Borrow Build Abandon by Jamie McGregor Smith

This documentary series by Somerset born photographer Jamie McGregor Smith explores the legacy of the 2004 Athens Olympics. They seem to suggest a modern ruin, similar to the Ancient Greek ruins of the Acropolis and Delphi, that has come about from the the country's current economic downturn. Only three of the twenty-four stadiums, built at a cost of $15 Billion, are currently in public use, the remaining requiring an annual $100 million in upkeep costs. McGregor Smith says, "Olympic construction highlights the continued trend of public borrowing for structures that have limited shelf life. They come at a huge cost of limited natural resources, requiring energy consumption and carbon emission that far defies the intelligence and understanding we've been fortunate to develop.. We need to consider the possibility that all human construction in future could have the technology of functional adaptation". Watch this space London. 

Images

via

The Olympic Infographic by Gustavo Sousa

Brazilian born artist Gustavo Sousa has reimagined the five Olympic rings into a series of infographics. The iconic five rings are rescaled to compare statistics across the five continents, ranging from the number of McDonald's outlets to child mortality and hazardous waste. To see more, check out his blog oceaniaeuropeamericasafricaasia.

Images

London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games posters by twelve British artists

The Olympic and Paralympic posters are available for the public to see at Tate Britain for free. The commissioned artists are Fiona Banner, Michael Craig-Martin, Martin Creed, Tracey Emin, Anthea Hamilton,Howard Hodgkin, Gary Hume, Sarah Morris, Chris Ofili, Bridget Riley, Bob and Roberta Smith and Rachel Whiteread.Well worth a look, my favourite is Sarah Morris' Big Ben.

Images: Dezeen

An Olympic inspired shoot- Kati Nescher in Vogue China August 2012

Images

A Room for London by David Kohn and Fiona Banner

Perched on the roof of Queen Elizabeth Hall on the Southbank, A Room for London is an installation by David Kohn Architects and artist Fiona Banner. A design competition was set up by Living Architecture and Artangel, in collaboration with the Southbank Centre to create a temporary room on the hall for two people to spend a unique night on top of a London architectural landmark. As the architects describe; "The proposal is for a boat, perched on the Queen Elizabeth Hall roof, that will appear to have come to rest there, grounded, perhaps, from the retreating waters of the Thames below. The idea evolved from narratives of travel and displacement in literature, in particular Joseph Conrad’s novella ‘Heart of Darkness,’ a story that begins beside the River Thames. The boat takes its name, 'Roi des Belges' from the steamboat that Conrad himself captained on the Congo. Visitors to the boat will be invited to create their own narrative by recording their experience on board". This private, domestic space is anchored onto one of the most public setting's on the river, in full display to passers-by and other buildings. However, the visitors' privacy is completely contained within this small wooden boat, creating an unique experience looking over London for anyone who wishes to book out the room. 

Photographs by Charles Hosea