Long before the athletes go for the gold at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, native son Omer Arbel won the commission to design the medals the winning competitors will sport around their necks. Trained as an architect, Arbel divides his time equally between designing buildings and objects since founding his own firm, Omer Arbel Office, in 2005. The medals, however, are a first for Arbel, whose industrial design projects consist mainly of furniture and lighting. “We’ve never done anything like this before,” he admits.
Arbel’s design is also a first for the Olympics since each medal is unique. Produced by the Royal Canadian Mint, each of the 4-inch-wide medals in solid bronze, silver, and gold plate is laser-etched with a cropped section of a larger artwork by Canadian artist Corrine Hunt—an orca whale on the 615 Olympic medals, and a raven on the 399 medals for the Paralympics (taking place in Vancouver in March). Like a puzzle, it takes all of the individual medals to complete the artwork.
You have 0 complimentary articles remaining.
Unlimited access + premium benefits for as low as $1.99/month.