Games
A public sculpture collaboration between artist Ron Haselden and over 600 schoolchildren from the five London 2012 Olympic Host Boroughs
Ron Hasleden
Diespeker Wharf, Islington, installed February 2012
St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington Basin, installed July 2012
GAMES was a public sculpture collaboration between artist Ron Haselden and over 600 school children from the five London 2012 Olympic Host Boroughs as well as Islington, Camden and Westminster.
From 2010-2011, Haselden led drawing workshops for young children from 11 schools across London, exploring the idea of “stop-frame” animation within the context of sports and games. From among hundreds, two drawings were selected to be made into large-scale animated sculptures, which were installed in two locations on the 9-mile canal route from Paddington Basin in West London to the Olympic site in the East.
Diver, which was selected to launch the project was based on a drawing by a pupil from Stormont House Special School in Hackney and was suspended from a Victorian crane by the canal at Diespeker Wharf.
Depicting a girl jumping into the air and shooting a basket, Basketball, recreated a drawing by one of the young patients in the St Mary’s Hospital School and was installed on the canal side of the main hospital building at Paddington Basin.
GAMES was commissioned and produced by Art Lights London, a pan-London cultural initiative that was committed to creating a series of innovative light installations by internationally renowned artists intended to collectively become a major legacy for the capital.
Diver is now featured on the Line, East London’s public art trail. It is installed within walking distance of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and London Aquatics Centre and formed part of the tenth anniversary celebrations of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Participating Schools
St Aloysius RC Junior School, Camden; Hanover Primary School, Islington; Stormont House Special School and Rushmore Primary School, Hackney; Arnhem Wharf Primary School and Cayley Primary School, Tower Hamlets; St Francis RC Primary School, Newham, Millennium School, Greenwich; Chingford RC Junior School, Waltham Forest; Edward Wilson Primary School and St Mary’s Hospital School, Westminster.
About the Artist
Ron Haselden is a British artist who has been working in light and architectural installation using LED, neon, sound, film and drawing and painting over the past 30 years. Haselden has enjoyed working collaboratively with a host of architects, dance companies, sound artists, computer and electronic design experts as well as with members of the public and schoolchildren. He has created several art works for public spaces for the capital and elsewhere, including Brothers and Sisters, Canary Wharf; Bridge 401, Southwark; Close Up, BBC Broadcasting House and Blue Passage, Waterloo and Hippocratic Oath, theNew School of Medicine, Aberdeen University.
Credits
Susie Allen
Co-Founder, Art Lights London and Curator
Nicola Hyde
Co-Founder, Art Lights London and Assistant Curator
Jenny Christensson
Assistant Curator
Diver was supported by:
PTE Architects, Arsenal Foundation, Arts Council England, Artwise, British Waterways, the London Borough of Islington, Made by Many, and private benefactors.
Basketball was supported by;
Arts Council England, Abbey Harris Mural Fund, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, Westminster Council, Coutts Charitable Trust, Prudential Small Grants and private benefactors.
Manufacturing and Engineering
NuSoft Services
Installation
IMS Access