Runners in front of the London Eye, from London Guard Images for the 2012 Olympic Games, Gideon Hart.

1- Describe this scene photographed on the banks of the River Thames in London. Imagine on what occasion this photo was taken. 2- What elements attract your attention? What contrasts are underlined? 3- In what ways does this correspond to your view of London today?

1a- Describe this scene photographed on the banks of the River Thames in London.

This scene, photographed on the banks of the River Thames in London, shows a group of athletes of both sexes and of mixed origins running along the river… There are various buildings in the background including the London Eye, a well-known, but relatively recently installed, tourist attraction… On the right is a fairly old building (the London County Hall), while to the left of the London Eye, a modern tower block (adjacent to the Royal Festival Hall) can be seen… The runners all seem concentrated on the race and are running side by side, looking ahead in the same direction… Among the runners, looking straight at the camera is a guard in uniform, and a second guard can be seen on the right, half out of the photo…

1b- Imagine on what occasion this photo was taken.

It could be the London marathon because of the large number of

participants – the girl on the left is number 652… It can’t be the

traditional marathon because of the uniformed guards running with the

athletes… It might be a charity run… The runners may have all joined the

Olympic torch run… It must be a photomontage to highlight the

opposition between tradition and modernity and to show that they

coexist in Britain today…

2- What elements attract your attention? What contrasts are underlined? What strikes the viewer immediately is the guard in his red and black uniform running alongside the athletes… The contrast between the runners and the guard is underlined by the fact that the athletes are all wearing light running gear, whereas he is in uniform with his bearskin on his head… He may be included in the photo as a symbol of traditional Britain (normally he would be seen parading in front of Buckingham Palace) and of modernity (the fact that he is black in an élite army corps, steeped in tradition, may indicate that society in Britain is becoming more open and tolerant)… There are other contrasts in the photo, for instance old and new architecture and the mixed origins of the runners… So, on the one hand this is a photo of modern-day London but, on the other hand, the overall impression given by the photographer is a combination of tradition and modernity…

The Foot Guards’ main duty is the military security of the Sovereign. The

various regiments (five in all) are involved in public and ceremonial

duties at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, St James’s Palace and The

Tower of London. For all the Guards regiments, the “Home Service

Dress” is a scarlet tunic and bearskin. The different regiments are

distinguished by the number and spacing of the buttons on their tunics

and by a plume worn on the bearskin (its colour and which side of the

bearskin it is worn on). These regiments are seen regularly by tourists at

the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.

“From the moment London was announced as the winning host city for

the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, I wanted to be involved. I

embarked on a project to get London excited and ready for the games.

Working with the Coldstream Guards in London, I was inspired to

photograph guards performing all the Olympic disciplines. But why the

guards? It all started about fifteen years ago, I was driving down

Birdcage Walk in London and saw a long line of guards doing drill

practice outside Wellington Barracks. One of the guards, amongst all the

bearskin hats and polished boots, was dressed as a chef in a tall chef’s

hat… Yes this really happened! Years later I turned the chef into a

sportsman and didn’t look back.”

Gideon Hart, photographer.