News

Works of art by local artists celebrating the Olympic aspirations of athletes from Essex have been selected to be part of a special exhibition in the Houses of Parliament this summer.

The selected works will be displayed in the iconic setting of Westminster Hall in the Houses of Parliament as part of ‘Arts in Parliament’, a free programme of cultural events taking place in the Olympic year. Parliament is welcoming everyone to come and experience this innovative programme of music, dance, poetry, theatre and visual art, which will include the pieces chosen today from Essex County Council’s ‘Journey to the Podium’ project.

Artists from across the county have been commissioned by Essex County Council to celebrate and capture the achievements of talented athletes from Essex who have been identified as having the potential to compete in the London 2012 Games. The artists have produced an eclectic range of work for the ‘Journey to the Podium’ project, ranging from painting to sculpture to sound and video pieces which captures the essence of the athletes’ personalities and their sport.

Essex County Councillor Jeremy Lucas, Cabinet Member for Environment and Culture said, “The Journey to the Podium project has been a success since it was first commissioned in 2009. I am so pleased that works from this collection have been chosen to be displayed in Westminster. This will give people from all over that world, that are visiting London this summer, the chance to see not only the creative talent from Essex, but also the hard work and dedication of Essex athletes.

It will be the first time the pieces chosen from Essex County Council’s ‘Journey to the Podium’ project will have travelled outside the county. They will be displayed in the Houses of Parliament from Monday 13 August - Wednesday 29 August.

Helen Morse Palmer from Essex, who was one of the lucky few to be chosen to appear in the specially curated exhibition in Parliament, said, “'Working on the Journey to the Podium project with Team GB rifleman James Huckle has been a fantastic experience. Together we have had the opportunity to explore the relationship between sport and art, and prove that the disciplines are not as disparate as may first appear.”

Her piece, entitled ‘The Collection’ is the result of a series of live art experiments, devised in response to Helen’s discussions with James Huckle about guns, live art and shooting. The piece uses James’ technical skill under Helen’s creative instruction.

‘Arts in Parliament’ runs from June to September 2012 and to find out more go to www.parliament.uk/artsinparliament 

Read more about Journey to the Podium>>