Olympic

I've been asked by a client to make an assemblage of some images relating to the 1948 Olympic Games in London, as a gift for a friend of his. This friend had actually been an athlete at the Games, and being handy with a camera, had ended up taking some shots which were published in the press, and it's copies of  these photos that I'm using. It's interesting comparing and contrasting the Olympics then and now - the Austerity Games, as they came to be known, seemed to be a more joyous affair than the corporate media-overkill which has become the hallmark of most sporting events these days, and looking at the faces of those taking part, they seem to be actually enjoying life, and doing what they are doing for the love of the sport. There's no logos, no sponsorship deals, no aerodynamic lycra - just baggy tracksuits and a determination to win. I suppose three years after the war, everybody was just happy to be alive, and to be there competing for their country in a way which didn't involve mass slaughter.
Today, the Olympics seem to be another excuse to fleece us of vast amounts of money while whipping us up into a jingoistic frenzy, and I just can't be bothered with it all.
I certainly didn't waste my time going through the lottery of applying for tickets.

(However, if you have any going spare for the women's beach volleyball...)