Is this Britain, 2012?

First we had Kate and Will’s wedding, then the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and finally, a very large cherry on the top, the London 2012 Olympic Games. In the last year or so all eyes have been on Britain – and with that we have witnessed a huge drive to make the country look and act its best, with even the least patriotic individuals coming together to celebrate.  Whether this newfound ‘Britishness’ will stick, only time will tell. 

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What does it mean to be British now?
What is ‘Britishness’?
What makes Britain, Britain?



In an attempt of capturing the spirit of Britain ask yourself, apart from the Queen and bowler hats, what do you think Britain’s identity is?

What better place to ask it than at Britain’s heart, London, in its most vibrant cultural quarter, with visitors from every corner of the planet, the Southbank Centre. It is fitting that the Southbank Centre was built for the 1951 Festival of Britain, another strong moment for the nation’s identity.

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By add your thoughts to a kinetic installation that will develop over the opening days of the exhibition. Inspired by the aesthetic characteristic of windmills, once a key feature of the Southbank pre-industrial economy, by crafting and writing on your own paperwindmill. Your red, white or blue wheel of thought will act as a spinning cog, and collectively all the windmills will form a large union jack, forming a three-dimensional ideas board of what you think makes Britain, Britain.

​Henrietta Jadin

Lior Smith

SEP 2012