National Portrait Gallery/BT Road to 2012 Project

1000 DAYS TO THE LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES LAUNCHES WITH MAJOR NEW PHOTOGRAPHIC COMMISSION – THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY / BT ROAD TO 2012 PROJECT

Lord Coe, Dame Kelly Holmes, BT and the National Portrait Gallery launch a major London 2012 Cultural Olympiad project that will create a photographic record of the people making the Games happen.

Seb Coe has chosen to launch this exciting cultural initiative to kick-start the 1000 day countdown to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The National Portrait Gallery/BT Road to 2012 Project is a three-year collaboration between the National Portrait Gallery and BT, the official communications services partner for London 2012. It will create 100 world-class photographic portraits celebrating the people, both high-profile and those working behind the scenes, who collectively are making the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games happen.

BT, announced today as a Premier Partner of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, is providing the funding for this project, making it possible for the National Portrait Gallery to undertake the ambitious programme of commissions between now and spring 2012. The first group is unveiled today at the National Portrait Gallery. These portraits depict some of those who conceived and won the bid for London and some of the men and women now designing and delivering the Olympic Park infrastructure and other London 2012 venues.

Brian Griffin, internationally renowned photographer, has been commissioned for the first body of work. Griffin’s images draw from classical sculpture, nineteenth century symbolism and B-movies to create photographs of great strength and stillness. Shot on locations that range from the Olympic Park to the Bolton based steel suppliers for the London 2012 venues, he uses the formal qualities of studio portraits to convey both dynamism and reflectiveness, all the more remarkable since the photographer’s choice of composition is not determined until meeting his subjects at the sittings.

The first commissioned portraits include those involved in winning the bid, the delivery stage of London 2012 and those with extraordinary personal stories and family connections:

• Olympic Gold medallists and Sports Ambassadors for the bid, Jonathan Edwards and Denise Lewis
• Sutveer Kaur, Alex Loukos, Katie Murphy and Gurpreet Virdee, four of the 30 ‘Young Ambassadors’, who were invited as members of the London 2012 delegation to the final stage of winning the bid in Singapore
• Olympic Park masterplanner Jason Prior, President of EDAW/AECOM, is photographed in his office together with Olympic Development Authority Director of Design and Regeneration, Alison Nimmo
• Sir Keith Mills, Deputy Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) and Sir Craig Reedie, Board Member of the International Olympic Committee and, at the time of the bid, Chair of the British Olympic Authority
• Mike Dobriskey, a member of Olympic Park decontamination team, is portrayed on-site with his daughter, the 2009 World Championship 1500 metre silver medallist Lisa Dobriskey
• Steve Deeble, Antonn Russek, Dave Skerritt and Clare Staveley, engineers working on soil cleaning, a key part of the sustainability promise for the Olympic Park

These six portraits will be on display at the Gallery for one week from 30^th October – 5^th November 2009.

Further annual commissions from high-profile and emerging photographers will document sporting aspiration and performance as well as the staging and legacy of London 2012. The portraits will form a lasting record of the Games accessible to the public for many generations to come.

Confirmed sitters for 2010 include Paralympians Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson and Ade Adepitan, both Sports Ambassadors on the bid team. Construction industry apprentices whose employment skills have been transformed by the legacy promises of the bid will also be represented.

Each subsequent phase of the Project will be displayed free to the public at the Gallery in the summers of 2010, 2011 and 2012. The final display in summer 2012 will overlap with the staging of the Games and will include a larger retrospective showing of highlights of all the commissioned work.

An integrated participation programme for people living and working in the five Olympic host boroughs will explore the contributions and views on the vision and legacy of London 2012 in their local areas, resulting in display and interpretation material.

A project website will launch in summer 2010 and visitors will be able to track and interact with the Project through video and interviews and follow the commissioning process through a regular blog. Website visitors will be able to view new portraits, participate in debates and, add comments and ideas, as they join the journey on the Road to London 2012.

Photographer Brian Griffin says: ‘What an honour it is for me to be chosen to launch this exciting project. Affording me the opportunity to leave a legacy of photographs of the people that have both brought and are delivering the 2012 London Olympics ..’

Sandy Nairne, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, London, says: ‘The launch of this ambitious project, made possible by BT, is an important moment for the National Portrait Gallery. It focuses on inspirational figures who have brought the Games to London and are now building the Olympic Park.’

Seb Coe, Chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), says: ‘It is an honour to be part of a project that will mark 1000 days to go to the London 2012 Olympic Games with the launch of such a prestigious project with the National Portrait Gallery and BT.

“The photographs from The National Portrait Gallery/BT Road to 2012 Projectwill not only be a documentation of the road to London 2012, but will also create a visual legacy which can be enjoyed by generations to come.

“BT have a rich heritage in supporting quality cultural initiatives so we’re delighted that today also marks BT becoming a Premier Partner to the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.”

Suzi Williams, director of Group marketing and brand, BT, says: ‘As the official communications services partner for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we believe our role is not just to install the communications services to deliver the most connected Games ever; it’s also to help tell the story of the Games - to engage the nation with the people and places at the heart of the London 2012 story. This fantastic project will ensure that London 2012 is documented for generations to come – and we’re really proud to be making this possible’

To celebrate the Road to 2012 project, BT will also be launching a portrait competition looking for the pictures and stories of the everyday people who are making a difference to the London 2012 Games.