Home of Brazil and Rio 2016™ during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Casa Brasil, which opens on July 27, will take up 2,200m² on arts and cultural centre Somerset House, a spectacular neo-classical building in the heart of London. The venue will showcase Brazilian culture and sport, the Rio 2016™ Olympic and Paralympic Games and business opportunities in Brazil.

For almost 52 days until the closing of the 2012 Paralympic Games, Casa Brasil will host a wide programme and offer a series of presentations and closed seminars from the Rio 2016™ Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and its partners, as well as the three levels of government. Check out the agenda here.

“As we prepare to host the Games after London, Casa Brasil will be even more important in showcasing our project, Brazilian culture, the country as a tourist destination and its new business opportunities”, said Carlos Arthur Nuzman, president of Rio 2016™. “We want visitors in London to get the first feel of a vibrant and transformed Rio, which will host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2016.”

Casa Brasil will take up prime space on Somerset House for exhibitions of Brazilian culture, Brazil’s contemporary art and design, Rio de Janeiro as an Olympic and Paralympic city and the Rio 2016™ Games project. Visitors to the exhibition will be invited to take a picture and provide their e-mail addresses to continue receiving updated information on the Rio de Janeiro Games.

The venue’s courtyard will stage a series of music performances and DJ presentations, as well as offer the public a chance to savour wonderful Brazilian food. Also scheduled are a film festival with 12 feature films and 20 short films that have been recently produced in Rio de Janeiro, and a paraglider flight simulation over the city.

An amphitheater will host press conferences with Brazilian medalists and workrooms will be available for Rio 2016™ and the three levels of government. Casa Brasil will also have rooms for business and bilateral meetings.

An official store will give the public the first opportunity to purchase Rio 2016™ products, such as t-shirts, caps, notebooks, mugs and pins, as well Team Brasil and other Brazilian items. The 40m² shop was designed under sustainable guidelines, with cardboard furniture to be donated after the Games, and in conformity with accessibility standards.

Programme

Exhibition Brazil: The Time is Now

Opening hours: 21 July – 8 September 2012, daily from 10.00 to 19.00, except on Thursdays when the exhibition opens from 11.00 to 21.00

Admission: Free

Summary: The exhibition provides an overview of the country, including subjects such as tourist destinations, food, nature, sustainable development, diversity, culture, architecture and contemporary life. Typical crafts and works from the country’s different regions will be on display to represent the Brazilian roots and the local tradition.

Exhibition From the Margin to the Edge: Brazilian Art and Design in the 21st Century

Opening hours: 21 July – 8 September 2012, daily from 10.00 to 19.00, except on Thursdays when the exhibition opens from 11.00 to 21.00

Admission: Free

Summary: Bringing together the best of Brazilian art and design in the 21st century, the exhibition covers the country’s contemporary output in all its forms including photography, painting, design, video and sculpture. It showcases over 70 works from 33 artists, and it is curated by Rafael Cardoso and designed by Daniela Thomas and Felipe Tassara.

Exhibition Passion and Transformation: A Unique Experience through Sport

Opening hours: 21 July – 8 September 2012, daily from 10.00 to 19.00, except on Thursdays when the exhibition opens from 11.00 to 21.00

Admission: Free

Summary: An interactive exhibition to introduce the project of the Rio 2016™ Olympic and Paralympic Games to the public. Its highlights are the Rio de Janeiro’s social and urban transformation, driven by the Games; social inclusion projects; and the preparation of a new generation of athletes by the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) and the Brazilian Paralympic Committee (BPC). The Olympic, Paralympic and Rio 2016™ values are demonstrated by the creative process behind the Rio 2016™ Olympic and Paralympic emblems.

Occupation Onscreen Festival – The New New Cinema from Rio

Opening hours: 23 - 31 July 2012, daily sessions at 16.00 and 18.30 (except on 26 July)
Admission: Free (tickets for the sessions will be handed out on the same day. Tickets for the 16.00 session and half of the allocation for the 18.30 session will be handed out at 15.00. The second half of the allocation for the 18.30 session will be handed out at 17.00).

Summary: Screening of 12 feature films and 20 short films showcasing Rio’s latest film production. Roundtables on the films will be held on six of the festival’s eight days.

Music programme at the courtyard

Opening hours: 28 July – 11 August 2012, daily from 19.00 to 22.00

Admission: Free

Summary: Performances by Brazilian acts, with two concerts a day (a band/singer and a DJ), giving a Brazilian flavour to the venue and promoting Brazilian music.

Observers’ Programm

With the purpose of exchanging knowledge and bringing positive experiences to the Rio 2016™ Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Organising Commitee is taking part in the London 2012 Games Observers’ Programme with over 100 staff from various functional areas. Representatives of the three levels of government will also be involved in the programme. The participants will be in London on different dates, according to the sessions to be attended. The work will be split into four fronts:

Shadow: An essentially hands-on activity. Rio 2016™ staff will shadow their counterparts at the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG).

Observer: An observer takes part in lectures and trainings sessions offered by the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee.

Self observer: A spectator experience of the Games. The participant gets to know the infrastructure of the city during the Games and the services at the venues.

Secondees: Rio 2016™ staff working at the London 2012 Games Organising Committee in the same roles they will perform at Rio 2016™. Participants have gone through a Rio 2016™ internal selection process and recommended to LOCOG, which, in turn, conducted its own selection process, validating the applications.