• Now Trending:
  • Stone Carvers Needed to ...
  • Artists’ Charitabl...
  • Child Damages Glass Scul...
  • WWI Remembrance: Clay Fi...

Sculpture Digest

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
Menu
Sculptors, learn how to Submit Your Artwork!

Olympics: Sculptures Over Flowers

Sculpture given to olympic athletes
Sculpture Digest | August 19, 2016 | News

Rio Olympic Committee Ditches Flowers in Favor of Sculptures for Athletes

Rio Olympics US Womens Gymnastics

Where oh where have the flowers gone?

Christ the Redeemer is not the only sculpture getting noticed during these Olympics at Rio.

Christ the Redeemer statue

Traditionally, in addition to their gold, silver, and bronze hardware, Olympic medalists also received flowers on the podium.

The Rio Olympics are different. Here the medalists receive a small sculpture. This is in keeping with the ROC’s sustainability message (remember during the opening ceremonies they had seeds to create an athletes garden.)

Apparently the flowers were not overly appreciated by the athletes. Often, out of view of cameras apparently, they were tossed aside shortly after the ceremony.

So the organizers sought a different solution. Using the Rio Olympics logo, they created a 3 dimensional version for small trophy-like sculptures for the Olympians.

Sculpture given to olympic athletes

It is also happens to be a way of extending the Rio Olympics brand.

Whether or not this first is appreciated by the athletes or not, is not clear. Certainly it has confused many viewers who have been asking the questions on social media, like, “Where are the flowers?” and “What are those &*%$ things they are handing out?”

If you are curious about the logo itself, it was created by the Brazilian graphic designer Fred Gelli.

Gelli said that design proposals were required to address 12 different aspects, from reflecting the host nation’s culture to being universally understood, and simultaneously be “printed on a pen” and “dress the whole city.”

It took Gelli and his team 50 versions before settling on the final logo, which was produced as a 3D model and incorporates the curves of Sugarloaf Mountain.

BTW, in case you were wondering, the shape of the logo was modeled on Sugarloaf Mountain.

logo overlaid on mountain

According to the Rio Olympics website, the sculptures are made from wood. This might be a proofing error as the photo clearly shows the sculptures being presented on a wooden tray. The sculptures are more likely cast poly-resin. At least according to the NY Times. Not sure how well that fits in with the sustainability message though.


Thanks to Curbed for the original article which can be read here.

Photos courtesy of Dezeen, Getty Images, and Wikipedia

Read more about the Rio Olympics sculptures, other design elements, and the sustainability concept for the games on their website.

Related

 

Related Posts

  • 100+ Sculptor Marilee Shapiro Asher (updated)
    No Comments | Nov 20, 2015
  • Sculptor Andy Davis photo by Hyosub Shin Sculpture Digest Final Sculpture Lives and Breathes
    No Comments | Sep 3, 2015
  • James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art New Art Museum Set to Open this April
    No Comments | Mar 17, 2018
  • Beach Bum by Josh Tobey at Artists Charitable Fund Art Auction 2018 Artists’ Charitable Fund 23rd Annual Art Auction
    No Comments | Aug 9, 2018
  • Parrot Lady sculpture 900 Year Old Sculpture Returns Home At Last
    No Comments | Dec 18, 2015
  • artist turns guns into shovels: a smashing success Sculptor Melts Guns to Make Shovels
    No Comments | Jun 16, 2016
  • Most Recent Posts

    • Call for Artists Call for Entries featured image Sculpture DigestJan 21-31, 2021 Call for Artists
    • Call for Artists Call for Entries featured image Sculpture DigestJan 11-20, 2021 Call for Artists
    • Call for Artists Call for Entries featured image Sculpture DigestJan 1-10 2021 Call for Artists
    • Call for Artists Call for Entries featured image Sculpture DigestDec Call for Artists +3
    • Call for Artists Call for Entries featured image Sculpture DigestDecember Call for Artists
  • Archives

  • Categories

    • Art for a Cause
    • Art on Loan Programs
    • Art Sales and Auctions
    • Art Shows & Exhibitions
    • Assemblage
    • Bronze Sculpture
    • Carving
    • Cast Cement Sculpture
    • Ceramics
    • Chainsaw Sculpture
    • Commissions & Competitions
    • Exhibitions
    • Fabric Sculpture
    • Featured Artists
    • Glass Art
    • Hyper-Realistic Sculpture
    • Ice Sculpture
    • Kinetic Sculpture
    • multi-media sculpture
    • News
    • Paper Sculpture
    • Public Art
    • RIP
    • Sand sculpture
    • Sculpted Home
    • Sculpture Exhibitions
    • Sculpture Symposia
    • Snow Sculpture
    • Stainless Steel Sculpture
    • Steampunk Sculpture
    • Stone Carving
    • surrealism
    • Tools and Technology
    • Uncategorized
    • Welded Metal Sculpture
    • Wildlife sculpture
    • Wire Sculpture
    • Woodworking
  • Tags

    2018 opportunities 2019 opportunities 2020 opportunities art on loan programs art show and sale Atlanta GA Austin TX Bronze Sculpture CaFE CaFe.org call for artists call for entries carving cast bronze Chicago IL Colorado Colorado sculpture opportunities commissions Denver CO Durham NC El Paso TX figurative sculpture Fort Collins Colorado Houston TX kinetic sculpture Loveland Colorado metal sculpture opportunities for sculptors Orlando FL outdoor sculpture Pompano Beach FL Public Art PublicArtist.org RFQs Salt Lake City UT Scottsdale Arizona Sculpture call Sculpture commission opportunity sculpture opportunities sculpture opportunity Sculpture RFQ Seattle WA stone carving Stone sculpture wildlife sculpture
  • Commissions & Competitions

    Call for Artists Call for Entries featured image Sculpture Digest

    Jan 21-31, 2021 Call for Artists

    Call for Artists Call for Entries featured image Sculpture Digest

    Jan 11-20, 2021 Call for Artists

    Call for Artists Call for Entries featured image Sculpture Digest

    Jan 1-10 2021 Call for Artists

    Call for Artists Call for Entries featured image Sculpture Digest

    Dec Call for Artists +3

    Call for Artists Call for Entries featured image Sculpture Digest

    December Call for Artists

    Call for Artists Call for Entries featured image Sculpture Digest

    Nov-Dec Call for Artists

    Copyright © 2021 Sculpture Digest.
    • Submission Guidelines
    • DMCA Policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms Of Use
    • Curation Policy