Last week two new exhibitions, Take Me to London! and London to Delhi 2010 - 2012, that feature films and photographs, inspired by the upcoming Olympics and created by young people from local schools and youth groups in Richmond, Acton, Hounslow, and beyond, have opened at the Waterman's Arts Centre.

Throughout 2009, Take Me to London!, supported by London Councils, took schools, specials needs groups and youth organisations, from across the capital to a number of the sites for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games where they took photographs, made films and produced written records of their trips.

The 2012 sites visited included Dorney Lake, where rowing will take place, Horse Guards' Parade, the site for beach volleyball and Wembley Stadium, which will stage the football tournament, and 18 films were created in response.

Mark Currie, of Chocolate Films, says he was delighted with how the young people reacted to the different venues.

“There is so much talk about the Olympics but many of the youngsters would not other wise have been anywhere near the venues,” he explains.

“For the films some of the groups focused on the excitement of the Olympics but others were inpsired by the idea the idea that London is a strange place to have the Olympics in certain ways..

“We took a group from Grey Court School to Regents Park, where the road cycling will take place, as a lot of people are not associating the central London venues with the Olympics. The group encountered ‘no cycling’ signs and no mention of the Olympics anywhere, so they made some irreverent little films highlighting that.”

Currie says Take Me London will continue right up until the start of the Olympics and he hopes that each year's films will impact on one another as the different sporting arenas take shape.

“What will be exciting is the new groups will be able to see what was done the previous year and in many cases the sites will be completely different, so hopefully their response will be different too,” he adds.

“We want to encourage youngsters to find their own voice and run the entire project from their first idea to uploading it to YouTube, which is the ultimate aim.”

London to Delhi 2010 – 2012 has seen young people from India and England explore how large scale structural changes to these two cities are taking place in the build up to the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics and how different societies are being effected by these changes.

The exhibition currently on display at the Watermans features the responses to the project by groups of young people in London, including Heston School in Hounslow and Dormers-Wells School in Ealing.

Currie says that both Take Me to London! and London to Delhi 2010 - 2012 highlight the way the Olympics is getting young people interested in both the arts and sport.

“It is not just about the two weeks in 2012 but what is happening in galleries, museums and libraries,” he says.

“These are events that aren't directly related to running and jumping but encourage people to get engaged in the Olympics and it's positive move to make London 2012 a showcase for Britain.”

Take Me to London!, Watermans Gallery, until February 28, noon-10.30pm, London to Delhi 2010 – 2012, Watermans Theatre Foyer, until March 1, noon-9.30pm, Watermans arts centre, 40 High Street, Brentford, watermans.org.uk