Suffolk Icons
Choose Suffolk is calling on people living or visiting Suffolk to get out and about with their cameras and camcorders to capture and celebrate the county's most characteristic people and places as part of a new project called Suffolk ICONS. The project's dedicated website - www.suffolkicons.com - allows participants to register and upload photography and film that showcases what they believe are the county's most iconic and celebrated aspects.
The Suffolk ICONS project aims to engage with local residents and visitors to the county by asking them to highlight those elements of their daily lives that encapsulate Suffolk's individuality and distinct character. The website act as a unique user-generated gallery that will continue to grow as more images and film footage are added, creating an online celebration of Suffolk's people, places, sights and scenes.
The Suffolk ICONS project has been inspired by the wider Cultural Olympiad that will see a huge range of cultural and artistic events taking place across the UK in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Cultural Olympiad is designed to showcase the UK to a global audience and aims to create a legacy that will last well beyond 2012. The project has been awarded a London 2012 Inspire Mark which recognises outstanding projects and events helping to deliver the Games' lasting legacy.
While the county has some evident and well-established iconic places, such as the breath-taking scenery of Constable Country in the Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty; Newmarket, the international home of horseracing and the graceful span of the Orwell Bridge, the project also aims to capture those places and people that have a more elusive quality, but still stand as authentic symbols of Suffolk.
The Suffolk ICONS website allows those who are uploading an image or film footage to leave some notes explaining why they believe their selection is a worthy Suffolk icon. The site allows visitors to critique or support any submissions by adding a star rating, helping to create a regular Top 10 ICONS every quarter.
The project also includes ideas to encourage school children to get involved through the creation of their own Suffolk ICONS assignments, which can fit into many different areas of learning within the National Curriculum. There is a section of the website which provides guidance for school teachers and youth group leaders on how to deliver Suffolk ICONS as an assignment. Pupils will take photographs and conduct research about their proposed ICON and present their submission to their classroom colleagues.
What is your Suffolk icon?