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A dream to become a power ranger and a wish to win the lottery were found inscribed on paper dream birds, launched from the roof of the Portsmouth City Council civic offices, to celebrate the Olympic handover ceremony. The hundreds of dream birds that floated through the sky above the Guildhall Square were designed by University of Portsmouth artist in residence, Jon Adams. People of all ages wrote their wishes, ambitions or dreams on the birds, which were created from paper templates and then released on Sunday afternoon. This is just the start of a sequence of events which will celebrate the Olympics coming to the UK in 2012. "The event was quite spectacular - it was fantastic to see the dream birds being let loose from the rooftop. They glided through the sky before finding their resting place. Some even made it as far as Portsmouth and Southsea train station," said Jon. "I really enjoyed designing the dream birds and being part of something where so many members of the public could get involved. Once they had all landed I went on the hunt for the hidden birds that had landed in more obscure places. "Reading the dreams was quiet poignant. Some were quite wacky like wishing to be a mermaid or a circus performer, but my favourite, a more simple sentiment, which I found in an alleyway nearby said: ‘I wish to live a long and happy life.'" The event was part of Art Route Dream - a series of events to celebrate creativity and culture in the city. The next event, Art Bus, is on Saturday 27 September. It is one of many activities being run throughout the UK as part of the Cultural Olympiad launch. Passengers will be guided by artists to see art in studios, galleries and public places throughout Portsmouth and Southsea. One of the Art Bus organisers is Steve Fisher, artist and Cibas Advisor at the University of Portsmouth. He said: "The Olympics in 2012 is not just about sport and it's not just about London. The Cultural Olympiad offers the opportunity to celebrate culture and creativity nationally as the eyes of the world look to the UK in the build up to 2012. "Events over the next four years will act as an incentive to creative people to create new work and initiate new projects. The Art Bus is an artist led initiative - at first, we simply hoped to highlight the wealth of culture and creativity that already thrives in the city, but new opportunities and projects are developing all the time." For more information please visit http://art.route.dream.googlepages.com/, email art.route.dream@googlemail.com or telephone 02392 353997. News Source: www.port.ac.uk |
