Tracey Emin and Pascal Anson are working with British Airways to create Olympic-themed aircraft
Turner Prize nominated artist Artist Tracey Emin is working with British Airways on making-over their aircraft for the Olympics. Her design will be called ‘The Dove’ and will be emblazoned across BA planes to celebrate London 2012
Tracey Emin has already got here hands dirty for the Olympic lead-up, having created a poster for the Games which was exhibited at Tate Britain last year. Now she is working with the British artist Pascal Anson on the new design for BA aircraft. Humbly, she attributes the creative energy to her partner, explaining that ‘It would have been easy to put a motif or a new pattern on the side of an aircraft, but Pascal’s design takes it to a whole other level’: ‘He uses the entire livery of the aircraft to redefine the way you look at it. The dove is a stunning piece of work and will bring real excitement to anyone who flies on one of the repainted planes.’
Pascal has spent much time observing birds in his research for the design, explaining how ‘On my journeys from Brighton to London, I’ve often looked up at aircraft landing at Gatwick and wondered if it’s a bird or a plane, and the idea developed from there.’
‘When I started researching birds further I realised it had to be a dove. Not only are they a symbol of peace but they were also used in previous Olympic Games ceremonies, including the last London Games in 1948.’
The BA Great Britons programme, for which the project has been conceives, was launched to find the finest talent in art, film and food. The winning short film, menu and Pascal’s British aAirways design will be unveiled in April 2012.
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