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London 2012 Olympic Cauldron...


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I bet it'll be something very simple because any fine detail work on it cannot be appreciated up-close if the thing is raised 150 ft. in the air. Maybe in the shape of a "lily of the Valley," an iris, an English rose or something like that--in keeping with the theme of an English garden,

I like the inspiration of the national flower. What is the national flower of Northern Ireland if there's any?

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Yes most definately. Oooh by the way Kevzz have you seen the opening ceremony tickets?

I think the tickets look fantastic, very eye catching and modern. A much better design than that of Beijing and Athens. I'm looking forward to see my tickets for table tennis and handball! :)

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You can see the full resolution photo here. This pic is taken from one flickr account, can't remember the link sorry but his photos always pop up here

708994843787ec2b7aefo.jpg

Looking at this picture, I'm increasingly clueless where the cauldron could be located. There's just not enough space left anywhere in the close vicinity of the stadium. That white/greyish square right next to the canal between the bridges north and northeast of the stadium shortly raised my attention, but it seems to be too small and too close to that freshly-planted trees to be the base of the cauldron.

Furthermore, the cauldron can't be much farther away from the stadium than that white/greyish square -- because then that tower had to be huge so that the flame can still be seen from the stadium.

The place north of the stadium where now those four service pods stand in a row would have been a perfect location for the cauldron. But it's not possible anymore.

Heck, I'm really torn now whether an outdoor cauldron is still feasible. It was never that hard for me (and I guess for all of us) to imagine where the cauldron could sit. I sure will be glad when we finally know it -- or even get only a first hint. ;)

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Or since Vancouver had two and did a transfer, is it possible that they may just light the cauldron head in the arena to satisfy immediacy needs; and then just because the T&F competition won't begin a few days after, transfer the cauldron to wherever its outside site will be? This would then dispense with all those fake, convoluted schemes to try to light the main caldera from the stadium floor.

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I bet it'll be something very simple because any fine detail work on it cannot be appreciated up-close if the thing is raised 150 ft. in the air. Maybe in the shape of a "lily of the Valley," an iris, an English rose or something like that--in keeping with the theme of an English garden,

What "theme of an English garden"? That "theme" hasn't showed up in anything yet, design wise....

I wonder if the cauldron will have multiple points of flame clustered together. Is there a chance the image on tickets IS the cauldron? That could be very beautiful and certainly distinctive.....

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The image on the OC tickets does look like something Heatherwick would come up with for the cauldron, but I doubt the ceremony organizers would give it away just like that. I think that image is just meant to be an abstract representation of the ceremony; bright, exuberant, celebratory, and ceremonial.

Or since Vancouver had two and did a transfer, is it possible that they may just light the cauldron head in the arena to satisfy immediacy needs; and then just because the T&F competition won't begin a few days after, transfer the cauldron to wherever its outside site will be? This would then dispense with all those fake, convoluted schemes to try to light the main caldera from the stadium floor.

I'm starting to think so too. The roof is probably not strong enough and it's busy enough already. The Orbit has its fair amount of points against it. And there dosen't seem to be much room outside the stadium unless those catering pods are moved (any chance at all that they will be?).

Heatherwick's work is very distinctive and visually assaulting at times. I imagine it's a completely different experience seeing his work in person and up-close as opposed to in photos or from a distance. A Heatherwick cauldron probably best be seen up close rather than from afar atop a tall tower.

So perhaps the cauldron will be lighted somewhere near ground level at the end of the ceremony (perhaps at that stage in front of the video screens), but it will then be transferred to a point somewhere outside in the Olympic Park where it will remain there during the first week of the Games. Once Athletics begins in week two, the cauldron can then be moved to somewhere inside the stadium (perhaps that stage will remain there throughout the Games? Do available seating plans disprove this?). Is this at all feasible?

For secretive Sydney, who in their wildest dreams could have imagined that astounding method of lighting of the Cauldron and how it panned out from start to finish? In the leadup, we only had tid-bits of info but not the big kahuna picture.

I don't want to bring this off-topic, but I'm just curious. What tid-bits were known about Sydney's cauldron and lighting beforehand?

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The place north of the stadium where now those four service pods stand in a row would have been a perfect location for the cauldron. But it's not possible anymore.

Maybe those pods are a decoy and they're covering up work related to cauldron prepping. (I'm only half serious, but still.)

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I don't want to bring this off-topic, but I'm just curious. What tid-bits were known about Sydney's cauldron and lighting beforehand?

A few wee things

* It was widely thought (for some reason) that water would play a part in the opening ceremony and probably the lighting sequence

* A few weeks/months before the ceremony a somewhat liquored Ric Birch denied reports saying that the final lighter wouldn't be Dawn Fraser as he *wouldn't advise it* as it is abit of a hairy position to have (alluding to the task of being amongst the water and within the cauldron I guess.

* In a presser in the stadium (which may have been for the NRL season) the cauldron mast popped itself up before being covered, so we knew there was some kind of lift mechanism included

* In the testing sessions, water was seen dripping down from the exterior of the temporary stand

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Yeah, I can confirm that. We knew there'd be a water feature.

Can't remember Dawn being ruled out that early, though - people (myself included) were still speculating that she'd be the cauldron lighter on the day of the OC.

Glad they went with Cathy at the end.

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I don't think she was ruled out as such, I think the story was how a tipsy ric birch almost let the secret slip on the method of lighting the cauldron, when he was at a function attended by Dawn Fraser. His words were something like *how we're going to do it, I wouldn't advise her to be the one, but of course Dawn's fearless.....*

I guess that is where we got the first hint of something different and special being delivered.

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I wonder if the cauldron will have multiple points of flame clustered together. Is there a chance the image on tickets IS the cauldron? That could be very beautiful and certainly distinctive.....

I am starting to believe the abstract design of the opening ceremony ticket might hold clues to the cauldron design too. Your idea of clusters of fire or even stems of fire will be breathtaking. Heatherwicks design is always so extraordinary and out of this world I really can't wait to see what hes up to this time.

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Also we have been discussing the Olympic cauldron. How about Paralympic cauldron? Is there usually two different cauldron design for Olympic and Paralympic? I know the lighting method is different for both. Means than Heatherwick have to design both too then?

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Also we have been discussing the Olympic cauldron. How about Paralympic cauldron? Is there usually two different cauldron design for Olympic and Paralympic? I know the lighting method is different for both. Means than Heatherwick have to design both too then?

Same cauldron.

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Sometimes they use a secondary cauldron to light the main cauldron at the Paralympics (Sydney did that by "relaying" the flame from a small cauldron on the infield to the main cauldron at the top of the temporary stands), sometimes they use a slimmed-down version of the cauldron (like in Vancouver, when they only extracted the center pillar of the indoor cauldron at the Paralympic opening) and sometimes they light the main cauldron only for the opening ceremony and transfer the flame to a smaller cauldron (Torino did this, just like Innsbruck for the Youth Winter Olympics this year). But so far they've always used the Olympic cauldron also for the Paralympics.

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Certainly possible for London to have two Cauldrons and break with the 'unwritten tradition' of one Cauldron for Summer Games (Helsinki excepted), but highly unlikely, in my opinion.

I think London will still have the one big grand Cauldron, able to seen by most inside and outside the Stadium

For secretive Sydney, who in their wildest dreams could have imagined that astounding method of lighting of the Cauldron and how it panned out from start to finish? In the leadup, we only had tid-bits of info but not the big kahuna picture.

Yes, London's got a big secret.

Or 3 cauldrons (three Olympic Games....three cauldrons)....the main cauldron inside the stadium and the others somewhere in London (Everyone´s Games)...

How can the Orbit Tower be ruled out as a site for the Cauldron?

Some questions:

  • Where would the Cauldron be attached?
  • How would the designs of the Orbit & Cauldron compliment each other?
  • How would it be lit?
  • Is the Orbit fireproofed?
  • Will the Orbit+Cauldron be the first Tower iIn Olympic history upon which the public will be allowed?

Is this been their plan all along? If so, then they have the answers already.

CauldronPossibilities1.jpg

Won´t be there!!! Almost impossible!!

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Why in August 2011?

But by the way, the Games' motto isn't "Everyone's" anymore, but "Inspire a generation"

London riots... :ph34r:

"Everyone´s" is a kind of unofficial moto... Of course i know that the "Inspire a generation" is the official one...

http://www.london2012.com/mm%5CDocument%5CPublications%5CJoinin%5C01%5C24%5C08%5C88%5Ceveryones-games.pdf

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The look of the whole Parklands area, the landscaping, the flora added, etc., is to evoke a typical English garden. I guess you didn't read it.

I haven't read that. I did read something about the park taking on a "meadow look" featuring wildflowers AFTER the Games, but that's not a classic English garden either. In fact, so far I haven't seen a single photo or rendering that remotely resembles an English garden. That kind of landscaping takes years to develop. I can't see any possible way they'll really give the park that look in a few months.

Seems to me that the cauldron needs to relate more to the minimalist, linear architecture than plant selection anyway. A flower cauldron sounds bizarre and doesn't fit with Heatherwick's style. The idea seems more like something the Japanese would do.

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Why in August 2011?

But by the way, the Games' motto isn't "Everyone's" anymore, but "Inspire a generation"

I can imagine that working with an artful cluster of flames.... suggesting the flame is catching among many people, truly "inspiring a generation." Of course I have no idea if that is what they will actually do...

I have a feeling the ceremony ticket design relates to the ceremony content pretty specifically, we just don't know how yet. Maybe it's suggestive of the cauldron or maybe something else. I doubt it's just an abstract image, though I suppose that's still possible.

Since we really have no idea, I kind of like the hypothesis that the ticket design is actually for a multi-flame cauldron. Of course that could be totally wrong....

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I can imagine that working with an artful cluster of flames.... suggesting the flame is catching among many people, truly "inspiring a generation." Of course I have no idea if that is what they will actually do...

I have a feeling the ceremony ticket design relates to the ceremony content pretty specifically, we just don't know how yet. Maybe it's suggestive of the cauldron or maybe something else. I doubt it's just an abstract image, though I suppose that's still possible.

Since we really have no idea, I kind of like the hypothesis that the ticket design is actually for a multi-flame cauldron. Of course that could be totally wrong....

It's brilliant if the organisers had the ticket design crypticly holding clues for the cauldron design. That will make the opening ceremony ticket much more cherishable after the event. Speaking of a cluster/ bunch of fires, the 'trumpets' on the ticket resembles these daffodils. Or like dandelions too, spreading the olympic spirit wherever the wind blows!

Daffodils-Narcissus-007.jpg

59227304.jpgoriginaldandy.jpg

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