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London 2012 Olympic Cauldron...


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The trouble isn't the design, the concept, or the relatively small size. It's just a little bit too far back so the camera isn't catching it while a lot of the events are on. If it was a bit further forward, or if the camera panned a bit higher occassionally, you'd see it as athletes were running the bend.

The BBC Studio inside the stadium has that side of the stadium behind their glass window and it looks wonderful seeing the "bowl" in amongst the crowds, surrounded by thousands of people, not elevated high above it.

The shots we do see of it are brilliant, but it would be good to see more of it!!!

Up close, and at center it looks magnificent, it really does.

But sitting in the stands, it just looks pathetic. Awful, really.

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OBS does seem to have chose more shots that include the cauldron today. Though I do wish it was on the opposite end of the stadium; its often behind the camera like in the discuss throw right now or during the 100m sprint.

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Its surprising that all the mechanics and technical bits at the base were just left exposed. This cauldron looks somewhat unfinished or even like a prototype. I love all the organic shaped hoods, very sculptural, very 70s, and very sexy. It also looks much like a big bowl of black mussels.

It's quite controversial, and seems to have become a symbol of confusing desicions. It does not capture the imagination and grandure of the games or London, in my opinion. I love to look at it though.

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Its surprising that all the mechanics and technical bits at the base were just left exposed. This cauldron looks somewhat unfinished or even like a prototype. I love all the organic shaped hoods, very sculptural, very 70s, and very sexy. It also looks much like a big bowl of black mussels.

It's quite controversial, and seems to have become a symbol of confusing desicions. It does not capture the imagination and grandure of the games or London, in my opinion. I love to look at it though.

I'm intrigued by your idea that the cauldron is "a symbol of confusing decisions."

I think it's very evident that LOCOG TRIED very hard to do something different -- from the logo to the ceremonies to the cauldron. They just fell short. While I applaud the effort, I think this cauldron is a reminder that true innovation, true inspiration cannot be forced. It cannot be summoned on command -- no matter how valiantly one tries. Our best efforts at manufacturing something truly visionary, while perhaps noble in intent, often result in awkward, half-born ideas that miss the mark. That is the way I would characterize LOCOG's aesthetic choices. They tried, but their noble attempts fell short -- possibly because they were simply trying too hard.

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The longer I see it "in action", I think that the idea behind the cauldron lighting and the design was extremely clever - but Heatherwick and Company completely failed in realising that the cauldron won't be burning only at the opening ceremony but for 17 days. The position of the cauldron there is totally ill-conceived. Even in the evening sessions of athletics, it can happen that you hardly recognise the flame because the scoreboard behind it is on. The cauldron is somewhat crouching there at the bottom of the southern stands - and only if you get a camera shot from a very well-chosen angle, the cauldron can be seen prominently. But usually, It doesn't stand out, it's far too modest and is even outshined by those damn scoreboards.

I hate to say: But this is the most unimpressively presented cauldron in Olympic history since Montreal 1976. Even the ugly Atlanta cauldron had at least one advantage over London's cauldron: It stood out, it couldn't be missed. I still love the idea behind London's cauldron design and that bottom-up shot I also have in my signature right now is probably one of the most impressive pictures ever taken of an Olympic cauldron. But it fails miserably as symbol during the Games. And the longer I see it, the more I hope that this will never ever be repeated by any future Olympic host.

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But Heatherwick (w/ Boyle's acquiescence) only promised a "moment." He didn't promise a grandiose monument; one that would last forever. And so he delivered on his promise. And I accept that. I don't know why people find it so hard to accept that it's NOT as large as previous ones.

These are, after all, the 'senior-moment' Olympics. Missed a few posters of past Olympics in the opening retro; forgot that they needed to have a MONUMENTAL cauldron. So chill out; it's totally in character with an older, perhaps more Alzheimer's-accepting Games. I mean who remembers who were the runners in 1948. By 2032, people will have forgotten that there were even 204 of those petals.

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But Heatherwick (w/ Boyle's acquiescence) only promised a "moment." He didn't promise a grandiose monument; one that would last forever. And so he delivered on his promise. And I accept that. I don't know why people find it so hard to accept that it's NOT as large as previous ones.

Hmmm. I think the primary desire is for visibility -- not monumental scale. It feels like the central symbol of the Games is being dramatically underplayed -- to the point where it's almost totally lost.

And what's this defense of the cauldron all of a sudden. It was only a few days ago you wrote this:

As mechanically mesmerizing as the cauldron was ... it left me a bit cold ....

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I read a '1970's look' in here...True, that was the first thing that came to mind...If the Cauldron represents 1970's Great Britian - Ouch! The UK was a Sh#thole in the 1970s! <_<

Also the fact it was designed by a committee - It shows!

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The idea behind the 204 components is brilliant, and the way it all came together, but the majesty ends there for me. When I see the cauldron in action now during T&F, it just seems so modest, like the Games are being scaled down. I really think it should have been put in a location for people outside of the park to see it too.

It will be very interesting to see what Rio does considering their stadium situation.

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Heatherwick is a genius, but so much of his work rests on representations of almost aching fragility - he wanted the torch to be scorched, for the metal to represent what athletes go through. He wanted the copper to be hand-beaten, again to represent human endeavour. The trouble is neither this board or indeed the general public are especially representative of the type of person who gets enthused by contemporary art. It would have been cheaper to go for something like Atlanta, but they wanted to send a message, but I don't think it really has worked, not least because our appetite for the grand gesture has increased, not diminished. A bit like going to the Louvre, seeing the (tiny) Mona Lisa, and saying 'I stood in line for this'?

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