicole Mollett, Benedict Johnson, Emma Critchley, Joanna Gurney, Ian Bride, Legge, Tom Foxall, Simon Hart, Colin Barker, Jon Adams, Paul Ackerley, Gary Thomas, Chris Parkes, @Documentally, mubsta.com, Tom Walsh, Mark John Smith, Mandeville Legacy, Nigel Bird, Jane Glennie, Melanie Swan, Creative Junction, Ed Nix 2012 The Story Museum, Adrian Cassidy, Jon Adams, Gina Martin, Matthew Andrews, Rhonda Fenwick, Mooze Asim, SJC Photography, River and Rowing Museum, Rikard Osterlund, Darius Wilson, John Smith, Alex Melville, Matt Fowler, Farrows Creative, Kay Young, Toby Adamson, Lucy Sewill, Peter Bunker, Doug Southall, @Zeroh, Gerry Walden, Shared Space and Light, Rachel Gadsden, Paul Barker,David Illman, David Fisher Publication Content and Design: Caterina Loriggio & Lucy Williams, London 2012 www.london2012.com Steve Kerner, Curious Road www.curiousroad.com