Welsh artists take the lead in race for Olympiad commissions

Wingless birds, Luminous Landscapes, 24 hour houses, five radio beacons and five interlinked forests -these are all exciting proposals by Welsh artists for an ambitious nationwide project.

Arts Council of Wales announced today the Welsh shortlist for Artists taking the lead, one of the most wide ranging art commissions in the UK, part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

From a UK wide shortlist of 60, 12 commissions totalling £5.4million will be awarded to create 12 new works of art across the country to celebrate London 2012; one in each of the nine English regions, and in the nations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

For the Wales project, 5 projects have been shortlisted for the next stage, ranging from the spectacular to the eccentric and including proposals by some leading names in Welsh art.

The shortlisted projects are:

• Five Point Reference -Artist, Kieran Evans in collaboration with Writer, Robin Turner, propose a multi platform, cross discipline concept that will engage people with the landscapes of Wales. Five separate, small radio beacons will be set up across key points in Wales which will transmit low frequency radio signals, the furthest reach of which will invisibly form the five Olympic rings.
• Luminous Landscapes -A series of site specific sound and light installations around Wales that explore the iconic nature of Welsh buildings and landmarks by artist, Simon Fenoulhet, in collaboration with composer, John Hardy.
• The Annular Forests - Artist, Andy Hazell, proposes creating five annular, interlinked forests on the uplands of Mid-Wales. Each of the ring forests will correlate to each of the continents, planted with different, distinct species and tiered so they present a unique face whatever the season.
• The 24hour house -four separate 'houses' in different and varied locations in Wales from Cardiff to rural Anglesey will be created by artists, Heather and Ivan Morison. A team of interested locals and professionals would assist with the planning and build of each structure using local materials and skills specific to the area. This project is inspired by the 17th-19th century 'Tŷ un nos' tradition in Wales.
• Adain Avion -an extraordinary wingless 'bird' which is the fuselage of a DC9 aeroplane transformed into a mobile art space which will travel across Wales. Curated by dance artist, Marc Rees, Adain Avion will visit four Welsh towns drawing inspiration from each distinct location, collaborating closely with local communities.

Artists were challenged to submit their ideas for the twelve commissions between 19 March and 29 May 2009, in which time a total of 2163 submissions were received across the UK. Independent panels of artists and producers in each nation and region then judged each of the applications and arrived at their shortlist.

Barbara Follett, Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism said:

"This remarkable shortlist shows the breadth of artistic talent we have in the United Kingdom and how many people have been inspired to make their mark for London 2012. Through Artists taking the lead, every part of the country will get a new and exciting artwork which combines the sporting and cultural spirit of the 2012 Games."

The shortlisted artists in Wales will each receive a development grant of £3,000 to turn their initial proposals into worked up proposals. They will present these to the artist panels in late September, who will then decide on the final commission, due to be announced in October 2009.

The twelve UK wide successful commissions will be developed across 2010 and 2011 in close collaboration with local communities. All twelve will take part in a final unifying celebration, prior to the opening of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

David Alston, Arts Director for Arts Council of Wales commented on the Welsh shortlist:

"There was a fantastic array of ideas put forward for the Wales Artists Taking the Lead commission. Our artists' panel had a difficult job to tease out the five shortlisted projects - but it was an engaging task and the five all have dramatic and involving potential."

London 2012 Chairman Sebastian Coe added:

"I'm thrilled with the calibre of this shortlist. We want the Cultural Olympiad to bring art and sport together, inspiring and unlocking creativity and talent all round the country, and these projects do exactly that."

For further information see www.artiststakingthelead.org.uk