The Olympic preparations in Weymouth are well under way, the relief roads are open (well most of them anyway!) and the signposting nearly makes sense... I've only been lost a couple of times so far!
The Dorset Echo today unveiled a first look at the new sculpture that will greet our many visitors next summer as they descend into Weymouth. The sculpture is by notable artist Richard Harris and will incorporate boulders that were excavated during the relief road project, intended to highlight "...the underlying geological structure, drawing attention to something which isn’t visible – celebrating the hidden geology of Weymouth... The stones, weighing between two and nine tonnes each, will be elevated above water, reminiscent of a shoal of fish or flock of birds"
http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk
I'm happy to have geology a focus for a lasting legacy of the Olympics; we do, after all, live on the Jurassic Coast and our geology brings endless visitors to this spectacular area year on year. But lets take a step back and focus on the flock of birds or shoals of fish. They're giant mushrooms... so let's call a spade a spade. I don't mind giant mushrooms, I'm quite a fan of the abstract and am more than happy with toadstools greeting me as I come down the hill from Dorchester. But was there a meeting at the council where it was actually decided upon that the best way to try and get this past the public was to push some kind of a seaside/avian theme?
Olympic legacies are always a tough sell in any country. Sydney's Homebush Olympic area now resembles an industrial wasteland with some housing plonked in the middle of it and the buildings are generally used for liquidation sales! But couldn't an Olympic legacy be something that actually benefitted the local community, or something that is sport related?
Well we're getting giant mushrooms... it's fungi I will see everytime I head to Weymouth.
