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Oxford University

As the oldest university in the English-speaking world, the University of Oxford claims nine centuries of continuous existence. There is no clear date of foundation, but teaching existed at Oxford in some form in 1096 and developed rapidly from 1167, when Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris.

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Cultural Olympiad: major projects

A number of major cultural projects were featured in the London 2012 bid. They will form the centre piece of the Cultural Olympiad and offer opportunities for mass participation.

Some of the Major projects will launch on Open Weekend, September 26 – 28 2008, with others joining the programme over the next four years. LOCOG is working in partnership with many of the major cultural bodies in London and the rest of the UK to deliver these. It is these partners that will be investing some £60 – 70 million in these projects.

Overview of Open Weekend, Friday 26 – Sunday 28 September:

The launch weekend, September 26 – 28, kicks off a four year celebration of our cultures, on a scale that has not been attempted before, designed to enable the widest range of people across the UK to take part.

It will also launch a number of the Cultural Olympiad Major projects. We will not only get content detail but also a timeline for these projects illustrating how they will be played out during the four years. The weekend will also begin the Cultural Olympiad awareness campaign for the public. Consequently London 2012 will help promote activity taking place over this weekend.

It will open up creative opportunities for individuals, communities, organisations, boroughs, cities, counties. It is our chance to open up and try something new and different, to enable inspiring cultural activity to reach more people in often unexpected places, to think differently about the Olympics and Paralympics and to present ourselves to the world in a variety of different ways, which represent the creative UK. This has led to two specific themes, Open Up and Light Up.

Open Up

The aim is to open up opportunities for people across the UK to get involved in imaginative, thought-provoking creative activities they may not have done before. Cultural groups and organisations are encouraged to work together to do something unusual, open up different spaces, provide opportunities for people to try something new, or offer free or discounted tickets to events.

Examples might be: opening up part of your collection normally in storage, organising workshops or seminars so people can better understand your work, open house events such as tours of the Town Hall or Mayor’s House – places that the public cannot usually access, devising special trails in woodlands or across natural landscape, free taster sessions or classes, opening up rehearsals to the public, staying open longer or at unusual times, organising something unusual in your space or building.

Light Up

The aim is that people will know the 2012 journey has started over that weekend without having to go inside a cultural building – many people are not familiar with how close they are to a cultural or sporting venue. It will act as a visual marker for the weekend, repeated over the course of 4 years.

A variety of buildings and other spaces around the UK will “present themselves” in one of the London 2012 brand colours. Other examples might be: a light art installation, staying open late or throughout the night, fireworks, film making, coloured gels in windows, lantern processions, digital or web based work.

We would like to see people in the South East of England light their coastal and millennium beacons over this weekend. We are anticipating Dover as the lead town for this to give the cue to the whole region.

As part of Light Up Screen South are funding 11 projects to enable people to open up and light up their film archives. Together they will screen the Hidden Treasures of the South East.

All the project names given below are working titles:

  • Discovering Places - Building on the success of ‘Open House’, the UK’s heritage sector will extend the annual ‘Open’ weekends annually in September leading up to 2012. The programme will offer free access and a range of supporting events.
  • Film Nation – Including an International Film Festival in London and a national short film competition for young people.
  • Stories of the World - A world class programme of exhibitions and associated events across the UK including digital, education training and career development for young people.
  • Artists Taking the Lead – 12 artists or groups will be commissioned for major projects in 12 contrasting locations across the UK, one in each of the 9 English regions and 1 each in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
  • Sounds - A new large-scale youth music programme encompassing all musical genres from classical to house to reggae to bangra and beyond for the 21st century.
  • World Shakespeare Festival - A youth focused international festival of Shakespeare linking London and the regions including an exciting mix of performance, design and fashion.
  • Unlimited - The largest programme of arts and sporting activity by disabled people ever produced in the UK building over the next 4 years and culminating in a festival in and around the Olympic Park.
  • Festival of Carnivals – Supporting the development of carnivals, festivals and street arts in the UK over the next four years, the programme will culminate in a show-stopping carnival in 2012, creating images of London and the UK that will resonate around the world.
  • Somewhereto - Emerging from the original concept of a world youth festival that celebrates and explores youth culture as part of the Cultural Olympiad, the project will be designed and lead by young people.
  • World Cultural Festival – an international arts festivals as the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad in 2012

In line with the South East’s vision for the Cultural Olympiad we will be giving particular attention during the four years to Unlimited and Festival of Carnivals.

Over 50 events will take place in the South East

  • Dover’s Eastern Harbour will be animated by a magnificent pyrotechnic display beginning with a moody meditation on the sea and culminating in a great celebration of fire. Dover Castle will light its age old Welcome Beacon which will trigger a spectacular fire call and response between cliffs and sea.
  • 2008 Olympic Rowing and past Olympian medallists are expected at the Henley River and Rowing Museum throughout the weekend.
  • French artist Laurent Louyer has been commissioned to illuminate a walking route in Windsor, which will reveal the familiar in a new way over a period of six weeks. As the seasons change, so does the installation. Her Majesty has given permission for the Round Tower of Windsor Castle to be included on ‘switch on night’, September 27.
  • Route - Portsmouth-based artists and designers are organising an artistic tour of the city on a special Dream bus. And Portsmouth’s famous Spinnaker Tower will glow in the London 2012 colours.
  • Bike Blenheim Palace - Blenheim Palace opens its grounds to bikes for the first time.
  • Soweto Kinch will be running free jazz workshops at Southampton’s Turner Sims Concert Hall.
  • Explore music from around the world at the Global Voices weekend singing workshop being held in Aldershot.
  • Behind the scenes tours at BBC studios in Southampton, Tunbridge Wells and Oxford.
  • A parade of light and colour in Gravesend featuring over 200 children and artists including bhangra dancers, dhol drummers, samba and brass bands.
  • Arts in the Landscape, Surrey
  • Circus Oz event at Brighton Dome.