Model, London Olympics

Staged 2012, Closing Ceremony, Olympic Stadium, London, UK

“This model captures a transition during the London Olympics closing ceremony as stagehands dismantled Big Ben. We expressed London as a model city wrapped in newspapers printed with British literature from the Anglo-Saxon Beowulf to the work of contemporary poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy.”

—Es Devlin

A large venue with a blue, hazy atmosphere. A group of people dressed in white surrounds a large clock tower resembling Big Ben that is significantly slanted to the right; wires and mechanisms are holding it in place.
Production photograph, London Olympics
Staged 2012, Closing Ceremony, Olympic Stadium, London, UK
Courtesy of Es Devlin
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A large stadium full of people is seen from above. The center stage comprises a large oval with a red, blue, and white geometric design—an abstraction of the British flag.
Production photograph, London Olympics
Staged 2012, Closing Ceremony, Olympic Stadium, London, UK
Courtesy of Es Devlin
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Installation view of a white model of a large clocktower, resembling Big Ben, that is tilted to the left at an extreme angle, almost laying on its side.
Es Devlin, Model, London Olympics, 3D-printed resin, recreated for exhibition.
Staged 2012, Closing Ceremony, Olympic Stadium, London, UK
Photo: Elliot Goldstein © Smithsonian Institution
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Diagram showing multiple depictions of a tower-like structure mimicking Big Ben in black and white with a red figure standing inside the top section. The tower is shown three times standing; the third tower has arrows indicating movement and pointing to two other versions of the same tower that have been slanted to the right. Red text is included throughout the diagram.
Es Devlin, Rendered study, London Olympics
Staged 2012, Closing Ceremony, Olympic Stadium, London, UK
Courtesy of Es Devlin
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Diagram showing an architectural structure with a dome-like top mimicking St. Pauls' Cathedral. Four versions of the structure are shown one next to each other; the last one has several red figures inside for scale. Below the diagram is an oval form above a black background; the oval has a red, white, and blue geometric design.
Es Devlin, Rendered study and study model, London Olympics
Staged 2012, Closing Ceremony, Olympic Stadium, London, UK
Courtesy of Es Devlin
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