Boris's Tower On The Olympic Park

[SkiFreak]

Amusing:

BBC: Reviews of Anish Kapoor's Olympic sculpture

If an artist can create a hunk of junk like this and get paid for it, I think I'm gonna become an artist.

I think I saw something like this made out of beer cans in a trailer park once.

[NY20??]

I like a little bit of oddity in my life, thanks.

[adrianme17]

I like a little bit of oddity in my life, thanks.

me too - vive la difference! am sure it will be a towereing success lol! also hats off to robh for a valiant and balanced arguement against all the neocons and luddites on here!

[tpman]

First the crazy logo. Now that strange tower. This is like Atlanta revisited! And Rio 2016 will present it´s logo in December,31. Let´s hope for something really special and popular.

[Rob2012]

I'm actually looking forward to this now I've read what the alternative could have been!

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Nude Antony Gormley giant lost Olympic statue race

Antony Gormley, the sculptor behind the Angel of the North, planned to build a 390ft naked statue of himself to tower over the London Olympics.

The £40m steel colossus would have stood next to the main athletics stadium, pointing east to face the rising sun. The public would have entered Gormley’s “body” through his feet and scaled the structure inside to reach a viewing deck in the head.

Details of the giant sculpture are revealed for the first time today by The Sunday Times. Gormley’s vision was the runner-up in a competition held by Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, to create an iconic work of art for the 2012 Games...

The Olympian Man would have risen to a height just short of the Great Pyramid of Giza and was meant to represent the bond between humanity.

Visitors would have scaled Gormley’s effigy by lift or on foot via a staircase winding up one of the legs to a viewing platform looking out of the face.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/olympics/london_2012/article7094296.ece

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In that case the right desicion was probably made. An abstract figure like the Angel of the North might have worked but a giant naked Gormley towering over the stadium? That would just be too incredibly freaky, especially if you were inside the stadium and saw it looking in!

And the notion of having oversized statues of naked "Olympians" straddling the Olympic stadium is a bit too "1936" for me anyway.

Although I'm still reserving judgement till it's built, I'm hugely relieved the Kapoor was chosen after reading this! Phew!

[Mr Tickle]

I just read about it in the times, theres an artist impression too although Im not sure if its the times interpritation or an actual visual. I guess it was no suprise he did a figure

[Mr Tickle]

The visual shows the figure as very boxy in apperance

[Rob2012]

No surprise he did a figure, no. It's not the idea of a figure that disturbs me though. A gorgeous "Angel of the South" would have been fantastic and I'd almost certainly have preferred that to the Orbit tower in many ways.

But a giant naked figure of himself as an Olympian? That's a different kettle of fish altogether! I think that would've sent most of our visitors home with nightmares, especially those who didn't know about his previous work.

As I said, I'm hugely relieved the Orbit won if this was the alternative. The "pylon shagging a crane" might offend many people's artistic sensibilities but it's not going to freak anyone out, and could turn out to be rather interesting if built well. Call me weird, but I can't think of many worse things than sitting in a stadium watching sport and having a giant naked man looming over the rim of the stadium roof.

[stir.ts]

Too bad.

The figurative structure would have been a wonderful counterpoint to the "temporary" stadium and it's rudimentary industrial components.

The Anish Kapoor tower is a sad evolution from his many sublime earlier works.

[Michelle]

Too bad.

The figurative structure would have been a wonderful counterpoint to the "temporary" stadium and it's rudimentary industrial components.

The Anish Kapoor tower is a sad evolution from his many sublime earlier works.

Couldn't agree with you more.

[Rob2012]

Couldn't disagree with you more

[Michelle]

Do me a favour, and change your opinion. You no I'm right, you're wrong. This is obvious.*

*denotes sarcasm

[Rob2012]

Perhaps I should leave it to others to question your reasons for wanting a giant naked man in the middle of London's Olympic Park

[Mr Tickle]

Thought I'd post this image of a tower being considered as a battle of Britain momorial in North London

Theres a video here, its pretty spectacular. This is what I was expecting of Anish Kapoors Tower, simple and striking

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7125952.ece

[Brekkie Boy]

That's gorgeous.

[baron-pierreIV]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7125952.ece

Kinda monolithic. Actually that's what the World Cup cup should look like...not that dumb, tacky-looking globe one.

But it's light years better than that other piece of junk which is really the Indians putting it over their former colonial overlords. It's like spitting in the drink being served to the mastah!!

[The Tower Bridge Fox]

Thought I'd post this image of a tower being considered as a battle of Britain momorial in North London

Theres a video here, its pretty spectacular. This is what I was expecting of Anish Kapoors Tower, simple and striking

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7125952.ece

This battle of Britain sculpture is In keeping with the current trend for very corporate looking monoliths. we see a lot of office block proposals put forward in this computer warped style .

which is where the orbit tower wins out As the The Olympic tower needed to

NOT look corporate

NOT look like a communication tower

NOT look like an office block

NOT be a dense light blocking structure.

And be instantly recognisable as a unique and original land mark sculpture.

Which is why I like it.

[Mr Tickle]

Anish Kapoor puts art into his tower

Evening Standard

Matthew Beard and Louise Jury

21.05.10

Anish Kapoor has gone back to the drawing board to change the design of his ArcelorMittal Orbit tower for the Olympic Park.

But Kapoor has now revised initial proposals for a 360 degree outdoor viewing platform at the top as he attempts to create a world-class artwork and not simply a tall building with nice views. The external space is being scaled back - although Kapoor insisted it would not reduce the number of people able to take in the spectacle from the top.

He said his big concern was to create "a work that encompasses more of life than it initially states". Kapoor said the plan was for visitors to enter under an entrance canopy that would be "dark and mysterious".

They will then begin to climb via the stairs or lifts to the two high-level platforms. "The form is winding and whizzing around as you go to the top," he said. "I hope people will have an experience that will make them want to come back."

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23836722-anish-kapoor-puts-art-into-his-tower.do

[The Tower Bridge Fox]

Anish Kapoor puts art into his tower

Evening Standard

Matthew Beard and Louise Jury

21.05.10

Anish Kapoor has gone back to the drawing board to change the design of his ArcelorMittal Orbit tower for the Olympic Park.

But Kapoor has now revised initial proposals for a 360 degree outdoor viewing platform at the top as he attempts to create a world-class artwork and not simply a tall building with nice views. The external space is being scaled back - although Kapoor insisted it would not reduce the number of people able to take in the spectacle from the top.

He said his big concern was to create "a work that encompasses more of life than it initially states". Kapoor said the plan was for visitors to enter under an entrance canopy that would be "dark and mysterious".

They will then begin to climb via the stairs or lifts to the two high-level platforms. "The form is winding and whizzing around as you go to the top," he said. "I hope people will have an experience that will make them want to come back."

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23836722-anish-kapoor-puts-art-into-his-tower.do

I realy like it , but it will be better with a less wide viewing platform.

so this is good.

[OneTimeOnly]

This battle of Britain sculpture is In keeping with the current trend for very corporate looking monoliths. we see a lot of office block proposals put forward in this computer warped style .

which is where the orbit tower wins out As the The Olympic tower needed to

NOT look corporate

NOT look like a communication tower

NOT look like an office block

NOT be a dense light blocking structure.

And be instantly recognisable as a unique and original land mark sculpture.

Which is why I like it.

Your forgot "NOT be aesthetically pleasing in any way, shape, or form."

[mr.x]

I think it'll look 1000 times better in the flesh. Scaled up to life size it won't look so fiddly and messy; I think it'll look airier in real life than in the pictures.

My concern is how it'll look opposite the cauldron tower or, if that idea's been scrapped, whether the flame will be dwarfed by it in 2012. I hope it doesn't overwhelm what ought to be the most important thing in the Olympic Park in the two weeks of the Olympics.

I mean, this thing is HUGE. It's all very well looking at pictures of it like this because it's an overhead view:

But if the stadium looks like this from ground level, imagine what this sculpture is going to look like!

I like it....perhaps the cauldron will be atop the tower?

[The Tower Bridge Fox]

This is the most exciting element of the park so far.

It will be build be the end of next year apparently

They better get a move on.

[baron-pierreIV]

They shouldn't forget the One Eye.

[Soaring]

I think the tower looks like a demented amusement part ride. Sorry, just my opinion...

[Mr Tickle]

The tower is being redesigned by Kapoor, that visual is now no longer relevant