British Airways unveils winning dove design for London 2012 aircraft

24 Jan 2012

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 Programme, 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.

As BA Great Britons mentor, Tracey Emin has advised Pascal during the project, and said: "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. 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.

BA Great Britons winner Pascal Anson, said: "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 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 Programme 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.

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