The Olympics are close at hand and London has more reminders than one.
Some of them you read in the papers and plan to see, some are completely unexpected
We had planned to visit the British museum earlier this week. For those who have never visited London , the British museum is a carefully preserved record of human history. Every culture and their journey through the ages has been beautifully laid out for us to see. And the best part is all of this is FREE! No admission charges, which is something incredible.
When we walked in I did not expect to see the Olympic medals of London 2012 on display.
The last time the games were held in London was in the year 1948, not long after the war and probably a cause for celebration among the people who has seen so much in the preceding years.
The medals used in the games of 1948 were on display as well. And between then and now they provide a valuable insights into how the games have changed. For one the medals certainly are bigger.
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| Outside the British Museum.. |
But the artists who finally had their work imprinted on metal to crown the champions of the London 2012 Olympics came through a careful process of selection by the LOGOPG (The London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Para Olympic games)
The designs were put to vote before a jury of experts. The winning jewelers were David Walkins and Liu Cheng.
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| The medals on display.. |
The Rio Tinto mines are the suppliers of metal used in the games.
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| The medals for London 2012 Olympic games - the front |
The maker of the design had this to say about the symbolism in his work
"It's key symbols juxtapose, front and back, the goddess Nike for the spirit and tradition of the games, the River Thames for the city of London"
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| The medals for London 2012 Olympic medal - The Front |
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| The medals for London 2012 Olympic Games - The back |
I found the textures on the para Olympic games beautiful. If I was to fault the exhibition of one thing it was that it lacked an explanation of the symbolism in the design of the medal .
In the absence of it though I game my mind free reign to create its own. Right on top is writing in what I think is Braille.
I wanted to reach out and touch the medal to get a feel of the beautiful texturing inlaid in metail.
It flowed from end to end all across the circle and reminded me in some strange way of molten lava.
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| The medals for London Para Olympic games 2012 - The front |
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| The medals for the London Para Olympic games 2012 |
As early as 1850, a surgeon William Penny-Brookes, introduced physical education into British schools and started the tradition of the Olympian games in the town of Shropshire.
Inspired by the idea the Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin started the effort to hold the event on a global scale and that was the beginning of the Olympics as we know it, the first of which was held in 1896.
The para Olympics took off from a similar British event too, one that was held in 1948 at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Buckinghamshire, for people injured in the Second World War.
The words of Shakespeare on display on the walls remind of the glory that awaits the winners of the games
‘And, if we thrive,
promise them such rewards
As victors wear at the
Olympian games’William Shakespeare
Henry VI, Part 3 – Act II Scene iii
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| The history of the games.. |
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| The medals used in the games of 1948 |
The medals of the 1948 games were smaller in size but they matched the ones of 2012 in the grandeur of their designs. The symbolism seems to be heavily greek possible because of their long standing tradition in having the games even before the rest of the world decided to have it in this scale.
This exhibition was packed with people, no surprises by the amount of interest surrounding the coveted objects every champion at the games will want to take home with them
More details on the exhibition can be found at the website of the British museum
It's really interesting to see the medals and to know about their history. Reading your post, I was reminded of a "Button factory" we had heard about and went visiting sometime in 2002 in Hyderabad. It was a dilapidated heritage building, there was a family living there who had been the original button makers and when we said we had heard there used to be a button factory here, they brought out large wooden boxes to show us - which had the most amazing metal buttons we had ever seen! They had been made for the army, for the royal families. There was no museum, few people in Hyderabad know that a button factory ever existed in the city. Wish we had the same concern and resources for cultural heritage that England has!
ReplyDeleteSo true Kiran...We have no sense of pride.
DeleteThere are so many others like the Button Factory..
For example the Ganges, As far as most Indians are concerned is a holy river , but most places are strewn with plastics..how can you consider something holy and desecrate it that way.
Did you know there was an entire section about India in the British museum. It was small for a huge country with such a long glorious history..but thats just what it is isnt it.. if we dont tell our own story noobody every will...
Recently the story about the Higgs- Boson almost being discovered was greeted all over the world.
What struck me was while the english media spoke about Peter Higgs.. nothing was said about the Boson.. so it falls to us to tell our own ...If we don't a part of what is fact would be lost forever!