The four-day Paralympic Torch relay reached its final destination, lighting up the Opening Ceremony (28 August) for the Paralympics in Paris. From 25 August to 28 August, 1,000 Forerunners carried the Paralympic flame from its starting place in Stoke Mandeville in England, the birthplace of the Paralympics. It journeyed through the channel tunnel, split into 12 separate flames upon its arrival in Calais, then travelled across 50 cities in France.
Now, coinciding with the start of the Paralympics, steel and mining company ArcelorMittal has released a three-part behind-the-scenes video series, unmasking the creative process behind the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Torches, Rings, and Agitos.
The Olympic and Paralympic torch, designed by Mathieu Lehanneur
Watch ‘The Steel and the Torch’
The series titled, ‘The Steel and the Torch’, showcases a blend of sustainability and innovative design. The first episode, ‘The Concept’, introduces viewers to the creative process and leadership behind the design. It dives into the challenge of intertwining traditions and the ancient origins of the games, with a contemporary twist.
Episode 2, titled ‘The Manufacture’, dives into the manufacturing process of the torches. Inside ArcelorMittal’s facilities, the viewer discovers the intricate process used to craft 2,000 torches in recycled steel. The torch design aligns with Paris’s 2024 goal to halve the environmental impact compared to previous Olympic Games. The recycled scrap material helps to reduce the carbon footprint significantly. In the final episode of the series, ‘The Spectaculars’, ArcelorMittal unveils the top-secret production and installation of the Olympic Rings and Paralympic Agitos, which can be seen on display across Paris’ famous landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower, and the Arc de Triomphe.
ArcelorMittal also created the mini-cauldrons that collect the flame from the Torches during the Olympic, and now Paralympic, torch relays, and for the first time in history the torch is symmetrical and the same design is used for both Olympic and Paralympic torches.
The torch was crafted in collaboration with French artist Mathieu Lehanneur, who previously spoke with Wallpaper* about the design, saying, 'The Torch, the Cauldron of the Flame Relay and the Olympic Cauldron are not separate objects, they are chapters in one great story. Each embodies the spirit of the Paris Games. The cauldron takes the form of a ring of fire suspended above a liquid surface. Both pure and magical, it seems to float and is reflected in its metallic base. If the Torch carries the sacred fire from Olympia that is passed on, the cauldron is the object around which we gather, and which unites our energies.'
arcelormittal.comparalympic.org
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