London Mayor Boris Johnson has criticised the use of a portrait of murderer Myra Hindley in a video shown at a London 2012 event in Beijing.

 

The image was shown during a promotional video produced by Visit London, not the 2012 organisers.

 

A spokesman for the London Mayor told BBC News Boris Johnson was "deeply disturbed" the image had been shown.

A Downing Street spokesman said the use of the image had been "in extremely poor taste."

 

The Liberal Democrats said it was a "regrettable choice".

The party's Olympics spokesman Tom Brake MP said: "Of all the many masterpieces that could could have been used this was the most regrettable and the least inspired choice."

 

The painting, by Marcus Harvey is made from children's handprints and was vandalised while on display in the Royal Academy in 1997.

It was seen during a video to promote the capital's culture ahead of the 2012 games.

 

Source: BBC news

 

If this is the kind of thing that happens minutes after the UK takes over the Olympics, heaven help the future disasters over the next 4 years. <_<

boris was right, a pic of her is most distastefull and wrong.

 

Why did they use a pic of her in the first place?! Was it ment to be a mistake or something. I hope they don't use Ian Huntly in the next promo video.

Using it for an Olympics Promo vid is pretty stupid, and in completely out of context for the purpose.....

 

BUT, having seen the actual painting myself, I could actually see it has considerable power.. Yes, it is disturbing, no question about that, but sometimes I think people need to be shaken out of their apathy and their complacency and actually be challenged and shocked, and this is what this particular painting does... It doesn't glorify Hindley at all, people who say that haven't actually seen it in the "flesh" so to speak....

 

I think as art, it has a lot more to say for itself than sharks or cows in fukkin' formaldehyde......

Why did they use a pic of her in the first place?! Was it ment to be a mistake or something. I hope they don't use Ian Huntly in the next promo video.

:lol:

 

And a good piece of art is something that can shock someone, whether in a good or bad way.

the painting is made up of childrens handprints...

 

ok contraversial as art, but as scott says, not to promote the olympics.

the painting is made up of childrens handprints...

 

This is the reason why people see it as distasteful... Well, I say, it's not meant to be fluffy or nice given the themes and imagery it portrays.... To me, it's these disembodied kids having a voice in a way, saying "we know WHO your are, we know WHAT you are...." I think it's totally condemning of Hindley and what she did on that level.. I think the work got a lot of unfair bad press, and like I say, it has a bit more to say than a messy bedroom or animals dunked in vats of formaldehyde....

 

 

 

This is the reason why people see it as distasteful... Well, I say, it's not meant to be fluffy or nice given the themes and imagery it portrays.... To me, it's these disembodied kids having a voice in a way, saying "we know WHO your are, we know WHAT you are...." I think it's totally condemning of Hindley and what she did on that level.. I think the work got a lot of unfair bad press, and like I say, it has a bit more to say than a messy bedroom or animals dunked in vats of formaldehyde....

 

not really, its just a picture of HER whatever its been made by that is distasteful in regards to promoting the olympics.

Utterly ridiculous :manson:

 

The video is supposed to symbolise Britain and its culture and heritage and represent all that is good about Britain for the world to see but instead we get a portrait of probably its most notorious person, would America if they were bidding for an Olympics include images of Charles Manson and Jeffrey Dahmer as examples of what is good about America ? :rolleyes:

 

 

would America if they were bidding for an Olympics include images of Charles Manson and Jeffrey Dahmer as examples of what is good about America ? :rolleyes:

 

Dont think there are any portraits of Manson or Dahmer.... :lol:

 

I dunno though, I mean, Serial Killers seem to be as American as apple pie don't they....? Seems that just about every second Hollywood movie you see in cinemas features a serial killer of some description... Serial Killers do seem to be a part of American popular culture in a lot of ways.... So, perhaps not Dahmer or Manson, but maybe Hannibal Lector....?