Artist, Marc Rees, wins £230,000 London 2012 Cultural Olympiad commission

Arts Council of Wales in partnership with Arts Council England and London 2012 announced today, that Marc has been selected as the Wales winner of a prestigious £230,000 commission for Artists taking the lead, one of the major projects for the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

Adain Avion, (Wing Flight) was selected by the Wales based panel of artists and producers from the five projects shortlisted in August out of a total 65 entries from Wales.

Marc Rees will present Adain Avion, a mobile arts space, social sculpture and travelling time capsule. Created from the recycled and transformed fuselage of an abandoned DC9 aeroplane, Adain Avion will take the form of a silver wingless bird that comes to life in response to whoever occupies it. The bird will travel across Wales 'nesting' in different locations, arriving at each site pulled by a large team made up of members of the local community including sports and youth groups.

Contemporary dancers and visual artists will be invited to collaborate with the community to draw inspiration from the 'bird', creating a physical and poetic archive of memories that reflect the distinctive history and culture of each area. There will be a final celebration in each place before the silver bird 'migrates' to the next location.

Adain Avion is one of 12 commissions that will be realised across the UK over the next three years, each inspired by their location and celebrating the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. There is one commission for each of the nine English regions and the nations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

For Marc Rees this is an exciting prospect which has pre-occupied him since the announcement of Artists Taking the Lead. Marc Rees said: "It will be a completely porous public art project, celebratory and collaborative in all its aspects. We have already had colossal interest and support from people, like the team at Taliesin Arts Centre in Swansea, our chief partner. It seems to trigger the imagination with possibilities and people will want to make it their own. It will be mysterious, a strange object in a familiar place, but it will become familiar and full of art for all who choose to become a part of the project. Adain Avion will aim to reflect the distinctive qualities of the communities and places in its journey through Wales."

David Alston, Arts Director of Arts Council of Wales thanked the Artists Panel that had worked with discernment to whittle the 65 submissions in Wales down to five imaginative propositions from a variety of artistic disciplines.

"In alighting upon Adain Avion, we have a captivating project for Wales in 2012. It will be dramatic and involving both the creative team Marc Rees is bringing together and the public's active participation. It will be fascinating to follow the plane's progress and placement in Wales in its various "nesting" sites throughout the country. If one of the London 2012 themes is about welcoming the world, then Adain Avion in all its dimensions has the potential to be the most welcoming of projects and one which will leave a legacy for future flights of the arts in Wales."