Olympics: Sculptures Over Flowers
Rio Olympic Committee Ditches Flowers in Favor of Sculptures for Athletes
Where oh where have the flowers gone?
Christ the Redeemer is not the only sculpture getting noticed during these Olympics at Rio.
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.
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.
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.
