8,000 aircrete blocks from H+H
were toppled yesterday (Sunday 26th July) in a 6km Domino Rally across London
in a unique event staged by the winner of the Bank of America Create Art Award,
Station House Opera.
Dominoes is a moving sculpture in which the aircrete blocks are set up like
a row of dominoes running through some of the five host boroughs of the 2012
Olympic and Paralympic Games. A starting ceremony saw the first block being
pushed over in Mile End Park, setting in motion a toppling of blocks that took
a few hours to complete, resulting in a grand finale in the evening. Station
House Opera’s project Dominoes is a highlight of the CREATE09 arts festival
taking place this summer until 2 August.
Through parks, on paths, crossing roads, entering buildings and even at one
point dropping from a window onto a waiting barge on the Regents Canal, the
domino line wound its way from Mile End, through Docklands and down to the river.
The line crossed the Thames through the Greenwich Foot Tunnel, concluding at
dusk in the grand setting of the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich.
People who wanted to watch the event logged on at www.dominoes2009.com. A film
will also be made of the dominoes’ journey through London to be screened
at art events across the city.
The Bank of America Create Art Award was established to encourage artists living
and working in the five host boroughs to create a temporary or permanent artwork
that engages and enriches the lives of the people living around them. The second
joint winner of the 2009 award is Joshua Sofaer and his project Rooted in the
Earth which celebrates unsung heroes with floral displays in parks across London.
Together, these artists’ winning entries are the first major artworks
to be commissioned that engage those people most affected by the build up to
the games. Entries for the 2010 Bank of America Create Art Award are now being
accepted and can be submitted up until 2 September this year. More information:
www.createlondon.org.
As the first of a series of annual commissions, the Bank of America Create
Art Award is a significant part of CREATE. CREATE09 is the annual, multi–disciplinary
arts festival hosted by the five host boroughs and delivered in partnership
with producers, organisations and festivals. These include the Barbican, Theatre
Royal Stratford, Whitechapel Gallery and The O2.