Inside the Museum of London

The Your 2012 exhibition is up and running and we are getting some fantastic feedback. If you have not already seen it then come along to the Museum of London Docklands and visit our free exhibition detailing the changes that have been going on around the Olympic site at Stratford.

So much has been happening recently that I felt obliged to give you this bumper blog update detailing the big changes. To begin, there is now a large bridge that is going over Stratford High Street so that users of the Greenway do not need to cross the road.

Health and Safety during the construction of the bridge has been a priority as can be seen from the below:

Further construction is also continuing on the Orbit. It is now over 76 metres high.

The Greenway beside the stadium has also been busy with its own art installation that you can see below:

If you were wondering what the explanation for this artwork is then read below:

If you would like to find out more about the Olympic site then I recommend that you come along to one of our Olympic walking tours,  ‘Walk the Olympic Way: Stratford Regeneration Tour’ which happen every Saturday and the last Wednesday of each month.

In case you are wondering what the tours are like, here are some photos from last week’s tour with our ever-enthusiastic resident Stratford and Olympic expert, Dave.

Finally, a reminder that we are looking for your photographs and observations of the Olympic Park to share on our YOUR 2012 flickr group. We will also be sharing in this group some of the hundreds of images that we took while developing this display.

The Your 2012 exhibition is up and running and we are getting some fantastic feedback. If you have not already seen it then come along to the Museum of London Docklands and visit our free exhibition detailing the changes that have been going on and around the Olympic site at Stratford.

What with the opening of the new Westfield shopping site it is now possible to see the key buildings around the Olympic site from new, exciting vantage points. We took a look around the area and have come up with the space age, futuristic images of the site below.

If the building below looks unfamiliar its probably because the public view of it was largely obscured previously by the Aquatic Centre. This building is in fact where the waterpolo will be played and is a temporary venue that will seat 5,000 people during the Olympics.

If you would like to find out more about the Olympic site then I recommend you come along to one of our Olympic walking tours that can be booked at  ‘Walk the Olympic Way: Stratford Regeneration Tour’ which take place every Saturday and last Wednesday of each month.

Also I would like to give a quick reminder that we are looking for your photographs and observations of the Olympic Park to share on our YOUR 2012 flickr group. We will also be sharing in this group some of the hundreds of images that we took while developing this display.

The Your 2012 exhibition is up and running and we are getting some fantastic feedback. If you have not already seen it then come along to the Museum of London Docklands and visit our free exhibition detailing the changes that have been going on and around the Olympic site at Stratford.

Now naturally many of you are aware that the largest shopping mall in Europe is opening today in Stratford. As these exclusive photos show the whole place is extremely busy and it is only its opening day!

If you would like to find out more about the Olympic site then I recommend you come along to one of our Olympic walking tours at  ‘Walk the Olympic Way: Stratford Regeneration Tour’  that are happening every Saturday and last Wednesday of each month.

Also I would like to give a quick reminder that we are looking for your photographs and observations of the Olympic Park to share on our YOUR 2012 flickr group. We will also be sharing in this group some of the hundreds of images that we took while developing this display.

With Your 2012, our free photography exhibition at the Museum of London Docklands now open, we wanted to share two of our favourite images from the 20 on display and ask you to contribute to our flickr group.

This photo below was taken from inside the Viewtube of the centrepiece Olympic stadium.

Here is another photograph this time of the basketball stadium (which hosted a warm-up match between Australia and China this week)  that has been nicknamed the ‘mattress’ and amazingly can be disassembled and reassembled anywhere in the country in just six months.

We are looking to share via flickr some of the hundreds of images we did not have room to include in the exhibition and to encourage you to share your photographs of the area as it continues to change in the run up to the Olympic Games.

So if you have photographs you would like to share please upload them to http://www.flickr.com/groups/your_2012/ .

To get things started I have uploaded 23 of my photographs today.

I will  monitor the group and share further photographs, insights and themes over the coming weeks and look forward to discussing with you the images that are posted by you alongside those taken by us.

Peter

Time is ticking away before the 20 images that will make up the Your 2012 free photography exhibition go on display dealing with the impact of the construction of the Olympic Park in Stratford, East London. 

Come along and see it when it opens at the Museum of London Docklands on 22 July 2011.

I thought it would be nice to show you just how the exhibition is constructed so here are a few photographs taken this week as the installation design team are hard at work.

Looking to learn more about the Olympic site? I recommend that you come along if you can to our next Olympic tour called ‘Walk the Olympic Way’ that we will be offering on Wednesday 27 July from 2.30pm – 4pm.

If you do get a chance to visit the exhibition, please do let us know your thoughts by posting comments on either the museum’s Facebook or Twitter pages.

If you have been following our blog updates throughout the development of our YOUR 2012 display, you will know that a number of visitor hosts from the Museum of London Docklands have been visiting the Olympic site at Stratford, East London since February 2010 capturing in photographs the construction work and its impact on the landscape and community.

From Friday, 20 of these images will form a free display at the museum.

In planning the display the hosts soon realised that they would not be able to feature all of their images and indeed ongoing work at the site after the selection process for display had been completed could not be included.

With this in mind, it was decided that the museum’s online resources such as its blog pages and social media accounts such as Facebook and Twitter would be a great platform to share additional images and ensure that the ongoing story of the site could be featured in a virtual extension of the YOUR 2012 project.

Here, one of the display curators and visitor hosts, Dave Matthews, shares three images and insight from a visit to the area over the weekend:

Anish Kapoor’s Orbit Tower is getting larger by the minute. Every day it seems to take on a new twist!

Even at this early stage, it appears to be towering over the main stadium. When the project is completed, the tower will offer a viewing platform 115 metres (337ft) high.

As Newham’s regeneration projects gather pace, you can’t help noticing all the new planters and baskets full of striking flowers – quite a contrast to all the building work still going on in and around Stratford. No matter which corner you turn, there is evidence of change, and with the addition of the flowers, Stratford feels vibrant and colourful.

The Time Spiral, as it is officially known, can be found outside Maryland Station. This winding structure contemplates themes of time and space and will eventually be lit up. This twisted steel clock, created by artist Malcolm Robertson, originally stood outside Stratford Station. It was relocated to Maryland Station to make way for the new pedestrian bridge that links to the Olympic Park.

Be sure to check back regularly for more updates from the project.

Time is ticking away before the 20 images that will make up the Your 2012 free photography exhibition go on display dealing with the impact of the construction of the Olympic Park in Stratford, east London. Come along and see it when it starts at the Museum of London Docklands on the 22nd of July 2011 and see some awesome pictures.

One of the buildings we will be showing in the exhibition is the Orbit Tower. Below you can see an image showing the next exciting phase of development of its construction with winding structures now being built around the central frame. When it is fully constructed it will be a staggering 115 metres high. This will make it even taller than the Statue of Liberty which by way of contrast is only 93 metres high.

If you would like to learn more about the Olympic site than I recommend that you come along to our next Olympic tour called ‘Walk the Olympic Way’ that we will be offering on Wednesday July 27th from 2.30pm – 4pm.

Finally come and check in again for a couple of extraordinary photos from the ‘Your 2012′ photography exhibition itself next week.

Peter

Time is ticking away before the 20 images that will make up the Your 2012 free photography exhibition go on display dealing with the impact of the construction of the Olympic Park in Stratford, East London. Come along and see it when it starts at the Museum of London Docklands on the 22nd of July 2011 and see some awesome pictures.

Recently I was fortunate enough to gain access to ’The View’ and take these spectacular photos of the Olympic landscape from an aerial perspective. 

In the photo below, to the left of the Olympic site, you can see a view of the construction works where huge amounts of concrete are prepared onsite.

If you would like to learn more about the Olympic site than I recommend that you come along to our next walking tour called ‘Walk the Olympic Way’ that we are offering on Wednesday July 27th from 2.30pm – 4pm.

Look out for more blog posts later this week and see some of the latest progress going on with the Arcelor Mittal Orbit tower.

Peter

Time is ticking away before the 20 images that will make up the Your 2012 free photography exhibition go on display dealing with the impact of the construction of the Olympic Park in Stratford, east London. Come along and see it when it starts at the Museum of London Docklands on the 22nd of July 2011 and see some awesome pictures.

Naturally many of the photographs have their own intrinsic aesthetic appeal which is only to be expected as so much effort has been put into making sure that all of the buildings look visually stunning. With this in mind I thought that this week it would be good to look at some images of those objects that are hidden gems. 

The example below for instance is a visually appealing flower pot holder that is right beside the Viewtube and the Olympic stadium. 

Stratford itself already has some of its own art already built. If you go to the centre of Stratford you can see the  ‘Railway Tree’ designed by Malcolm Robertson in 1996. According to him it is intended to ‘act as a gateway to Stratford and to symbolise its former connection, with industry and railways in particular’.

Another example that sometimes gets overlooked is the Stratford clock tower beside Stratford station. With its twisting winding column like structure Im sure we can all agree it is unique. This extraordinary piece of art was designed by Wilkinson Eyre Architects (who also built the adjacent Stratford station) and was completed in 1999.

Anyway if you would like to learn more about the Olympic site than I recommend that you come along to our next Olympic tour called ‘Walk the Olympic Way’ that we will be offering on Wednesday July 27th from 2.30pm – 4pm.

Next week you will be in for a special treat as I have some exclusive aerial shots covering the Olympic site and its surrounding area so come again and prepare to be dazzled.

Peter

Time is ticking away before the 20 images that will make up the Your 2012 free photography exhibition go on display dealing with the impact of the construction of the Olympic Park in Stratford, East London. Come along and see it when it starts at the Museum of London Docklands on the 22nd of July 2011.

Obviously feverish action is taking place to make sure everything is ready and looking fantastic. Knowing the effort that is needed to make this exhibition take place makes myself even more impressed by the rate of progress at the Olympic site. Already the Aquatic Centre is ready as is the Velodrome and according to the latest news this month so is the mobile basketball stadium. Perhaps the most amazing achievement is the biggest, the Olympic stadium itself, as can be seen below.

Efforts are now going on the make the surrounding vicinity look equally resplendent as can be seen by the following image below.

Construction efforts have now moved on to the left of the site.  (If you look carefully in the distance you can see the red brick Byrant and May building).

Further along you can see how the site is now being concreted over.

If you would like to learn more about the Olympic site than I recommend that you come along to one of the our tours called ‘Walk the Olympic Way’ that we will be offering on Wednesday July 27th from 2.30pm – 4pm.

Don’t forget to check this blog next week when I will be talking about art around the Olympic site and Stratford.

Peter