Press releases

Teams and individuals who entered the landmark east international ideas competition are invited to a major celebration event.  Themed ‘turning vision into reality – making landmarks happen’, the event - on 7 September 2004 - will showcase the wide range of exciting ideas stimulated by the competition and inspire those who entered with insights to some of today’s successful landmarks.  It will kick-start a touring exhibition visiting Norwich, Cambridge and Chelmsford.

The landmark east international ideas competition was instigated by the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) to stimulate creative and visionary ideas for a landmark to help create a stronger identity for the region.  It attracted 234 entries from all over the world.  12 entries were shortlisted and four ‘winners’ were announced at the end of March.  They range from steel sculptures recreating the lost city of Dunwich (Suffolk coast) to a movable bridge as a focus for events and festivals.  The winning teams have been awarded money to fund feasibility studies which will be commissioned during August/September 2004.

The event, staged EEDA at the Corn Exchange in Cambridge, is aimed at all the teams that entered, plus potential partners, funders and stakeholders both from the region and further afield.  It will feature an exhibition of the entries and a series of presentations aimed at inspiring the teams with examples of successful landmarks and the stories behind them, as outlined by some of the individuals who were instrumental in making them happen.
 
Four inspirational speakers will discuss their experience of delivering landmarks and provide insight into the major challenges they faced (and overcame) from feasibility and planning issues to funding and long term management.  The speakers are:

• Julia Barfield, Marks Barfield – architects of the London Eye

• Mark Whitby, Whitby Bird – engineers behind a number of millennium projects including York Millennium Bridge

• Jolyon  Brewis, Grimshaw architects – architects of a number of millennium projects including the Eden Project

• David Mach, artist/sculptor – Turner prize nominee 1988

The event will kick-start a touring exhibition which will visit the following venues:

9 - 12 September  The Forum, Norwich
16 - 19 September  The Guildhall, Cambridge
14 - 17 October  Shire Hall, Chelmsford

The exhibition will be open to the public at each venue and will encourage members of the public to provide feedback on the entries via feedback forms at the venue or at www.landmarkeast.org.uk

Richard Ellis, chairman of EEDA, who will open the event on 7 September said:
“The landmark east ideas competition stimulated a huge variety of ideas and hard work.  We would really like to encourage more of the teams and individuals to realise their vision – regardless of whether they were shortlisted or winners - and harness the wealth of creativity stimulated by the ideas competition. 

“By staging a touring exhibition, we hope that members of the public will go and see the entries and let us know their views, both of the winning ideas and all the other projects.”

For further details of the short-listed entries and images please go to: www.landmarkeast.org.uk. 

Further information including speaker biographies:
Toni Diggens/Marcie Bell
Landmark east project team
Tel: 01223 484688

Notes to editors