The London 2012 Summer Olympics are almost upon us. After years in the planning, I think all Londoners are starting to see that these Games are shaping up to be something we all should be truly proud of. Although the Olympics principally celebrate sport, it is incredible to see that the Games have given rise to a range of other activities and events, not least in art. Celebrated artist and musician Martin Creed (featured before on CofC) has created a vision of bellringing in his piece Work no. 1197: All the bells in a country rung as quickly and as loudly as possible for three minutes.
Tomorrow morning at 8:12am, Big Ben will signal the start of the Games and begin Creed’s piece, ringing over 40 times for three minutes in a moment of huge significance- ringing outside its normal timekeeping schedule for the first time in fifty years since the funeral of King George VI.
The general public around the UK are encouraged to pick up any sort of bell and ring it as loudly as possible for these minutes, thus joining in with a mass movement around the country heralding the start of London 2012. Creed, who has brought us the runners in the Tate Britain and the 2001 winning Turner prize entry, The Lights Go On and Off, is no stranger to coordinating huge artistic works involving many people, and it is undoubtedly a wise choice to place him at the helm of such a key event.
So, listen out tomorrow in the morning for the official start of the Games, you are sure to hear a bell ringing wherever you are!
More information on how to take part can be found here: http://www.allthebells.com
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