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.
