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two years ago, the Cultural Olympiad was sinking. Ruth has a new head of Mackenzie shot it? She speaks of masses of tone, Barenboim and beaches with Charlotte Higgins

last year, when Ruth Mackenzie, was appointed director of the Cultural Olympiad, the same concept has been very low. Nobody seemed to know exactly what that meant. Early planning seemed bogged down in impenetrable jargon surrounding Olympic "themes" and death sentences as "young people celebrate diversity." Worthy, they were the type of committee-tang that talking is the enemy of good art. As a commentator, after seeing the brilliant, self-indulgence launch in 2008, "I felt like all bathed in a warm integration of vomiting."

Mackenzie was the cavalry, led to give the Cultural Olympiad - which, if still in the dark, is the art program to accompany the games, and has been operating in different but since 2008 - a new beginning. It should be a sprinter: the opening ceremony could have been in two years, but it was still awfully short time to assemble a coherent cultural program for 2012. Mackenzie appointment was greeted with relief, however, if someone could get away, was the former head of Scottish Opera, Chichester Festival Theatre and the Manchester International Festival. Like it or hate it (and the art world seems divided, his nickname in some quarters that the Childcatcher, after the villain in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), which is considered effective.

"I had time to spend two years of research, a director of a festival to wait?" Says dryly when we are in the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. "No, I did not. But there are benefits to be decisive. There was no time to stay."

And in many ways - judging by the news Friday of London Festival 2012 - Mackenzie seems to have succeeded. The festival, running from June 21 to September 9 will be the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad. Hopefully, bringing much needed attention to a program somewhat imperfect who risked identity without binder.

To create the festival program, Mackenzie and his team reviewed the work already underway, draws good things (like the great Dance Week, which saw 1.2 million people to dance London last year) and said nothing else. She opened her address book to invite international artists to do work that will be the highlight of the festival, she chose what projects are undertaken by other institutions and noted that the festival program. For example, Turbine Hall of Tate Modern Regular Commission, which next year is Berlin-based artist Tino Sehgal, be considered part of the festival.

The problem may be that the definition is a little confusing. The festival is not the same as the Cultural Olympiad - there are many cultural events will happen next summer Olympic Games that are not part of the festival. Nor is the game, despite its title, one thing will be in London throughout the UK. Some events that are part of other festivals - the Festival Southbank of the world - will also include Mackenzie in the London Festival 2012. Confused? Do not worry, says Mackenzie. London 2012 Festival events will be identifiable with the brand, a pink ribbon that says the green light for quality. "We encourage people to think that if there is a pink ribbon on it, it's like choosing one of the critics: trust us, it will be amazing."

with caution, which has abandoned the idea of ??connecting program close to sporting events. The only two Olympic "themes" that invented the idea that artists are "exceptional talent gold, capable of producing something that is a once in a lifetime opportunity," and the concept as a metaphor applied freely , of the Olympic Truce, which in ancient Greek Olympics was a demolition of arms between nations at war with Hellenic frequency for the duration of the Games.

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