The First Commission
BT and London 2012
The Commission
100 world-class portraits will be created between autumn 2009 and spring 2012. Each phase of photographs will be displayed free to the public at the Gallery from July-September of 2010, 2011 and 2012. The final Project display in summer 2012 will overlap with the staging of the Games and will include a larger retrospective showing of highlights of all the commissioned work.
Both high profile and young emerging photographers will be invited to undertake the commissions. The first commissioned photographer is Brian Griffin.
The complete Commission will be celebrated through the publication of a book in 2012 which will include a selection of images and some of the stories behind the pictures.
The portraits will form a lasting record of the Games accessible to the public for many generations to come.
The Photographer
Since his earliest editorial work Brian Griffin has melded the vision of an artist with the skills of a commercial photographer. His position as one of the most important and influential young photographers of his generation was recognised in the National Portrait Gallery's Twenty for Today exhibition in 1986. He went on to establish an international reputation with an outstanding series of portraits depicting the workers who built Broadgate in the City of London in the late 1980s. This was shown in his National Portrait Gallery 1989 exhibition Work.
Griffin's reputation was reinforced in 2009 when he participated in the international festival of art photography at Arles in France. His commission from London Continental Railways Ltd was exhibited at the festival and it was these powerful portraits of the workers and managers who delivered the Channel Tunnel Link that were the catalyst for the National Portrait Gallery to invite him to make the first series of images for The Road to 2012..
Griffin draws his inspiration from a broad range of visual culture and for this commission he returned to the collections in the National Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery. Classical painting informs his lighting, and his interest in nineteenth century symbolism, classical sculpture and B movies contributes to his images.
The work of Swiss painter Arnold Böcklin informed Griffin's portrait of four of the London 2012 Young Ambassadors who joined the London 2012 delegation for the final stage of the bid. He asked them to pose as "one big body with four heads". Griffin clarified this surprising directive - "because your power as a collective brought the Olympics to this city" - which resulted in an intriguing image.
Griffin rarely preconceives so precisely, preferring to meet his subjects first. Working with Sir Craig Reedie and Sir Keith Mills he said "I could direct you, but I want to see how you are with each other". Their friendship gave the shoot a delightful levity that led to an engaging and slightly surreal portrait.
Griffin trusts his imagination and ability to engage with his subjects but he researches the locations carefully. He looks for ‘non-spaces' - the empty 50th floor of Canary Wharf for Reedie and Mills, an unused corner of the bus station in the Olympic Park for Mike and Lisa Dobriskey. All the locations are relevant to the sitters' stories and Griffin's lighting and technical virtuosity transforms them into sets in which he creates his compelling filmic scenarios.
After Griffin had taken her portrait, Olympic Delivery Authority director Alison Nimmo wrote "It was an honour and a remarkable experience to be photographed by Brian".
Read the photographer's blog here
http://www.london2012.com/blog/2009/10/29/energised-through-being-part-of-the-road-to-2012-photogr.php
http://www.briangriffin.co.uk/
The Selection
The National Portrait Gallery/BT Road to 2012 Project portraits will illustrate stories of achievement, ingenuity and determination at all levels from acknowledged leaders and unsung heroes as well as young people whose lives have been changed through their involvement. Sitters will range from politicians to engineers, construction workers to volunteers, sportspeople to community leaders and architects to youth ambassadors.
In selecting the sitters, the Gallery has a range of criteria and areas of interest including:
- individuals recognised for their passion, drive, and inspirational qualities
- those who have demonstrated innovative thinking, making a difference in their field, solving challenging problems
- unsung heroes, emerging stars and those who bring with them a wealth of remarkable experience
- those playing a part in the legacy promise through employment, training, education and business
- workers such as apprentices, construction crew, major suppliers, volunteers and on-site personnel
- individuals with personal narratives that will capture the imagination of a broad audience
