Hackney designers to create Olympic torch

Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby

An award winning design studio from Shoreditch has been commissioned to create the Olympic torch and celebration cauldrons for the London 2012 games.

Barber Osgerby, founded by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, will create the torch that will be carried by 8,000 people across the United Kingdom in a 70-day relay.

The design will remain a secret until it is unveiled in June.

Sebastian Coe, chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games said: “95 per cent of the UK population will be within a one hour journey time of the Olympic torch relay and we are now developing the torch which will be one of the key visual icons of the London Olympic Games.”

Flo Pullin from Barber Osgerby, situated on Charlotte Road, said: “We can confirm that Edward and Jay have been appointed to design the London 2012 Olympic Torch. They are thrilled to be involved creatively in such a major world event. We can’t say anymore at this stage.”

Founded in 1996 by the Royal College of Art graduates, the design company has since gained worldwide accreditation for their investigational installations and use of experimental colour, environments and technology.

David Kester, chief executive of the Design Council said: “Arguably this is one of the most visible design briefs in the world- literally billions of eyes will be on the Olympic flame in 2010.

“I am delighted that Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby have won the commission and wish them well as standard bearers for UK design.”

Both designers are professors of design and lecture internationally. Their work is held in permanent collections around the world including the V&A Museum, London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

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