The London 2012 Legacy

I remember standing in this exact place two years ago, so why does it feel like an  alien planet to me? Gone are the crowds, the music and the vibrant party atmosphere - replaced, with an eerie stillness. It's hard to believe a location can have such a dramatic change in such a short space of time.

That is all I can think, however as I walk across the bridge towards a park which two years ago held the London Olympics. Back then I was caught up in the flow of the crowd and the magical atmosphere. Even someone like myself, who isn't patriotic couldn't help feel proud of the event London had put on. I got caught up in woops, cheers and the beat of life; egged on by the  Olympic stewards, known as Gamesmasters, sat upon their umpire chairs, loudhailers blaring. Now the atmosphere is so still, almost serene, the only sounds are the birds above and the cars below passing under the bridge. My mind can't quite handle the dramatic shift in appearance as I try to place any familiarity. Clearly, I thought at this point, the Olympics is already a distant memory.


This is how I remembered it.
A stark contrast to now.

The Olympic stadium ahead of me, still stands looking like a massive bowl - just calling out for some milk and cereal. I love the design; it has a  minimalist structure that is rather unassuming, yet lit up as it was in 2012 it couldn't fail to impress. It seems smaller than I remember and my tour guide informs me that the top tiers were taken off; so much seating is no required. It is now owned by West Ham football club, who whilst I'm sure have many fans, their numbers can't compare to the crowds of Oylmpic proportions. The worry in my mind that time has forgotten the event already is growing. Perhaps, I won't be recapturing some of the magic I felt before as I had hoped. I reason that whilst it may no longer look as impressive, at least it is still being used; and not left to rot.

Refreshingly this seems to be a theme of the Olympic park (now the Queen Elizabeth Olympic park), everything is either being reused or re-purposed in a bid to save resources. Many of the stadiums were dismantled and shipped to Brazil for their Olympics - in a fashion rather reminiscent of a childs construction kit. Whilst I agree in principle with the idea of recycling I am rather upset at the sparse land this has created. If anything my tour of the park showed me was that nothing lasts forever.


From the two pictures you can see why it felt so different.

However there is a force hard at work ensuring London 2012 lives on. The London Legacy Development Corporation  was formed to ensure that the Olympic park is utilised and not left derelect. My tour guide details an upcoming monument that will stand as a reminder that people from all over the world came together for the games. This gave me some hope; that at least the area won't return to the wasteland it was once before. Maybe, the Olympic impact will indeed be kept alive after all I began to hope.

The next part of my tour showed more of the benfits that has become of the legacy. The swimming pool, where Tom Daley set his record breaking lap, is now a sports gym with ties to both professional athletes and the local community. The spirit of the Oympics still lives on in this venue; helped perhaps by the amazing technology remaining. Above the swimming lanes is a massive digital clock - which displays lap times, temperature and other statistics. Anyone who takes a dip under that feature is sure to feel like an Olympic athlete themselves. Many in my group joke amongst themselves of taking a dip themselves, certain they could give Tom a run for his money.

It isn't all sports however, a small section of the park has been turned into a nature reserve. This is a rather refreshing - especially in a place that once was little more than urban wasteland. The trail is well designed and a walk around it can be very peaceful. I closed my eyes, taking in the sound of birdsong and the gentle trickle of water. Unfortunately, a deep breath shattered this illusion; there is no covering up that city central smell. Yet, any type of greenspace in a city is something to be praised. Too often nature is being forgotten about as we try to expand for our ever growing population.

The Olympics may be over now, and memories of it fading in my mind, but clearly it has still left its mark. I get a sense of how important the legacy has become; which is a welcome change. It can be so easy for places, to become derelict once their purpose is served. I realise that it is still a relatively recent event, and in time all of it could be changed; more so than it has already. Still it is clear, that there is a shared passion in ensuring the Olympics legacy lives on.


First Oylmpic stadium picture from Demotix, second Oympic stadium image from Dezeen,

A day in the Westfield's Stratford centre machine.

Shopping centres, to me, are beacons of freedom. Places where we are able to spend a day wondering around spoilt for choice. Everything is provided for us with multiple options in what we eat, drink and buy. Whilst I grew up with shopping malls like Bluewater and Lakeside on my doorstep neither seemed to offer the what Westfield did. However, both are well known to me and visits often feel too routine.

So when I entered the Stratford Westfield centre it felt as though I had entered a paradise of choice. Stepping through those pristine glass doors I was surrounded by a gleaming marble-effect floor which met the walls seamlessly. It was open, and with no clear walls to contain me - it appeared to be endless. Entrances to other worlds stood wide on both my left and right, each vying for my attention. Everything seemed fresh and exciting to me, I was free to begin an adventure in this new playground. I couldn't understand why my brother called this place the 'Deathcentre'. How could he describe such a clean and airy environment in such a manner that invokes images of somewhere so soul destroying? Well I was about to find out.

So new and fresh.

The freedom could have felt confusing but, luckily, there was a mall guide to help me get my bearings. Fortunate too that a Starbucks waited ahead, allowing me a place to sit and plan my day. I unfolded the map on my table and took a brief glimpse to get to know the basic layout. Why only a brief glimpse? Well, I wanted the first half of my afternoon here to be about discovering the shops it had on offer for myself; first I checked that it had my essentials. I already had my coffee joint pinned, now I needed: a HMV, a Game and a good bookstore, but ensured I didn't look at the map to place them. Most of the fun from shopping is in the foraging, so why not extend that fun to locating the stores themselves?

With my coffee drained and my energy levels peaking, I  set off and walked the length of the centre. It is pretty much a long hallway and didn't take long for me to walk from the entrance to the Great Eastern Market area at the other end. I found the centre had certain areas, such as the Great Eastern Market, named; giving them each their own unique personality. For instance, the Street is the outside section of the centre and the food court speaks for itself.

 As I walked I took note of the Game store I passed and a book shop called Foyles. I knew I would be visiting those later. I the repeated my patrol for the next floor up and by the end I felt like I had gathered my bearings a bit more. Impressed by the amount of shops on offer I envisonioned the many ways my day could go. With this in my head, and a mental map created, I was free to wander and browse at my leisure. I was rather taken by Westfield at this stage, it seemed so fresh and exciting; in this new location, I felt rather refreshed. 


Looks rather pleasant like this,

The first signs of change came around lunch time, when I realised all the rooting through shelves had left me in need of food. As I walked along I tried to find a place to sit and enjoy the lunch I'd packed for the day. I soon became aware of an interesting feature of the centre or actually the lack of. There appeared to be no benches or chairs except in the food court area. This is quite a subtle aspect of manipulation, one that creates a feeling of necessity to purchase food to justify your use of the benches. I had the odd sensation that I didn't really belong with my packed lunch, when those with heaving trays of cooling food needed my seat more. I tried telling myself I had as much right to use the table as anyone else but still ended up rushing my lunch.

Despite this I resolved to approach the remainder of my day with as much enthusiasm as I had started it. But, as the building began to fill up with ever more people this optimism began to faulter. I decided to go to one of the places that was sure to perk me up, HMV. I love looking through the shelves for lengths of time, and often visit without the intention of buying. Yet, here was different. Several times as I walked the aisles I was approached by staff asking if I needed assistance. Whilst at first this is obviously them trying to be helpful, instead it made me feel rushed once more. I found myself going straight to the DVD I wanted and cutting short my browsing.

I was no longer feeling refreshed, quite the opposite. Staff in many stores are clearly use to busy periods and are trained to keep their shops turning over. On one hand, it makes a shoppers day easier it also makes you feel like your on a assembly line. I was rather claustrophobic and edgy at this point, like a fish in a fast moving shoal, I began to get pushed along out of my control. This took it's toll on my body as I began to grow weary. No longer was the building vast and open, now it was an enclosed corridor filled to burst. It was clear I had little actual freedom; I forgoed seeing all the shops that interested me as I felt compelled to call it a day.

and less so like this.

Whilst Bluewater and Lakeside feel stale to me; both offer facilities other than just shopping. They have playgrounds and riversides that are pleasing to walk along. Westfield offers neither of these and other than shops only has a cinema and casino. Even the layout on reflection, feels rather manipulative. All you can really do is walk up and down, basically pacing, until you have finished. As I headed off home I felt fed up and rather uncomfortable.

I can see now why some people hate shopping centres like Westfield. It has made it apparent to me that really all they offer us is an illusion of choice. Thinking especially about the layout, things like the seating, subtly affect our behaviour. Even the staffs actions have the appearance of being helpful, but behind this is a desire to get you through the door as soon as possible. They are machines designed to take our money in the quickest way possible. Unfortunately, it took an experience like Westfield to make me realise this - and I won't look at shopping centres the same way again.


Exterior image from aizakbuyondo at wordpress, First interior image from Buchan, Second interior image from the Gaurdian,

What Turned Me Japanese-y

As mental preparation for my imminent trip to Tokyo, something that both excites and terrifies me, I thought it would be good to reflect upon my current view of Japanese culture.

Our personalities are shaped by the interests that we have, many of mine are often what many in a Western culture to be obscure. Things like anime, video games and popular internet images (known as memes) are often dissmissed as being geeky. Often in order to partake in these interests I need to actively seek out this subculture as it isn't prevelant in everyday life. I have been to London Comic Con in the past and will be attending this year's Hyper Japan; two examples of events that allow me to express my passions and meet others with similar interests. Many of these geeky franchises seem to originate from Japan, which has built a keen interest within me to experience the culture.

This is the type of merchandise I hope to find in Tokyo,
although my wallet hopes I don't

 Despite this, I am aware that what I have experienced so far as Japanese culture goes is only a snippet. Indeed, even my trip is limited to a ten day burst in Tokyo. I will not presume to have experienced all of the culture when I return - merely a brief glimpse of city life in Japan's capital. This will surely be an eye opener to me nevertheless, and my image of what Japanese life is like will change. Right now, my view is of a city not too dissimilar from London - filled with bright lights and loud traffic. Only with an abundance of all things 'kawaii' and geeky. My mind paints a picture of brightly painted anime characters dancing outside vast stores devoted to technology. Whilst I know that these places do exist, in reality they will only be in certain districts (such as Akihabara) and not scattered everywhere.

An example of Tokyo's bright city life.

Like many modern childhoods, my Saturdays began with sugar-coated cereal and morning television. Growing up, my favourite shows to watch were Pokémon, Cubix and Digimon (all of which I still have a slight obsession with). They all depicted the lives of Japanese children, which struck a chord with me. The towns they lived in seemed much simpler and yet more exciting than my own. Cubix especially, as this displayed an image of a robot-obsessed world where it was possible to have your own robot friend. How could my town compare? All it could offer was a musty library and a park that got burnt down every few months.

When these shows weren’t on I indulged in video games and, once again, often my preferences were  brightly coloured offerings from the East. Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog games were my first introductions to the gaming world. Many weekends were spent playing Mario Kart with my brother on our N64, and these are some of my fondest memories. It's little wonder then that I embraced an idealistic view of the land they originated from.

This sums up my childhood.

Due to my enjoyment of crafting, I also developed a keen interest in origami, the Japanese art of paper folding to make objects. I am quite proud of my origami skills; there is something about watching the precise folds turn into amazing creations. I find it calming, and that it creates a sense of real accomplishment.   

Even circumstance seem eager to encourage my ever-growing obsession with Japan. In Primary school, we started to learn Japanese in year three. Now, it seems odd to me for our school to expect young children to be able to take on and understand a language that is so alien to our own. Yet, reflecting on this, I can remember really enjoying learning the language and displaying a certain aptitude for it. One which weirdly I haven’t been able to replicate, demonstrated by how I am currently struggling to learn little bits that will enable me to get by during my trip. I recall learning numbers from one to ten, how to write my name and memorising the alphabet (I am unsure if what we were taught at the time was Kanji, Katakana or Hiragana, Japan's three main alphabets).

Some of my origami creations

The highlight of these lessons came when we took a visit to Canterbury University, where the students had put on some form of Japanese experience day. I remember walking round their campus revelling in the examples of culture around me. Getting to try katsu chicken kebabs, making delicate kites small enough to fly using a desk fan, being introduced to haiku and painting our names onto thin parchment using  a brush called a fude. It appeared I had a certain knack for the latter, as my attempt won me a book of haikus. I felt so proud of myself and treasured both the book and the poetic form of haiku. To this day, despite a certain lack of enthusiasm to all things poetic (especially non-rhyming ones) I still love haiku. I enjoy reading these for their seemingly simple structure, and the contrasts they create.

More recently in life, I have continued to be drawn to Japanese culture. I have recently developed a passion for amigurumi (a form of crochet to create soft toys, often game or anime characters), which I hope to be able to sell on Etsy. I was also very fortunate that I have found a like-minded partner - my amazing girlfriend, Amy. I don't doubt that anyone else would deem me too insane to give the time of day to. But not her, oh no. Instead, she showed an equal obsession and introduced me to all things ‘kawaii,’ and taught me what the word actually means and how to spell it. I in turn have taught her some origami and together we rediscovered haiku. We also enjoy exploring Japanese cuisine together. Whilst we are both hesitant towards sushi, we never shy away from a good yakisoba (pan fried noodles) and I fear that an argument over the last mochi or dorayaki (traditional Japanese sweet treats) could be the thing that may eventually separate us!

Some examples of my amigurumi projects.

Overall, my life seems to naturally deviate towards certain aspects, probably the ‘geekier,’ ones of Japanese culture. I realise in reality that anime, video games and cute critters isn’t what Japan is about. There is also a rich, spiritual culture, evident in the many festivals and shrines they have. I hope to immerse myself in these during my stay. In highlighting my presumptions in this post, I will hopefully be more inclinded not to focus too much on what I want to experience in Tokyo, but instead seek out new experiences as well. Indeed, whilst I am there people will be celebrating Obon, a summer festival devoted to remembering ancestors.

I hope my trip will be eye-opening. and allow my love for Japanese culture to flourish. I also want it to enrich the knowledge I have of the culture in a way that will give me a greater understanding of it and my own interests.


Merchandise image from illustrators lounge, Tokyo image from The Telegraph, Nintendo image from Theology Gaming