Has anyone seen the new 2010 Omega Countdown Clock at the Art Gallery yet?

[towerguy3]

Has anyone seen the new huge 2010 Omega Countdown Clock at the Art Gallery? It will be set at 12 noon tommorow (Monday) in a big ceremony with the Premier and Mayor. Look good?

[mr.x]

Nobody has seen it. It's suppose to be unveiled at noon tomorrow. Right now it's sealed inside a white box, and there are several security guards at all times.





1,170 kilogram Olympic and Paralympic time piece under installation: Free noon hour celebration and unveiling, Vancouver Art Gallery Monday, Feb. 12
February 9, 2007 | VANOC News Release

What’s six metres high, three metres wide, weighs 1,170 kilograms and is wrapped in a 15 metre by 12 metre gift box from Omega on the Vancouver Art Gallery’s northwest corner in downtown Vancouver?

It’s the new Vancouver 2010 Countdown Clock, presented by Omega, Official Timekeeper. Preparations are underway to unveil it to the citizens of Vancouver, rain or shine, in a fast-paced noon hour celebration on Monday, February 12 – the three-year anniversary to the start of the 2010 Winter Games.

The Countdown Clock will log the hours, minutes and seconds remaining until the Games begin. An impressive sculpture, it will be permanently located on the Georgia Street Plaza of the Vancouver Art Gallery – a fixture that residents of Vancouver and visitors alike will be able to enjoy both before and after the Games.

The site is a hive of activity for the final few days before the celebration and clock unveiling on Monday. Later today the large white box will be removed to reveal a smaller white box that will conceal the countdown clock until it is unveiled. The Countdown Clock will be fully installed and tested this weekend and surrounding landscaping will be completed.

The clock will be unveiled at a lively event featuring the sonorous sounds of one of the world’s leading Alphorn players in honour of Switzerland-based Omega’s visit to Vancouver for the clock unveiling. It will also include a First Nations welcome, remarks from distinguished guests including Olympic and Paralympic athletes and video showcasing great sports finishes in Games history, culminating in the grand finale – the Countdown Clock unveiling.

Distinguished guests and athletes in attendance will include:
Officials:
*
The Honourable David Emerson, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics
*
The Honourable Gordon Campbell, Premier, Province of British Columbia
*
His Worship Sam Sullivan, Mayor, City of Vancouver
*
Stephen Urquhart, President of Omega
*
Jack Poole, Board Chair, VANOC
*
John Furlong, Chief Executive Officer, VANOC
*
Representatives from the Four Host First Nations
Olympic and Paralympic medallists:
*
Jeff Pain, Silver Medallist, Skeleton, Turin 2006 Olympic Winter Games
*
Lauren Woolstencroft, gold and silver medallist, Alpine Skiing, Turin 2006 Paralympic Winter Games




Something tells me it's gonna look like Ilanaaq.....or it's gonna be a log cabin......or it's going to be made out of stone. This will also be the first ever Olympic clock to countdown both the Olympics and the Paralympics.


http://www.vancouver2010.com/resources/html/invites/omega_countdown/omega_evite.gif

[squeezied]

take lotsa pics and post them here ppl!!!

[mr.x]

Torino 2006 Countdown Clock in one of the city's piazzas:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/69/157094984_7a85587903.jpg



Beijing 2008 Countdown Clock in Tiananmen Square:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/126/379209765_b6885f5413.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/26/53246981_5634b018e8.jpg

[Canadian Mind]

Torino 2006 Countdown Clock in one of the city's piazzas:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/69/157094984_7a85587903.jpg


looks like a giant cellphone

[mr.x]

^ kinda. it's suppose to be a ice cube......the two Torino mascots are both ice cubes.

[twoNeurons]

it's ugly

[SpongeG]

The Vanoc Clock Or The Torino One?

[SpongeG]

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - The countdown is on! The official 2010 Olympic countdown clock has been unveiled outside the Vancouver Art Gallery, and it will continue ticking for the next 3 years.

A huge lunch-time crown poured into the area to see the event. The clock is part of a large stone and timber structure, reflecting BC's mountains and forests.

Before the clock was unveiled, one protester stormed the stage, denouncing the Games before being wrestled off the stage by security and taken away by police. A crowd of protesters held signs saying 'Stop the Clock' and 'Housing Before Games'.

Countdown festivities continues for the next few weeks. For more details on Olympic countdown events, visit www.vancouver.ca/countdown2010

http://www.news1130.com/news/topstory/article.jsp?content=20070212_152521_6580

2010 Games protester jumps on stage before clock unveiling in Vancouver
February 12, 2007 - 16:32

VANCOUVER (CP) - Police dragged a protester off the stage and other officers tackled a woman with a bandana over her face as Olympics officials staged a ceremony to mark three years until the Games begin in Vancouver.

The man who leapt onto the stage managed to shout the F word before being dragged off It's unclear why police arrested the woman. The ceremony was being held to unveil a giant clock counting down the days, hours and minutes before the opening ceremonies of the Games on Feb. 12, 2010.

But protesters unveiled their own clock, which they say indicates that by 2010, there will be 6,000 homeless people in Vancouver.

Protesters carried signs saying "Stop the Clock" and "Housing Before Games."

In an apparent nod to the protesters' complaints, VANOC board chairman Jack Poole reminded the crowd of the housing and infrastructure the Games will provide.

http://www.570news.com/news/sports/article.jsp?content=s021232A

but still no pics anywhere - argh

[SpongeG]

finally CTV has a pic up - small and odd angle

http://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20070212/160_olym_clock1_070212.jpg

the crowd

http://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20070212/160_crowds_070212.jpg

[ckkelley]

I just got a quick look at it but it looks pretty good!

:cheers:

[mr.x]

i absolutely love it......one thing i'm worried though is about vandalism. that protester might come back lol. the clock is here to stay after 2010, so i wonder what it'll count down after the Games.


http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/1dff99f0-c739-4556-a982-6d0f865afa05/countown.jpg
http://members.shaw.ca/dgallery.upload/upload/2010/006.JPG
http://members.shaw.ca/dgallery.upload/upload/2010/011.JPG
http://members.shaw.ca/dgallery.upload/upload/2010/012.JPG
http://members.shaw.ca/dgallery.upload/upload/2010/002.JPG
http://members.shaw.ca/dgallery.upload/upload/2010/005.JPG



Here's the CTV recording of the live broadcast of the clock unveiling, as well as a feature on who made this clock and its fabrication:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/HTMLTemplate/noc...ed&ads=true (http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/HTMLTemplate/nocompress?content_type=video/x-ms-asf&brand=generic&tf=/ctv/generic/video/videoplayer.asx&cf=/ctv/generic/video/player.cfg&url=mms://ctvbroadcast.ctv.ca/video/2007/02/12/ctvvideologger2_500kbps_2007_02_12_1171304724.wmv&start=00:00:00.03&end=00:09:50.59&spd=hi&hub=related&ads=true)






Protesters arrested at 2010 Games ceremony

Updated Mon. Feb. 12 2007 4:03 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

Police arrested a handful of people who were part of a small but vocal group demonstrating Monday at the 2010 Games ceremony in Vancouver.

One protester even stormed the stage at the unveiling of a giant countdown clock at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

The man shouted the F word and the date 2010 before being wrestled off the stage by security and taken away by police.

Holding signs saying "Stop the Clock" and "Housing Before Games," protesters were raising their concerns about the problem of homelessness in the Vancouver area.

CTV British Columbia reporter David Kincaid, on board Chopper 9, said many of the protesters are members of anti-poverty groups from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

"They have already unveiled their own clock," said Kincaid, "and what they are counting up to is what they perceive as a threat to the homeless population in the Downtown Eastside and Greater Vancouver. They worry that unless the various levels of government take appropriate action in the next three years, we will triple the City of Vancouver's homeless population."

[SpongeG]

oh yah looks good

[Dorian G.]

the clock is here to stay after 2010, so i wonder what it'll count down after the Games.Cost overruns—in millions

[officedweller]

Nice!
So there are two clocks? - one side for the Olympic Winter Games and the other for the Paralympic Winter Games.

[SFUVancouver]

^ I like that. It seems that in the past several Olympic cycles the Para Olympic Games does not appear to be an afterthought.

I also like the clock though I agree that it will likely be a magnet for vandalism by idiots and malcontents.

[mr.x]

^ I like that. It seems that in the past several Olympic cycles the Para Olympic Games does not appear to be an afterthought.

I also like the clock though I agree that it will likely be a magnet for vandalism by idiots and malcontents.

Yep, VANOC is the first to promote the Olympic and Paralympic Games together. Also, the 2010 Paralympic Opening & Closing Ceremonies will be broadcasted around the world for the first time......because the IOC requires the broadcasters to under the new 2010 & 2012 deal.

[MistyMountainHop]

the clock is here to stay after 2010, so i wonder what it'll count down after the Games.

Cost overruns—in millions


Or time until all debts are paid. :haha:

[SFUVancouver]

Or a countdown until the next bid for a big ticket event. 2018 World Chess Championships here we come!

[mr.x]

Nearly half of CBC Vancouver's 6 pm hour news is dedicated to the 2010 countdown, it a good watch:
http://www.cbc.ca/video/#

click on the link then select Canada Now B.C. where it says regional newscasts.



The Olympics are coming!

[mr.x]

Beautiful. :)


http://vancouver2010.com/images/Features/countdown_clock_2.jpg
http://vancouver2010.com/images/Features/countdown_clock_3.jpg


Countdown Clock Unveiled: Three years and counting...
February 12, 2007 | VANOC News Release

An excited crowd of approximately 2,000 gathered at the corner of Hornby and Georgia Streets over the noon hour on Monday, February 12 in downtown Vancouver. They celebrated the spirit of the 2010 Winter Games, which will begin on February 12, 2010, while anticipating the launch of the Official Countdown Clock for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

When the moment arrived spectators gasped as the enormous clock – measuring three metres wide, more than six metres high and weighing 1,170 kilograms – was unveiled.

“It’s really big,” said Kassie Kelly Charles, who attended the event with her parents. “It looks like an ice cube.”

The landmark clock was created by Swiss luxury watchmaker Omega, the Official Timekeeper of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, who worked with Vancouver-based Karacters Design Group to produce a design that combines precision timekeeping with public art.

“We now have a call to action in Vancouver,” said John Furlong, Chief Executive Officer of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC), “a beacon that shines day and night illuminating what the 2010 Winter Games will represent to the world and the time left until our Opening Ceremonies.”

The clock showcases the contrasting urban and natural settings of the 2010 Winter Games. Steel and glass speak to both the thriving metropolis of Vancouver, Host City of the Games, and also the ice and snow at the heart of winter sport. The clock’s red cedar tower evokes images of Canada’s lush forest landscapes and pay tribute to Aboriginal culture and tradition.

The clock sits atop massive blocks of cast concrete in the heart of bustling downtown Vancouver at the Georgia Street Plaza near the Vancouver Art Gallery. Two electronic displays count down the hours, minutes and seconds remaining until the Opening Ceremonies for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

The clock bears the official 2010 Olympic and Paralympic emblems – inviting the world to come together and celebrate in 2010.

Omega is the Official Timekeeper of the Beijing 2008, Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Beijing’s countdown clock presides over the legendary Tiananmen Square.

As Official Timekeeper, Omega will be responsible for the scoring and competition results during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games, delivering results to excited audiences from all corners of the globe.

The time between now and Games time in 2010 will really fly, according to Peter Huerzeler, director of Swiss Timing, sister company of Omega. “Three years may seem like a long time, but believe me, three years go by very quickly!”

[David]

i like it, it definitely could have been worse

[SpongeG]

is it in the fountain?

[mr.x]

i like it, it definitely could have been worse

Well, it's definetely better than the Torino and Beijing clocks.

[towerguy3]

They'll be a Security guard manned at the Clock 24 hours a day to discourage vandalism

[sync]

not bad , not bad at all.

i'll have to take a closer look when i'm out that way in may.

[gumgum]

fugly

[mr.x]

fugly

Well, it's an oversized clock....what do you expect? It's certainly, and by far, the best looking Olympic clock ever produced.

[cc85]

yes, yesterday as i was on the 135

[Nutterbug]

Torino 2006 Countdown Clock in one of the city's piazzas:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/69/157094984_7a85587903.jpg

That's just way too pretentiously avant-garde.

Ours is pushing it too, mind you.

[smasher000]

Torino 2006 Countdown Clock in one of the city's piazzas:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/69/157094984_7a85587903.jpg


EW!
Btw. is that you in the pic?

[mr.x]

^ o_o. hell no. i was never lucky enough to go to Italy.