Now, more than a year after the Games took place, J&C Joel has received an official certificate from the Russian Prime Minister, Dimitry Medvedev, expressing the gratitude of the Government of the Russian Federation for the 'large contribution in the preparation and staging of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympics Winter Games of 2014 in Sochi'.
On the back of successful projects for other major international sporting and cultural events, J&C Joel was asked to create two scenic elements for the Sochi opening ceremony, both of which incorporated a large amount of engineering and drapery. They produced five 'clouds' to fly across the stadium, each of which consisted of a 200m2 rectangular truss grid, with performer truss spanning their length and five layers of individually shaped fabric designed to create a textured but translucent cloud effect.
The second element saw the creation of seven culturally significant Russian buildings, each measuring 36 metres tall (the size of eight and a half double decker buses) by nine metres wide. The buildings were created using a wind permeable airmesh material which was digitally printed with to replicate the buildings' distinct shapes. As part of the ceremony narrative the buildings were 'constructed' by performers, so each came in its own 9.5m wide bespoke box which had an internal roller around which the buildings were wrapped before 'rising' from the ground from the sub stage. This was achieved by the use of pick up points manufactured in to each building which was attached to the overhead flying system.
James Wheelwright, CEO of J&C Joel, said, "We have been involved in a number of major global events and ceremonies now and were delighted to be awarded the work for Sochi. There were a number of challenges in working in Russia including the strict customs and security procedures and transporting the bulky yet delicate elements we had created, but careful planning ensured it all went smoothly.
"To receive official thanks and commendations for our efforts is especially pleasing and it just goes to show what an amazing team effort it really was."
(Jim Evans)
