2010 Olympic medals unveiled

[jawnbc]

VANOC unveiled the gold, silver and bronze medals for both the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Conceptually they're the same design, delivered differently for each.

Concept
Corrine Hunt created two canvases upon which to build the design for the medals. Each canvas is a larger-scale modern interpretation of a West coast Aboriginal motif. Rather than having this canvas on every medal, each medal is pressed from a portion of the canvas. That means every medal will be distinct, even when comparing gold against gold. Here are the canvases:



Think of a sheet of dough and a cookie cutter. I think it's brilliant!

Next the design team wanted to integrate required elements the required elements (Olympic rings, emblem of the Games, the official name of each Games in both English and French) in different wants. They're all slightly offset when compared to most other medals. They wanted to integrate the topography of coastal British Columbia and its hilly and mountainous terrain.

Anyway, without further adieu...

Olympic medals:                                                                             Paralympic medals:


        

          





If you've not yet guessed, I love them! Thoughts?

Comments

[jawnbc]

Me too! The Paralympic ones are also in Braille on the back. They're squarish because the Paralympic emblem is similarly shaped.

There are a fair number of whiners complaining that it's all "too Aboriginal." Because, you know, the western uniforms, venues, tickets, and sports will apparently be obscured by all this indianness. Whiners....

[jawnbc]

By the way, if the folks at chez Anglo-American ever feel the need to get a taste of the British in British Columbia, our door (and kettle) are always here....

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

Oh for the love of Maude...
But aren't the hosts supposed to play up how awesome the culture of a particular place is? I recall when Lillehammer hosted the Olympics they had a whole thing with the Saami culture.

[bluebear2.livejournal.com]

When I first moved to Vancouver some people would roll their eyes when they would see yet another West Coast Native art thing. I thought their reaction was odd. I imagine people in Scotland get tired of tartans everywhere ya goo too.
I like the medals. Not what I would've done but since I won't be receiving one I don't really mind.

It's cool that an art form that could have easily been lost and been something for museums is part of the modern world and instantly recognizable as to where it's from all over the world. I also like how the people are still around and still doing their thing. Have you seen the new totem poles in Stanley Park? They're kind of like gates but they have a style that's traditional and a modern evolution of the style. Almost Celtic in a way too.

[deafdyke.livejournal.com]

I love the Paralympic medals.

The only downside of the Aboriginal motif is the possibility of sliding into tokenism. There has to be an authentic interest in calling attention to it during the games.

[jawnbc]

The amount of Aboriginal participation in the planning of these Games is unprecedented. The four First Nations upon whose traditional lands the Games will be delivered are equal partners with all other levels of government. I think that's one of the reasons the "white fright" folks are complaining so much.

The Whistler Sliding Centre collaborated with the Lil'wat and Squamish nations to integrate the oral history of the site with the modern history of the venue development.