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Culture is one of six regional themes from Be Inspired, the Northwest Legacy Framework of the 2012 Games.

Vision and objectives

The Olympic Games and Paralympic Games are not just about sport. Culture will play an integral role in the 2012 Games through the Cultural Olympiad which is made up of a series of  programmes, and through regionally driven legacy initiatives, which in the Northwest is WE PLAY.

Each region and nation in the UK is putting together programmes to embrace the widest possible range of culture, from the arts, museums and galleries, to the historic and built environment, to libraries and archives, to the moving and digital image, and from the largest institutions to the smallest community groups.

The Northwest will use these programmes to ensure the Games are a catalyst for culture that leaves a legacy of quality, participation and creativity for our region’s local communities to build upon.

Every regional project selected to take part in the Cultural Olympiad will be recognised by the use of a new official badge – the London 2012 Inspire mark; a first for any Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

Download the BEINSPIRED culture pack pdf here:-

The Northwest has a focus on three themes, developed through a process of research and consultation with stakeholders and practitioners from the fields of culture, sport, education and tourism, to give shape, direction and distinctiveness to its programme of cultural activity for 2012. These themes are:

• Body and Economy – The image and identity of the human body now and in the future. What do we mean by fairplay? This regional theme seeks to promote research, debate and new collaborations between the region’s pioneering media, science, research and disability cultures and has a focus on knowledge exchange and public learning.
• Play and Space – Art, culture and creativity in public and social spaces, rural and urban, physical and virtual. What do we mean by taking part?
  
  This regional theme seeks to promote the region’s vibrant festival culture and progressive work with outdoor artists and has a focus on access and breaking down barriers to participation in arts and culture.
• Routes and Trails – Physical and cultural connections between different locations, sites, communities and practices. Where is our place on the map?
  
  This regional theme seeks to promote the region’s diverse natural landscape, core cities and iconic places and has a focus on dialogue between culture and sport.

The programming remits for each theme are outlined in research reports for each theme and can be downloaded here

Download the Body and Economy Theme Report here:-

Download the Play and Space Theme Report here:-

The Northwest culture programme for 2012 will be delivered through: the Cultural Olympiad and WE PLAY.

• Cultural Olympiad is a UK wide programme and a four year celebration of culture and creativity for the whole of the UK in the lead up to the London 2012 Games. It is a London 2012 initiative – the organisation responsible for delivering the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
• WE PLAY is a regional programme and the Northwest’s cultural legacy project for the 2012 games. It is a Legacy Trust UK funded project, led by the Arts Council England, Northwest on behalf of new regional partnerships.

There will also be two other programmes open to culture, as well as other areas such as sport, business, environment and tourism. These programmes are:

Northwest Be inspired

All types of local and regional organisations in the Northwest will be able to associate their 2012 inspired projects with beinspired – the Northwest legacy framework for the 2012 games by their use of the NWBeinspired brand

UK-wide Open Weekend

The UK-wide Open Weekend is an annual countdown event to the games led by London 2012. It will be a huge celebration of mass participation in both culture and the 2012 Games . For Information and how to take part, Email: openweekend@london2012.com

The Cultural Olympiad is a four-year cultural programme involving every region and nation in the UK. It began at the closing of the Beijing 2008 Olympics, and will culminate at the opening and closing ceremonies of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games.

The Cultural Olympiad has a broad definition of culture which spans architecture, archives, carnival, crafts, dance, design, fashion, film and video, food, gaming, libraries, gardens, heritage, environment, literature, museums and galleries, music, photography and science.

Celebrating excellence, energy and diversity of culture, it involves the widest range of people from all walks of life and is structured around three core values and seven project themes.

Core Values

• Celebrate London and the whole of the UK welcoming the world – our unique internationalism, cultural diversity, sharing and understanding
• Inspire and involve young people – 0 to 24 year olds
• Generate a positive legacy – for example through cultural and sports participation, audience development, cultural skills, capacity building, urban regeneration, tourism and social cohesion and international links

Project Themes.

• Bringing together culture and sport
• Encouraging audiences to take part
• Animating public spaces – through street art, public art, circus skills, live big screen sites
• Using culture and sport to raise issues of environmental sustainability, health and wellbeing
• Honouring and sharing the values of the Olympic and Paralympic games
• Encouraging collaborations and innovation between communities and cultural sectors
• Enhancing the learning, skills and personal development of young people by linking with education programmes

To be eligible for inclusion in the Cultural Olympiad, projects need to meet all three core values and at least three of its project themes.

The Cultural Olympiad is structured around three main areas of activity:

• Ceremonies
• Major Projects
• Inspire Programme

It also includes Live Site and the Open Weekend which is open to other areas including culture.

The Cultural Olympiad provides a unique opportunity to lay the foundations for a lasting legacy that will resonate right across the UK for many years to come.

The Olympiad is an opportunity for the Northwest to:

• Reinforce the Northwest as a centre for cultural excellence, innovation and risk
• Push the boundaries of current creative and cultural practice in the Northwest
• Engage with young people, popular culture and diverse communities
• Encourage participation in culture and creativity in the lead-up to 2012 and beyond
• Generate debate around the world’s largest sports event and cultural phenomenon

Get involved

Each region and nation in the UK has a London 2012 Creative Programmer. As well as being a source of information and advice on the Cultural Olympiad, the Creative Programmer for the Northwest is responsible for identifying and recommending projects to LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games) for inclusion in the Inspire Programme.

The Creative Programmer for the Northwest is Debbi Lander.

So if you are a local or regional organisation and want to get involved in the Cultural Olympiad and in particular the Inspire Programme, please contact your regional creative programmer: debbi.lander@london2012.com

For the most up-to-date information on all areas of the Cultural Olympiad, visit www.london2012.com/get-involved/cultural-olympiad/index.php

The Cultural Olympiad will create and present a range of major projects for the whole of the Uk that are sector-led and partnership initiatives between London 2012 and various national cultural agencies

This strand forms the backbone of the Cultural Olympiad featuring everything from art to music and film. These major projects will be phased over the four years and as they develop their will be opportunities for cultural organisations to take part. These projects are :

Artists Taking the Lead – bringing artists together with local communities to create artistic work in each nation and region led by artists

Sounds – bringing together different organisations, musicians and communities through a range of musical genres

Discovering Places – introducing a new generation to the hidden places and spaces of the Northwest.

Somewhereto – empowering young people to find ways to access the spaces they need for sport, dance, music, making art and films stories of the World – celebrating the collections in museums around the UK and displaying them in new ways and in unexpected venues

Film Nation – helping more young people make and deliver stories digitally

Unlimited – a world celebration of disability arts, culture and sport

World Shakespeare Festival – including major collaborations between leading UK and International theatre companies as well as non professional theatres in the UK

Festival of Carnivals - creating a chance to welcome the world in spectacular style in outdoor spaces, culminating in five major carnivals in London and around the UK in 2012.

Major Projects will be recognised by their use of the London 2012 Core brand. For further information on the major projects and how to take part, go to www.london2012.com/get-involved/cultural-olympiad/index.php

What is the London 2012 Inspire Mark?

As part of the Cultural Olympiad and the Games’ lasting legacy, LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games) has developed the London 2012 Inspire mark. This logo is a means of celebrating the inspiration that the Olympic and Paralympic Games provides and the positive impact it has on communities.

The Inspire mark will be awarded to exceptional projects and events, signifying an official association with London 2012 as part of the UK-wide Cultural Olympiad.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for inspirational, surprising and innovative new projects and events that are genuinely inspired by London 2012. Eligible projects should strive for excellence and take bold new steps. They should not duplicate other events in the UK or be a re-badge of existing work.

In the Northwest, we are looking for distinctive local and regional projects that:

1. Engage citizens in debate around the Body and Economy through film, digital culture and collaborations across the culture, science, education and health sectors
2. Provide adventures in Play and Space through street arts and animating public spaces in key rural and urban centres
3. Develop Routes and Trails that connect people, cultures and locations through bringing sport and culture together.

Who is eligible?

Only not-for-profit organisations can apply for the Inspire mark and projects for the culture programme must:

• be primarily cultural
• meet all three core values and at least three of the seven themes of the Cultural Olympiad, set out here
• start after 25 August 2008 and before 9 September 2012
• have non-commercial funding and support (funding should be secured before application. Project funding must be compatible with London 2012’s ability to raise funding from its commercial partners)

What benefits will I receive?

Projects awarded use of the Inspire mark will benefit from inclusion in the Cultural Olympiad national and regional media and PR. They will be able to use the mark on project materials, such as posters, brochures and websites.

The Inspire mark will link your event with the largest single sporting and cultural opportunity of our lifetime. It will also signify your project as a standard of innovation and excellence.

Who decides?

The Creative Programmer will recommend projects to LOCOG for the Inspire mark, but the final decision rests with LOCOG.

There is no right to appeal, however projects can resubmit with evidence of change.

Can I get funding?

LOCOG is not a funding body. The Inspire mark is an opportunity for participation and association with London 2012 and the UK Cultural Olympiad. Funding for Cultural Olympiad projects will need to come through existing funding bodies, local authorities, regional development agencies and charitable trusts and foundations.

What if my event is largely sporting or educational?

The Cultural Olympiad is for cultural events and must not principally be a sporting or educational event – unless it has a significant cultural, creative or heritage element that is relevant to the region or nation in which the event is taking place.

For example, carnivals, concerts, displays, exhibitions, fetes, performances, plays, readings, shows, workshops or other community events (in a physical or online environment) involving one or more of the following activities: architecture, archives, carnival and street theatre, crafts, dance, design, fashion, film and video, food, video games, gardens, heritage and historic environment, libraries, literature, museums and galleries, music, opera, photography, poetry, science, theatre and visual arts.

There are other routes to involvement with London 2012 for sporting and educational projects. For more information, please contact Rob Young, 2012 regional co-ordinator. rob.young@nwda.co.uk

How do I apply?

The Creative Programmer for the Northwest is responsible for identifying, sourcing and recommending projects to LOCOG for inclusion in the Inspire Programme. You can apply year round at any time by application, If you are a local or regional organisation who wants to get involved in the Inspire programme please contact your regional creative programmer debbi.lander@london2012.com

For the most up-to-date information on the Inspire programme, visit www.london2012.com/get-involved/cultural-olympiad/inspire-mark-projects.php

September 2008 - February 2009

'from the region that knows how to play'

The North West’s first project to be granted the London 2012 Inspire mark as part of London 2012’s Cultural Olympiad. The project launches at Open Weekend 26-28 September - the official start of the Cultural Olympiad.

Neon Attractors was specially curated by Culture Northwest for the Cultural Olympiad and combines two light installations: Rabbit_Liverpool Biennial in Toxteth and ThickSpace_FRED near Coniston.

Neon Attractors is our first officially recognised Inspire mark project. It is a fun, engaging approach to quality cultural activity and sets exactly the right tone for the regions four year programme leading to 2012 and beyond.

Rabbit_Liverpool Biennial

Rabbit_Liverpool Biennial was created from a line drawing by Calvin - a pupil from St Vincent de Paul Primary School in Liverpool as part of Ron Haselden’s ‘Animal’ project. The drawing has been transformed into a coloured neon light artwork measuring six meters in height by seven and a half meters wide and is located on the north façade of St James Church in Toxteth, Liverpool.

ThickSpace_FRED

ThickSpace_FRED is a large fibre optic cube which the public can enter into by international artists Laura Belevica, Aaron J Robin and Feng Gouchaun. The installation will be suspended from trees in National Trust woodland near Coniston, Cumbria and will be accessible by footpaths.

Programme

WE PLAY is the Northwest cultural legacy project for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games combining digital, physical and virtual participation opportunities for people from all walks of life and integrating year round public events, community programmes and the development of new work.

Over the next four years people from across the region will be able to enjoy and participate in a whole range of exciting new projects and events as part of the WE PLAY programme in the Northwest. At its heart, WE PLAY will inspire the region to engage in play as a creative, physical and learning activities through experiencing digital culture, street arts and online and outdoor journeys.

WE PLAY is a region-wide project made up of three Major Annual Legacy Programmes which are Abandon Normal Devices, a festival of new cinema and digital culture; Lakes Alive, a street arts programme across the whole of Cumbria, and New Cultural Journeys; a youth- led culture and sport participation programme for the Fylde Coast and Lancashire.

A fourth programme, WE PLAY EXPO is also in development for 2012 as part of WE PLAY to celebrate Games Time.

Partnership

The Major Annual Legacy Projects that make up WE PLAY are being led and delivered by three new regional partnerships. Commissioned specifically for WE PLAY, they will drive the three regional themes and leave a legacy of quality, participation and creativity in communities across the northwest.

Together these new regional partnerships form the WE PLAY Legacy Producers Group; an innovative new regional network of eight lead partners spanning media arts venues, independent producers and local authorities.

WE PLAY is a Legacy Trust UK funded project, led by the Arts Council of England, Northwest on behalf of new regional partnerships. Visit these websites for information on these organisations:

www.legacytrustuk.org

www.artscouncil.org.uk

Taking Part

The programmes which make up we play are catalysts for wider development and activity in the region and, as the projects develop, there will be opportunities for cultural organizations and communities to get involved - as partners, producers, creators, audiences and as participants.

• There will be calls for commissions and jobs advertised
• Opportunities to volunteer and work experience
• You can get involved in professional development/learning
• You can also participate in the events and involve your communities – exploring and experiencing the programme

Of interest are:

• Partnerships which can leverage resources and drive cross-sector development, structural capacity building, community participation and regional, national and international profile
• Partnerships from the areas of sport, education, community, regeneration and health
• Links with existing consortia and initiatives
• New regional collaborations
• Initiatives which demonstrate linkages to the Cultural Olympiad national and regional programmes
• Events and activities which add value to the regional themes

Theme

The term WE PLAY implies community, competition, participation, creativity, debate, connections and involvement. In the Northwest WE PLAY to connect, collaborate and compete across the fields of culture, education and sport for the 2012 Olympics and paralympics.

Play is an activity common to the fields of culture, sport and education and tourism and business sectors. Play drives innovation culture across many fields. It is also inclusive and accessible to people from all walks of life - through play we can all progress.

“The truly great advances of this generation will be made by those who can make outrageous connections. And only a mind which knows how to play can do that”

Nagle Jackson

The Northwest chose the theme of play for its relevance to all three pillars of Olympism which are culture, education and sport and to all three regional themes which are Body and Economy, Play and Space and Routes and Trails.

For the programme, play is broadly interpreted as any form of creative, physical and learning activity,

Branding and relationship to the Cultural Olympiad

The major programmes in WE PLAY will carry the WE PLAY brand as the Northwest's symbol of association with quality, creativity and legacy and also form part of the Cultural Olympiad, subject to LOCOG decision making.

The Trust is coordinating its work with that of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). 

It is expected that many of the projects that the Trust funds will be eligible for inclusion in the Cultural Olympiad. Legacy Trust UK-funded projects are not automatically part of the Cultural Olympiad.

Many of them may well be included in the programme over time or be eligible to use the ‘Inspired by’ brand. The use of the 2012 brand in relation to the programme is controlled by LOCOG. The Legacy Trust UK and the regional Creative Programmers are working closely with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games to this end.

Legacy

With the focus on Legacy beyond 2012, WE PLAY will deliver:

• A sustainable step-change in the region’s creative and cultural sectors that will resonate beyond 2012
• A legacy of quality, grass root participation and creativity particularly involving young people
• A legacy of new creators and volunteers involved in the region’s creative
  and cultural sectors
• The Major Annual Legacy Programmes going forward post-2012 will be a legacy with a new strategic region-wide delivery partnership, The Legacy Producers’ Group

Further information on this programme and how to take part can be found here:-

Abandon Normal Devices – www.andfestival.org.uk

Abandon Normal Devices (AND) is a regional festival of new cinema and digital culture that spills from screens and galleries into the streets and imaginations of the Northwest.

Each year the Programme will deliver one major annual festival in alternate years in September in Manchester and Liverpool and a series of screenings, exhibitions and public realm interventions, in indoor and outdoor spaces and across the London 2012 Live Sites network.

AND will push the boundaries in moving image and digital culture and initiate film-making by amateurs and professionals. Through its programme of participatory events, AND will engage citizens in debate around the regional theme of Body and Economy – focusing in its first year on a critique on ‘Normality’ in the context of advances in science, technology and medicine and how these fields are shaping culture, body and its identity in the 21st century.

Abandon Normal Devices is led by a new partnership between FACT, Cornerhouse and Folly and commissioned for the Body and Economy theme.

The AND programme runs from March through to April in Manchester and Liverpool with a series of trailblazers leading to the inaugural festival in Liverpool from 23rd – 27th September 2009. http://www.andfestival.org.uk

For more information on Abandon Normal Devices contact Kate Taylor Kate.Taylor@fact.co.uk

Lakes Alive – www.lakesalive.org

Lakes Alive is a Cumbria-wide outdoor animation programme of regional, national and international reach and significance that will have a transformational affect on people, places and image.

Each year the Programme will deliver a series of international events in public spaces including heritage sites and an annual season of street arts festivals across Cumbria. It will also establish pre-vocational street art courses and a higher education course at the University of Cumbria.

Lakes Alive will animate urban and rural spaces across the whole of Cumbria. This will position the Northwest region as a Centre for Excellence in street arts production and presentation, and raise the profile of street arts as an art form. Lakes Alive is led by a new partnership between Kendal Arts International and Manchester International Arts and commissioned for the Play and Space theme.

The Lakes Alive programme launches from 23-31 May with Reach for the Sky; a series of six international live aerial spectacles in stunning locations across the county (Bowness-on-Windermere, Carlisle, Penrith, Barrow-in-Furness, Maryport and Whitehaven), followed by a summer season of events across the county and culminating in Mintfest in Kendal over August Bank Holiday weekend (28-30 August). – http://www.lakesalive.org

For more information on Lakes Alive contact Julie Tait julie@kendalartsinternational.com

New Cultural Journeys - newculturaljourneys@lancashire.gov.uk

New Cultural Journeys (NCJ) is a major youth culture and sport programme for the Fylde Coast and Lancashire which empowers young people to connect the communities of culture and sport and deliver a sustainable and regionally transferable model for youth-led cultural participation and production.

The programme will form a web-based social network to catalyst a series of online and outdoor routes and trails as journeys and events that connect culture and cycling to the coast in Lancashire from 2010. The social network will function as a peer development facility, collaborative creation environment and digital archive of cultural content.

New Cultural Journeys is led by a new partnership between Blackpool City Council, Lancashire City Council and Creative Lancashire and commissioned for the Routes and Trails theme.

New Cultural Journeys is at an early stage of development and in its first year the project is focused on establishing the partnership, infrastructure and programme participants.

For more information on New Cultural Journeys contact Email: newculturaljourneys@lancashire.gov.uk

WE PLAY EXPO

WE PLAY EXPO is the working title for a blue skies vision for youth and regional celebration and engagement during games time in 2012.

This programme is currently in development and will be planned into a programme through consultation and research across 2009 in partnership with the Arts Council of England, Northwest and Legacy Producers Group and other key partners. Of interest at this stage are strategic partnership opportunities which can leverage funding and build the programme infrastructure.