Beacon for Change [electronic resource] : How the 1951 Festival of Britain Helped to Shape a New Age
Turner, Barry2011
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As the 2012 Olympics sets about re-making a whole swathe of east London, Barry Turner's book marks the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain, which did the same for London's South Bank after the war. Where the stupendous, Pharaonic construction site of the 2012 Olympics and its £9 bn budget is all in aid of a few weeks of running and cycle races, 60 years ago there was a far more ambitious cultural event. Centred on London's South Bank, which was cleared of its industry and victorian architecture, the Festival of Britain sought not only to celebrate the best of Britishness but also to set new standards and paradigms for modern design, aesthetics and architecture. With satellite festivals all over Britain, it attraced 8.5 million visitors in a year (the Millennium Dome managed only 5.5 million). The Royal Festival Hall was built, as well as the Dome of Discovery (then the largest unsupported roof in the world), and the long-lamented Skylon (a futuristic aluminium pylon). The Scandinavian design we now take for granted with IKEA's furniture was also a big influence on the Festival buildings' architecture. As well as nostalgic appeal its story constitutes a kind of sequel to David Kynaston's Austerity Britain, as the Festival gave the British people permission to enjoy themselves and look forward to a future of modernity and prosperity.
Main title:
Author:
Turner, Barry, Author
Imprint:
[Place of publication not identified] : Aurum Press, 2011
Collation:
1 online resource (1 text file)
System details:
Mode of access: Internet
Biography/History:
Barry Turner is the author of Outpost of Occupation, about the wartime occupation of the Channel Islands (also published by Aurum), and a history of the Suez campaign, and is editor of The Writer's Handbook.
ISBN:
9781845137212
Language:
English
Subject:
BRN:
2899429
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