Back in November, myself and Andrew Park of Cognitive Media were asked by Kent County Council to illustrate the shortlisted proposals for the Kent Cultural Baton, defined by the council arts team as follows:

“The Kent Cultural Baton will be a unique, commissioned artwork that will tour Kent in the period up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to promote Kent’s cultural offer and celebrate the CulturalOlympiad. This is your chance to comment on each of the proposals.”

I illustrated the proposal put forward by artist Georgie Manly, for a touring jazz orchestra, playing instruments made out sporting equipment. As I hope the image suggested, Georgie’s project would have brought a lot of fun to the people of Kent, neatly bringing together Olympian ideals and British eccentricity. If you haven’t heard Sweet Georgia Brown played on a cricket bat you haven’t lived. And in the right hands I’m told the unique sound of a double bass kayak can reduce grown men to tears. Alas, Kent won’t be hearing either of these. Georgie’s idea didn’t come out on top. The winning proposal is a travelling pod, a sort of mobile home/cultural surveillance unit.