Copper Box at the 2012 Olympics

At the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games we saw the acclaimed Birds Nest stadium and the beautifully bubble-wrapped Water Cube - two fine examples of iconic Olympic architecture.   London 2012 will feature an award-winning Velodrome, a much-praised Aquatics Centre and a decent-looking stadium.  Yes they are tidy enough but, personally, it's some of the other venues and constructions in and around Olympic Park that have caught my eye.  

So here's my Top 5 London 2012 venues (I use the term 'venue' a bit loosely...).  

I'd like to add a disclaimer that I have no knowledge of architecture but, to borrow a quote from C. Montgomery Burns, "You know, I'm no art critic, but I know what I hate.  And... I don't hate this.". 

1. The Copper Box

A box made of Copper.  The Copper Box will host handball and modern pentathlon events. Simple and chocolaty on the outside, the inside is bright and filled with seats in Olympic ring colours.  The inclusion of 88 "light pipes" in the lid of the box (aka the roof) allows natural light to penetrate, saving energy.

It looks clean, functional and warm.  I love it and if I was a giant I would want to bend down and touch it.  And perhaps remove the lid and see what treats lie therein. 

Copper Box | London 2012

2. Pumping Station

The Olympic Park Pumping Station is a vision in pink.  Or is it more of a puce?  Either way, this station has the responsibility for removing all of the waste water from the site so when Usain Bolt has a pre-race wee it'll end up here.  

The external walls feature old engineering drawings of a pumping station built by the great Sir Joseph Bazalgette.  Of course, like all decent Victorian men, his favourite colour was pink. 

Pumping Station | London 2012

 3. The Royal Artillery Barracks

Thousands of metres of stretchy white PVC membrane interspersed with brightly coloured ventilation holes - these temporary shooting ranges and grandstands cluster the grounds of the Royal Artillery Barracks like giant futuristic blancmange toadstools from space. After the games there will be a mad rush to take down the structures before the MOD get all fighty about it.

Royal Artillery Barracks | London 2012 

4. Basketball Arena

Another temporary structure.  This frilly, billowy, cushiony lump of softness is made from recyclable white PVC fabric prettily arranged over a steel frame. Inside it looks huge with orange and black basketball themed seating for 12,000.  As it's a temporary structure its use after the games is a bit unclear but if you need a few thousand metres of PVC you know who to call.

Basketball Arena | London 2012

5. Primary Substation

The Olympic Park's electricity substation has been partially built from materials salvaged from demolitions in the nearby area and has already won a couple of architecture awards. It is a striking, dark industrial structure with perfectly sharp corners.  But it has a soft side - it incorporates a "brown roof" meaning the roof has been covered with some locally sourced rubble to create an ecosystem favourable to plant growth.  How they get up there is anyone's guess.  Little ladders I presume.

Primary Substation | London 2012 

 

The Battle of Santiago - 50 Years On

Next week sees the 50th anniversary of the infamous Battle of Santiago – a particularly violent game of football that took place during the group stages of the 1962 World Cup between Chile (the hosts) and Italy.  In his introduction to the match, David Coleman described it as “…the most stupid, appalling, disgusting and disgraceful exhibition of football, possibly in the history of the game”.  This short piece of footage contains some of the “best bits” - callous, cynical and, at times, petulant acts of violence that make for uneasy viewing.

Of course there’s a bit of a story behind all that….

Two years before hosting the World Cup, Chile suffered an earthquake that killed 6000 people.  The President of the Chilean Football Federation is alleged to have said that Chile “…must have the World Cup because we have nothing”[1].  By contrast the Italians turned up in 1962 “…with ample supplies of pasta, oil, meat, wine, and mineral water brought with them”[2] and, to make matters worse, two Italian journalists wrote derisory articles about their host’s country (although some believe that their words were taken out of context by the local media and used to fan the flames of rivalry).  Simmering resentment between the two nations came to a head on the 2^nd of June when the teams met at the Estadio Nacional in Santiago - two Italian players were sent off and Chile won 2-0.  Chile went on to lose to eventual tournament winners Brazil (featuring the brilliant Garrincha) in the semis.

Interestingly, the referee of the Battle of Santiago was Englishman Ken Aston who went on to develop the yellow and red card system for footballing offences.

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[1] Passion of the People? Football in South America by Tony Mason (1995)

[2] The Times, 30^th May 1962.  Quoted in Football and European Identity: Historical Narratives Through the Press  by Liz Crolley and David Hand (2006)

Following the Flame at the National Library of Wales

Nathan Stephens by Lorraine Bewsey

The National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth  is currently showing an exhibition of all things Olympic, Paralympic and, most importantly, Welsh.  Funded by the Legacy Trust UK, this major exhibition includes memorabilia such as medals and torches as well as special paintings and photographs and extracts from interviews with leading Welsh athletes.


The exhibition is running (ahem) until the 16th of June.  So if you are visiting the area (perhaps to follow the actual flame?) then pop in for a look.


NLW | LLGC | Following the Flame

Exercise Your Mind This Summer!

On Monday The Guardian published the 2013 incarnation of its well-regarded University Guide.  According to the league table, Cardiff Metropolitan University is the top  "new" Welsh university and the 3rd placed university in Wales overall.

At Cardiff Met we have an excellent collection of library resources and this summer we are opening the doors of our learning centres to the general public as part of a pilot scheme run in collaboration with CLIC (Cardiff : Libraries in Co-operation).  Subjects covered by our well-stocked libraries include art & design; education; health; business and, of course, sport.

In order to take advantage of the scheme you must be aged 16  or over and a member of a Cardiff public library or Cardiff & Vale College library.  Pick up a flyer/application from your home library today and come and visit us soon!

For more information please visit www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/lis

The Olympic Record | The National Archives

Cycle race Iliffe & Son Coventry, 1893.

For the first time online...

The National Archives presents The Olympic Record - a collection of records on the modern Olympic and Paralympic Games.

This is an excellent collection for anyone interested in sporting culture or the politics of the games. The inclusion of declassified government documents gives us a fascinating, if disturbing, insight into events such as the Black September terrorist attacks at the Munich '72 games and the proposed boycott of Moscow '80 following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

The Olympic Record | The National Archives

Thanks to Jenny G for the heads-up!

Countdown to the Monaco Grand Prix

Rudolf Caracciola at the 1929 Monaco Grand Prix

There's been a Grand Prix at Monaco since 1929 and this Sunday sees the 70th running of this great race.  For most F1 fans Monaco is a favourite - the highlight of a race calendar that is sadly littered with seemingly identical tracks that only differ from each other in their geographical location. 

Perhaps it's because so many drivers have chosen to make the tax haven their home or perhaps it's the glamorous spectators, the yachts and the casinos but Monaco always seems to encapsulate the finesse and the joie-de-vivre of the bygone era of motor racing.  There's been some classic moments - last year's race with its late restart was exciting stuff but I'm sadly not old enough to remember 1982 when a heavy downpour near the end of the race caused total chaos and the 2nd and 3rd places had to be awarded to cars that ran out of fuel on the last lap.

If you want to while away an afternoon indulging in some Grand Prix nostalgia then immerse yourself in the fabulous Cahier Archive.  This fascinating collection of Formula 1 photographs is the life's work of father and son Bernard and Paul-Henri Cahier.  The pictures of 1950s and 1960s cars and their drivers are particularly beautiful and yet rather poignant as so many of the great drivers of that era perished behind the wheel. 

One of the most famous Monaco Grand Prix stories involves the great Alberto Ascari.  During the 1955 Grand Prix, Ascari crashed his Ferarri into the harbour (a scene later recreated in the excellent 1963 film Grand Prix); he escaped uninjured but his lucky blue helmet was damaged and had to be sent away for repairs.  Sadly driver and helmet were never reunited.  Ascari, wearing a borrowed helmet, was killed while testing at Monza just a few days later. 

My Torch Coverage is Bigger than Yours

The Torch Relay...Online

I must admit my initial reaction to the arrival of the Olympic torch was one of apathy.  No, that's wrong.  My initial reaction was "Why has David Beckham come as a pirate?  And not even a good pirate.  A kind of cartoon pirate that my nephew might have drawn".  Anyway, at first, it's fair to say, I was unimpressed.  Now I'm addicted.  I can't stop myself checking the route, watching the video and announcing loudly to no-one in particular "it's in Street at the moment...a street in Street, geddit, ha ha ha ha".

But I have a problem.  And it's online.  The BBC's site has provided us with a live feed incorporating video, some words, twitter highlights and a map with a pulsating red orb so you know exactly where that torch is (0 mins from Coxley! Watch out Coxley!).  On the other channel...there's the official London 2012 site with their video and interactive map where you can find out about who is carrying the torch.  I don't know which I prefer so I've taken to having both open and jumping between the two if one video crashes (or if the man carrying the video camera crashes...yes, I know it's probably a tiny webcam embedded in the skull of one of the police officers, duh!). 

Anyway, decide for yourself...

BBC Torch Relay

Official London 2012 Torch Relay

New PUMA ad shows some men larking about

Behind the scenes of the new PUMA ad...

Not that I'm in any way plugging a major brand here (unless Puma fancy sending me some shoes - I'm a UK6...).  I'm posting this behind-the-scenes video of the new EvoSpeed ad because it proves that no-one looks cool in a harness.  Not even Fernando Alonso.  

More importantly, it also proves is that getting some blokes together to have a bit of a laugh at themselves makes for a much more pleasant viewing experience than the usual preening and posturing "buy this shampoo and you too can be a suave hit with the ladeez..." adland output. 

http://youtu.be/eJX-P43du6s