Cloud sculptures, fields of light and crochet lions: 59 artists take the lead in race for twelve London 2012 commissions
Arts Council England and London 2012 are delighted to announce the shortlist for Artists taking the lead, one of the most ambitious and wide ranging art commissions in the UK, part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.
From over 2,000 entries, 59 projects have been shortlisted, including leading names from across the arts such as Martin Creed, Simon Armitage and Richard Wilson.
Examples of the 59 shortlisted proposals include:
• Imaginary worlds created on London Underground stations and carriages
• An Arctic island the size of a football pitch towed around the South West coast
• Hovering fields of light in the East Midlands
• A spinning column of cloud rising from Liverpool’s docks as far as the eye can see
• An extraordinary wingless ‘bird’ which will travel across Wales
• Cloud sculptures generated from disused chimney stacks across Scotland
• A warehouse installation of discarded items, leading to a community performance in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter
• Thousands of beehives set up and cared for by artists to reverse the decline of the honeybee in the East of England
• Three giant lions made of crochet installed in a glass case in Nottinghamshire
From the shortlist of 59, twelve commissions totalling £5.4million will be awarded to create twelve new works of art across the country to celebrate London 2012; one in each of the nine English regions, and in the nations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Artists were challenged to submit their ideas for the twelve commissions between 19 March and 29 May 2009, in which time a total of 2163 submissions were received. Independent panels of artists and producers in each nation and region then judged the applications and arrived at their shortlist.
Moira Sinclair, Executive Director of Arts Council England, London, said on behalf of the UK arts councils: ‘It’s been a really tough job for our panels of artists to choose just a few of the many exceptional ideas that were submitted, but I’m wowed by the shortlist we’ve arrived at – it offers an exciting overview of our nation’s creativity, and is bringing great art to some very unexpected places.
‘What’s clear is that artists really want to engage with the public, whether leading creative events to celebrate London 2012, or debating key issues such as climate change or the decline of the honeybee. I hope people will get involved with the projects, and tell us what they think of them at www.artiststakingthelead.org.uk ’
The shortlisted artists will each receive a development grant of up to £5,000 to turn their initial proposals into comprehensive plans. They will present these to the artist panels in late September, who will then decide the final twelve commissions, due to be announced in October 2009.
The twelve successful commissions will be developed across 2010 and 2011 in close collaboration with local communities. All twelve will take part in a final unifying celebration, prior to the opening of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
London 2012 Chairman Sebastian Coe commented: ‘I’m thrilled with the calibre of this shortlist. We want the Cultural Olympiad to bring art and sport together, inspiring and unlocking creativity and talent all round the country, and these projects do exactly that.’

Barbara Follett, Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism said: ‘This remarkable shortlist shows the breadth of artistic talent we have in the United Kingdom and how many people have been inspired to make their mark for London 2012. Through Artists taking the lead, every part of the country will get a new and exciting artwork which combines the sporting and cultural spirit of the 2012 Games.’
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Notes to Editors
About Artists taking the lead
Artists taking the lead is one of the major projects of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. Arts Council England is managing the project on behalf of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the Scottish Arts Council and the Arts Council of Wales.
Twelve commissions will be awarded, one in each of the English regions, and the Nations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The value of the commissions awarded to the chosen artists will be:
Nine English regions £500,000 each
Northern Ireland £190,000 (Lottery funded)
Scotland £460,000 (Lottery funded)
Wales £230,000 (Lottery funded)
The shortlist of 59 projects was selected by independent panels of artists in each nation and region with a range of experience in commissioning major arts events.
They judged the submissions based on the quality of the ideas and how they met the four core aims:
• Ideas that are original and led by artists
• Ideas that reflect or are inspired by the location in which they will take shape
• Ideas that show a legacy for communities and artists beyond 2012
• Ideas that celebrate London 2012 and reflect the values of the Cultural Olympiad
For further information see www.artiststakingthelead.org.uk
Press contacts
For press information in England please contact Sophie Woodward at Arts Council England, 020 7608 4149 or sophie.woodward@artscouncil.org.uk
For press information in Northern Ireland please contact Joan Higgins for the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, 028 90385 246 or joan@aikenpr.co.uk
For press information in Scotland please contact Charlotte Rowland at the Scottish Arts Council, 0131 240 2498 or charlotte.rowland@scottisharts.org.uk
For press information in Wales please contact: Joanna Davies at the Arts Council of Wales, 029 2044 1344 or joanna.davies@artswales.org.uk
For press information on London 2012 please contact Joanna Manning-Cooper at LOCOG, 0203 2012 106 or jmc@london2012.com
About Arts Council England
Arts Council England works to get great art to everyone by championing, developing and investing in artistic experiences that enrich people’s lives. As the national development agency for the arts, we support a range of artistic activities from theatre to music, literature to dance, photography to digital art, and carnival to crafts. Great art inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves, and the world around us. In short, it makes life better.
Between 2008 and 2011, we will invest £1.3 billion of public money from government and a further £0.3 billion from the National Lottery to create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country. www.artscouncil.org.uk
About the Cultural Olympiad
The Cultural Olympiad is a national celebration of culture which is happening now and is about:
• Giving everyone in the country a chance to be part of London 2012
• Bringing sport and art together on a scale that has never been done
• Using the power of the Olympic Games to inspire creativity across all forms of culture, especially amongst young people.
• Making a real impact which will leave a lasting legacy well beyond 2012