Scotland’s London 2012 Cultural Programme: In brief

1 INTRODUCTION

Scotland’s London 2012 Cultural Programme: In brief

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1.7 Scotland’s London 2012 Cultural Programme (hereafter ‘the Programme’) represents the national response to the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad and included over 50 projects and over 250 events across the length and breadth of the country in the summer of 2012. In Creative Scotland’s own description, ‘From Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh to the remotest beach cove on the western Isle of Lewis and a UK wide film relay starting, and ending at Scotland’s most northerly islands, from under the gaze of Stirling Castle to the shores of the Firth of Forth, to the dense forests of Scotland’s southerly Borders and right to the heart of Glasgow’s inner city, Scotland’s London 2012 Cultural Programme has celebrated the rich diversity, quality and accessibility of Scotland’s world-class culture’ (CS, press release, September 2012).

The Programme was the culmination of the UK-wide Cultural Olympiad in Scotland, but it was only one component of a much wider programme of funding for cultural events and activities, which took place across the UK. It included projects that were presented under the umbrella of the Cultural Olympiad, the London 2012 Festival and through other London 2012 funding routes, such as those made by Legacy Trust UK.

The Programme began on 7 June 2012 with the arrival of the Olympic Summer of Song. The film, Keep Her Lit, by artist, Roderick Buchanan chronicled the arrival of the Olympic Flame as it was welcomed in Scottish communities with a song.

Scotland’s landscapes became the focus as artists used extraordinary places as their canvases, most notably with Peace Camp, Tall Tales from the Riverbank, Speed of Light, Forest Pitch and Sea Change 2012 using river, canals, mountains, coasts and forests as their venues.

During the summer of 2012, Scottish audiences had the opportunity to experience, and participate in, a new, large scale, participatory dance event at Glasgow’s Barrowland Ballroom by Michael Clark, the iconic Scottish dancer and choreographer. The Barrowlands Project featured forty-five local people as performers alongside Michael Clark company dancers. From all walks of life, aged between 18 and 80 years old and with no previous professional dance experience, community participants shared their stories of this communal dance experience. The Barrowlands Project was part of the wider Get Scotland Dancing initiative which will continue on to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014.

Geographically dispersed, A Hansel of Film, was a relay of screenings of short films made by the public in each of the nations and many of the regions of the UK. Launched in Shetland on 10 June with the arrival of the Olympic Torch in the Isles, the films were then relayed between participating venues by ‘runners’ who employed whatever means of transport they could devise to get them to the right venue on time. The project took films made by Shetlanders and others to twenty-one venues around the country and forms a celebration of ‘home made’ short films.

The Unlimited project celebrated arts and culture by deaf and disabled artists, featuring new work by five Scottish choreographers. It encouraged collaborations and partnerships between disability arts organisations, disabled artists, producers, and mainstream organisations, to celebrate the inspiration of the Olympic and Paralympic Games through the creation of original and exciting works. These works were presented at locations across Scotland before being showcased at the Southbank Centre in London towards the end of the London 2012 Festival in September 2012.