USA Today: Design Unleashed

Olympic Food Sculpture

British Columbia is not only the home of the 2010 Winter Olympics. It's also the third largest cranberry grower in North American, behind Wisconsin and Massachusetts. Unless you follow cranberries, you probably did not know that.
But knowing that, what else would the zany cranberry growers of British Columbia do with their cranberries to honor the 2010 Olympic competitors? Why, build cranberry monuments, of course! Like these cranberry-filled football stadium-sized logos: the international Olympic Rings and the Canadian Maple Leaf logo.
The Olympic Rings and Maple Leaf were sculpted by DESIGN SOLUTIONS (Stephen Stefanou) and cranberry-filled in Richmond, BC, a suberb of Vancouver, so one can only hope that some of the Olympians get to see these beautiful tributes. Hopefully, the tributes are in the flight path of the aerial security, so those folks will see them.
I guess there were enough cranberries left over, after the Olympic Rings and Maple Leaf, to create a cranberry moat around Richmond city hall. Are those some big red jelly fish made from cranberry Jello?
According to USA Today, the cranberries were harvested in October and November and then frozen and shipped to Richmond. They were just thawed and poured into form a few days ago.
I hope there is a way to clean these berries and make them into juice or something edible. Can anyone even guess how much antioxidant power is in 46,000 square feet of cranberries?

Chinese New Year 2010 at the Palazzo/Venetian Resort

TIGER AT THE PALAZZO RESORT

( 14-FT LONG X 7.5-FT TALL)

ROARING IN Strip Resorts Mark Chinese Year of the Tiger with Events & Decorations by SONYA PADGETT LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL February 11, 2010
If you want to get an idea of how important Chinese New Year is to Las Vegas, just visit any major Strip resort on Sunday.
There will be no shortage of lion dances, red lanterns, I Ching coins, citrus trees, banners, Asian dining options and entertainment.
That day marks the beginning of the Year of the Tiger on the Chinese zodiac and the start of Las Vegas' two-week courtship of the Asian market that travels here each year for the holiday. The Chinese New Year is a 15-day holiday set by a lunar calendar. It usually falls in January or February.
The Asian market has long been important to Las Vegas, but only in recent years have local resorts enriched their offerings to appeal directly to tourists who celebrate the holiday with a trip to Vegas, resort representatives say.
In addition to the colorful and traditional dragon and lion dances, resorts now offer dining specials and book Asian entertainment, such as the group Grasshopper at Caesars Palace or entertainer Sam Hui at MGM Grand.
"I think over time, Chinese New Year has come to rank up there with some of the bigger events that take place in Las Vegas," says Ron Reese, spokesman for The Venetian and Palazzo.
While it's hard to predict percentages, resort representatives expect to see an uptick in international visitors during the next two weeks, especially since that market has been less affected by the recession.
"Las Vegas is going to see a tremendous Chinese New Year's this year," predicts Gary Selesner, president of Caesars Palace. Caesars has been marking Chinese New Year for 35 years. "I would say at this point Chinese New Year is probably the most significant event in Las Vegas" and gaming revenues for the month should reflect that.
"It's just a great and growing market for the city of Las Vegas," Selesner says. "We're not the only ones who have recognized this."
This year, Harrahs will have lion dances at all properties, Selesner says. Nearly every major resort is decorated with traditional Asian symbols, another sign of the growing popularity of the holiday, he adds.
The Venetian and Palazzo have an Asian theme with citrus trees, red envelopes, lanterns and I Ching coins, among other things. The centerpiece of the decor is a 14-foot tiger (designed by Stephen Stefanou with Design Solutions ) in the atrium gardens at the Shoppes at The Palazzo.
"We brought a feng shui consultant in to talk about what to do," says Audra Danzak, vice president of floral and horticulture for Palazzo and The Venetian.
Some of the suggestions made were to ensure the water in ponds was still and that metal be used in certain displays.
Every decoration has a meaning and purpose to the Chinese and their placements can have an impact. For instance, bamboo and other elements were arranged in groups of eight, a number that is seen as lucky, Danzak explains.
They wanted the tiger designed by Stephen Stefanou , which took eight weeks to make, to project a proud manner but not appear too fierce.
Saturday at 3 p.m., a ceremonial dragon and lion dance is scheduled to start at The Venetian's porte-cochere and end at the upper Palazzo porte-cochere.
Also at 3 p.m. Saturday, MGM Grand will host a lion and dragon dance in the valet area and porte-cochere.
At 1 p.m. Sunday, a dragon dance will take place at The Venetian porte-cochere, wind through the casino and end at the Palazzo porte-cochere.
Also Sunday, lion and dragon dances will be at The Mirage at 3 p.m., Bellagio at 7 p.m. and Mandalay Bay at 10 p.m. The dances will be in the resorts' porte-cocheres.
At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aria will host a lion and dragon dance in the porte-cochere.
Chinatown also will mark the holiday with a day of entertainment and events. There will be a variety of Asian cuisines, lion and dragon dances, martial arts demonstrations and other activities.
The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 21 at Chinatown Plaza, 4255 Spring Mountain Road. Admission is $3 for adults, $1 for children ages 6 to 12 and free for children 5 and younger.
Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@review journal.com or 702-380-4564.

2010 Winter Olympics

Richmond Cranberries Create Unique Tribute to 2010 Games
February 8, 2010
A spectacular tribute to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games from Richmond’s agricultural community has been unveiled in Brighouse Park, immediately adjacent to the Richmond O Zone, the City’s official site of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Thirteen million floating cranberries, weighing about 13,600 kilograms (30,000 pounds), have been formed into an image of the Canadian Olympic Committee’s iconic logo which features a maple leaf, torch and the Olympic rings.

“Richmond was determined to make a bold and spectacular contribution to the challenge from the Canadian Olympic Committee to ‘Paint The Town Red’ in support of our Canadian athletes,” said Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “At the same time, we’ve been able to proudly showcase to the world one of the many things that make Richmond unique – in this case our agricultural heritage, proudly represented by our cranberry growers.”The innovative tribute to the Games is 73 metres long by 58 metres wide (240 by 190 feet) or more than 4,200 square metres (46,000 square feet) in total area. It will remain on display throughout the 2010 Games.

"This installation conveys our passion as farmers, and shows our excitement in having Richmond serve as a Venue City for the Winter Games,” said Dan Keefer, representing Richmond’s cranberry growers, who collectively worked with the City to create the innovative display. “It’s also a great opportunity to spot light the cranberry to visitors from all over the world as more people worldwide are discovering the taste, versatility and health promoting properties of the wonder berry.”
“When we launched Paint the Town Red last fall we knew we had something great but we never envisioned this,” said Michael Chambers, president of the Canadian Olympic Committee. “The City of Richmond has embraced our campaign and this cranberry logo is an incredible manifestation of the support of Canadians for our Canadian Olympic Team. I would like to thank the City of Richmond and the cranberry growers for their creativity, I know the athletes will gain inspiration from this throughout the Games."

Originally planned for the display in front of the Richmond Olympic Oval, extreme river currents and a concern for crew safety prompted the relocation. In the spirit of the Olympic Games, often defined by the refusal to give up, the new location puts the display right in the heart of 2010 activities.
“As farmers we know that Mother Nature has a mind of her own, so we’re always adjusting to the forces of nature,” added Keefer. “We are excited to share this creation with Richmond and visitors from around the world interested in learning more about our city and the industry my family has spent more than 40 years supporting.”Richmond is the heart of Canada’s cranberry country. Cranberries represent the largest agricultural crop in Richmond, and Richmond is the largest producer of cranberries among all cities in Canada with more than 60 family-owned farms.

“We have a unique opportunity as an Olympic Venue City to showcase Richmond’s culture, resources and ingenuity, said Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “The combination of the installation at Brighouse Park and the harvest display in City Hall’s channel gardens is an amazing opportunity to celebrate our leading agricultural crop.”
In addition to the large cranberry installation at Brighouse Park, the water feature at Richmond City Hall will also be filled with thousands of ruby cranberries. Visitors will have an opportunity to meet some of Richmond’s third and fourth generation Richmond cranberry growers who will offer their time and don waders – outside of the traditional harvest season – to share stories of the harvest from the City Hall bog, February 13-21.

The cranberry installation is part of Richmond Revealed, a series of visual spectacles that are celebrating the diverse commerce, culture and heritage of Richmond and showcasing it to the world during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. For more information visit Richmond Revealed.

Richmond Review: Designer Turns Millions of Cranberries into Art!

Dallas-based designer Stephen Stefanou is in Richmond lending his creative talents to the second-biggest Olympic spectacle in Richmond.

By Matthew Hoekstra - Richmond Review
Published: January 30, 2010 6:00

There’s nary a sniff of interest from Rover and Bowser. But in a matter of days, a piece of artwork nearly the size of a football field will be one of Richmond’s largest spectacles.
In the off-leash McDonald Beach Park on Sea Island, workers are arranging red beams to form the Olympic rings.
Within days the design will be towed down the Middle Arm in pieces and anchored on the Richmond Olympic Oval’s doorstep.
Thirteen million cranberries will then fill the floating structure and the latest Richmond Revealed display will be complete—in time for the arrival of the Olympic flame Feb. 9.
“It’s the largest scale and most daunting project we’ve ever done,” said designer Stephen Stefanou.
Told to do something with cranberries—and something big—the Dallas, Tex. designer imagined a display floating in the Fraser.
“It was a lack of a place to do it that made me to look to the river. In a way the river is the front lawn of the building, so that’s where we could put the decoration,” said Stefanou.
His crew built steel-reinforced fiberglass beams and filled them with foam, and trucks hauled the pieces to McDonald Beach earlier this week.
Alaska fishermen who’ve joined Stefanou’s team will use their boats to tow the floating sections down river when the tides are just right.
It won’t be easy. The pieces must cross under three bridges, including the Moray Channel Bridge, where clearance on either side is a matter of a few feet.
The team has also had to consider river traffic and current. Special buoys will hold the 62-by-70-metre design in place despite the tides and specialized netting will keep the berries from turning into fish food.
A giant maple leaf and flame will join the cranberry-stuffed Olympic rings in the design—one of many Stefanou has created in his firm’s 30-year history.
A pre-med-student-turned-designer, Stefanou specializes in seasonal or event-related displays, and recently returned from Las Vegas where he created a few Chinese New Year displays. Besides the Bellagio Resort and Casino in Vegas, his work has graced Rockefeller Center in New York and prestigious shopping malls of the United States.
For the Richmond project, Stefanou has been working with Ocean Spray, the cranberry co-operative that’s contracted him for less-ambitious displays of the berry in the past.
“What’s most interesting to me on this project was realizing how much science and art come together to make something like this work,” he said. “In the process of doing this, we’ve had a lot of science at play—a lot of marine engineering and disciplines that are frankly new to my company.”
For local cranberry growers, it’s an opportunity to show the humble berry to the world.
“We’ve been farming cranberries here for a long time, and we’re just excited this is happening right in cranberry country,” said Lisa May, 29, whose family started farming in Richmond in the early ’60s.
All the berries in the river display were harvested in Richmond last November. They’ve been patiently waiting in the freezer for their waterlogged Olympic journey.
“They’ve figured out a few things to make sure they’re going to last for the entire Games and maintain their beauty,” said May.
Local growers will also be dumping cranberries in city hall’s water feature during the Games. May will be one of the farmers standing in the water—wearing hip waders—telling international visitors the beauty of the bloated berry.
“I think it’s catching on in more parts of the world and more people are learning about the beauty of the cranberry. Not only do they taste good, but they’re good for you,” said May.
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Olympic cranberry display
•13 million cranberries weighing 13,600 kilograms (30,000 pounds) will form the logo of the Canadian Olympic Committee in the Middle Arm
•It will measure 62 by 70 metres and cover more than 3,200 square metres (34,000 square feet)
•More than 30 anchors will hold the display in place
•All berries will come from Richmond farms
•Richmond is Canada’s largest producer of cranberries with more than 60 family-owned farms, the majority of which are part of the Ocean Spray co-operative
•Cranberries will be composted at the end of the installation