Pascal Anson Will Create Custom Livery For The Plane
The design of the British Airways aircraft to celebrate the
London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be 'The Dove' by up
and coming British designer Pascal Anson. His artwork beat hundreds
of entries in the BA Great Britons Program, and was chosen by a
judging panel including Turner-prize nominated artist and Royal
Academician Tracey Emin, the Royal Academy of Arts and the
airline.
(L-R) Pascal Anson, Tracey Emin)
As BA Great Britons mentor, Tracey Emin has advised Pascal
during the project. "It would have been easy to put a motif or a
pattern on the side of an aircraft but Pascal's design takes it to
another level," she said. "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."
The 38 year-old designer and artist from Brighton, also a Design
Tutor at Kingston University, has spent the past few months honing
his design with Emin. It will be emblazoned across a number of
British Airways aircraft and seen by a global audience of millions.
"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," Anson said. "When I
started researching birds further I realised it had to be a dove.
Not only are they a symbol of peace and social unity, but they were
also used in previous Olympic Games ceremonies, including the last
London Games in 1948."
To create an illusion of a dove, Pascal spent hours in a cote
observing the birds. He incorporates their intricate detail on the
livery, which will use a new colour of paint produced by the
British Airways engineering team and its suppliers.
Frank van der Post, British Airways managing director, brands
and customer experience, said: "When we invited up and coming
British artists to submit a design to celebrate the London 2012
Games, we didn't expect a concept that would change the way we look
at the aircraft - yet Pascal's work has achieved this and we're
very proud to be sharing it with the world on our giant flying
canvas."
The BA Great Britons Program was launched to discover the best
of British talent in Art, as well as Food and Film and offer
British talent a platform in the run up to the London 2012 Games.
Pascal's aircraft launch will coincide with the unveiling of a
London 2012 inspired menu, created by Simon Hulstone with support
from Michelin-star restaurant owner and chef Heston Blumenthal, and
short film written by Prasanna Puwanarajah with mentoring from
scriptwriter and director Richard E Grant. All three projects will
be unveiled to the public in April. (BA photo by Nick Morrish)