Trend Alert - Jamaican takeover / Usain Bolt vs.London

Jamaica is going to explode. And not just out the blocks this summer. The vibe has been building since the 30th anniversary of Bob Marley's death last year. Next week the documentary Marley is released (see previous post) and there is a definite upsurge in reggae samples and re-mixes (heard loads on the Craig Charles Funk and Soul show, with Sam Redmore and The Reflex putting out some awesome re-mixes).

Then, of course, the second most famous man to come out of Jamaica, takes centre stage in London this summer...

The worlds eyes and ears are on Jamaica this year, it's a good thing they look and sound so good.

London 2012 Exhibitions

What with all the craziness surrounding the Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition at the National Gallery at the moment, it's definitely worth looking ahead to up-coming shows. Especially as, with the Olympics coming to town next year, the cultural calendar is set to explode! Here are the ones i'm already excited about... Get them penciled into the new 2012 diary over Christmas!

David Hockney RA: A Bigger Picture - 21 January - 9 April 2012 – Royal Academy.Booking open Now!

Bauhaus: ‘Art as Life’ - 26 April 2012 - 12 August 2012 - Barbican Art Gallery

Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton: A Diamond Jubilee Celebration – 8 February – 22 April 2012 - Victoria and Albert Museum

Damien Hirst - 4 April - 9 September 2012 - Tate Modern

Christian Louboutin- 28 March 2012 – 01 July 2012 - Design Museum

Technically not an art exhibition, but still, this one is a real coup!  Sundance London Film Festival - 26 - 29 April 2012 - The O2. Don't miss this...buy tickets NOW!

it's the final countdown

So, only a year to go (this Wednesday) and already things have really kicked off. There has been loads going on around the city in the last few days, to help get us in a state of perpetual Olympic excitement (stop grumbling you cynics...we'll figure out the tube woes later), with a 'unique ceremony' taking place at Trafalgar Square this Weds for a few big reveals...ooohhhh! I am loving all the weird and wonderful events that are cropping up all over the place, with the musical hot air balloons (post coming up) and Films on Fridges catching my eye today. Yes, i said fridges. Films being projected onto fridges. The connection you ask? Well, the fridges are from East London and the films are sporting in nature. Just Brilliant! 

Anyway, I am off on a tangent here, so i'm reeling it in. What with all the 2012 shenanigans this weekend, i got to thinking about the last time the Olympics were in town and what that must have been like. It became known as the 'Austerity Games' due to post war rationing and the struggling economic climate - this was the first games since the 1936 Berlin Olympics after all. I imagine it helped bring even more pride and celebration back to the city. I started fishing for imagery and found some absolute corkers. I love poster art, so when i spotted this official poster i was in my element. There are loads of great artists on board to create some iconic images for next years games as well - Tracey Emin, Martin Creed, Chris Ofili, Michael Craig-Martin, Howard Hodgkin, Rachel Whiteread and Bridget Riley - so i imagine they will be pretty spectacular. 

Love these guys...the Australian water polo team. Which one is your favourite? i have two...

all images borrowed from Getty - thanks.

London Ambassador for 2012 Olympics

After a great heads up, I decided to sign up to be a London Ambassador for the 2012 Olympics last night. This involves being on the streets of London during the Olympics offering all sorts of advice to tourists, from travel routes, place to eat, things to see/do and generally promote this great city and everything it has to offer. Anyway, it is not in the bag just yet, this was just an initial sign up. The selection process will start next year and I am sure they will be inundated with volunteers. Think it would be a great experience and really cool to be able to say that I was part of it all. Well fingers crossed! Check out what Boris has to say...