3 MILLION ART CUPS WERE PRODUCED BY COFFEE REPUBLIC TO CELEBRATE LAUNCH OF TATE MODERN.

The launch marketing campaign for Tate Modern was devised by cultural brand agency General Assembly and included a range of promotional partnerships with consumer brands which helped introduce Tate’s new identity to a wide public, position Tate Modern with new audiences, and create ambient awareness during the launch phase.

Ben Weaver brokered a brand partnership with Coffee Republic which saw 3 million coffee cups being produced to celebrate the launch.  The cups featured quotes from Andy Warhol, Tracey Emin, Francis Bacon, Damien Hirst, Gilbert & George, Pablo Picasso and other artists.

Other brand partnerships were created with Selfridges, Time Out, Observer, Gruppo, Paul Smith and Wagamama. Over 5 million visitors came to Tate Modern during the launch year with more than 1 million in the first six weeks.

THE BIGGEST WORK OF ART EVER CREATED IN LONDON. XV SECONDS BY SAM TAYLOR-WOOD AT SELFRIDGES

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The massive work of art was produced for Selfridges by Ben Weaver’s cultural brand agency General Assembly who commissioned the artist Sam Taylor-Wood to ‘wrap’ the facade of the building during renovation works in 2000. Inspired by the classical frontage of the building Sam Taylor-Wood proposed a photographic frieze which wrapped the building in a pantheon of contemporary cultural icons, including Elton John, Ray Winstone, Jodie Kidd, Alex James, Richard E Grant, Jane Horrocks, Richard Strange and Alec Wek. The canvas for XV Seconds measured 60 feet high and 900 feet long – twice as long as the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern – and weighed over 2 tonnes. The epic work of art coincided with the opening of Tate Modern in 2000, helping to bring Sam Taylor-Wood’s work to the attention of the general public and radically change perceptions of the Selfridges brand.

TOKYO LIFE. THE MOST AMBITIOUS CULTURAL PROMOTION EVER UNDERTAKEN BY SELFRIDGES.

The vision for Tokyo Life was to bring London the experience of living in the super modern metropolis of Tokyo. Cultural brand agency General Assembly were commissioned by Selfridges to make this happen. After months of research in Tokyo we developed an overall concept for Tokyo Life which demanded both cultural integrity and commercial authenticity.

General Assembly worked with Japanese graphic designer Koji Mizutani to create the identity; researched and reproduced the rituals of Japanese department stores such as Takashimaya; created a world class cultural programme featuring artists such as Masato Nakamura, Tatsumi Orimoto and Maywa Denki; transformed the store with ubiquitous elements of Tokyo’s urban landscape such as elevator girls, vending machines and sushi bars. We created a 3,000 square foot gallery for contemporary Japanese art, designed by David Adjaye in collaboration with Masato Nakamura, and built a fully functioning replica of a Japanese convenience store, or Konbini, which could be accessed directly from the street.

The Tokyo Life exhibition catalogue documented the event with exclusive photography and essays on contemporary Japanese culture. Tokyo Life enjoyed critical and commercial success. The format created by General Assembly was used for subsequent events such as Bollywood, Body Craze and Brazil 40 degrees.

V&A CELEBRATES 150 YEARS WITH LIGHT PROJECTIONS BY ARTIST SIMON PERITON.

The Victoria & Albert Museum asked General Assembly to create light projections celebrating the 150th anniversary of the museum. We commissioned the artist Simon Periton who drew on the V&A’s archives to craft a series of beautiful graphic motifs. The images were sequenced as a moving light work ‘Free Radical’ which was choreographed and projected from the top of a vintage Routemaster London bus.

ART DECO. THE MOST POPULAR EXHIBITION EVER TO BE HELD AT THE V&A.

Celebrating the most glamorous and popular style of the twentieth century Art Deco: 1910-1939 had the highest attendance ever for an exhibition at the V&A. Our campaign, Deco London, brought the exhibition alive across London in Spring 2003 by activating Art Deco architecture, shops, cinemas, hotels, restaurants and bars. Time Out produced a special Deco London supplement. Selfridges devoted more than 20 windows to the exhibition. The Savoy Group, Plymouth Gin, Orient Express and the Barbican joined the campaign. Nearly 400,000 visitors experienced Art Deco which was sponsored by Ernst & Young.

AFRICA 05. THE BIGGEST EVER CELEBRATION OF AFRICAN CULTURE IN BRITAIN.

Africa 05 was led by the Arts Council with Southbank Centre and British Museum, in association with the BBC. From February to October 2005, a huge range of organisations from national museums to community centres hosted events celebrating the best African and diasporic arts.

Ben Weaver’s cultural brand agency General Assembly led the Africa 05 marketing campaign, which included partnerships with Time Out, Starbucks and Borders, resulting in over £600,000 worth of additional exposure for the Africa 05 brand. Our campaign ensured that Africa 05 events were promoted to the widest possible audiences.

BOLLYWOOD AT SELFRIDGES.

Bollywood arrived in spectacular fashion in London when Selfridges hosted a glamorous month long event celebrating Indian film culture. In 2002, the store was transformed into a Bollywood film set by the renowned scenographer Nitin Desai. Extravagant film sets around the store formed the backdrop to a calendar of events featuring the very best of contemporary Indian dance, music, fashion and food. Highlights of the events programme included special appearances by A-list Bollywood stars such as Amitabh Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan. Vanity Fair magazine produced an exclusive supplement in homage to Bollywood at Selfridges. The award winning event was researched and developed by cultural brand agency General Assembly.

BE ONE OF THE FIRST TO SEE TATE MODERN.

Ben Weaver’s cultural brand agency General Assembly developed the launch marketing campaign for Tate Modern in 2001. To raise awareness of the new identity and promote the opening of the new gallery we developed a range of brand partnerships. One of these, with Wagamama, involved 20,000 chopstick covers being distributed through Wagamama restaurants. These carried a special offer for new Tate members and a ‘money can’t buy’ opportunity to see Tate Modern before it opened to the public.

LATES. A SEASON OF AFTER-HOURS ART AND CULTURE IN LONDON.

In 2007, the Mayor of London’s office asked Ben Weaver’s cultural brand agency General Assembly to develop a campaign to promote London’s cultural offer and late night economy. Building on the success of events such as Late at Tate Britain and Friday Late at the V&A, we named the campaign Lates. We helped bring together 12 of London’s top museums and galleries and presented our proposals for Lates which included plans for content, identity and communications. Our visual identity, engaging copy and digital marketing approach helped to connect Lates with a young target audience. Our designed materials included an original work of art which represented the London Underground map in neon tubes. We put collaborative marketing at the heart of the campaign, worked with Delete to create the shared website, designed and distributed the events guide, and negotiated a media partnership with thelondonpaper who ran advertising, editorial and daily promotions. The season of Lates events ended with the Surrealist Ball at the V&A which was attended by 5,000 people. Lates was so successful that the Mayor of London’s office continued to run the campaign after the trial period.

PARIS CALLING. A SEASON OF CONTEMPORARY ART FROM FRANCE.

Paris Calling was a season of contemporary art from France, in 2007, organised by the French Embassy which involved collaborations with 23 museums and galleries in London, Oxford and Margate. Ben Weaver’s cultural brand agency General Assembly were approached to help shape the Paris Calling campaign and advise on sponsorship, marketing and promotion. We helped to build visibility for Paris Calling through retail partnerships which included high profile window displays at Selfridges; promotions with Agnes B stores, Nicolas wine shops and Paul cafes; and distribution of 80,000 Paris Calling catalogues through independent London bars, restaurants and cafes such as Maison Bertaux

MAYOR OF LONDON. EAST FESTIVAL. LOOK NORTH, TURN RIGHT, FIND EAST.

The Mayor of London’s office asked Ben Weaver’s cultural brand agency General Assembly to help create a festival celebrating East London’s vibrant cultural mix. The purpose of the festival was to build a pre-legacy for the 2012 Olympics.  The objectives of the campaign were to draw attention to the area as a hotbed of creative talent and to increase footfall from international visitors and other parts of London.

We advised the Mayor’s office on how to structure, programme and promote the festival. Our recommendations were to structure the festival around six strands – art, performance, fashion, food, history and film – and to programme these under one umbrella brand which we named ‘East‘.

We proposed that East be led by an advisory panel made up of one key partner from each strand who would drive and shape activity for their area. General Assembly helped bring together the advisory panel and presented the strategic and creative approach for the festival and the campaign.

Our recommendations included naming, programming, brand identity, marketing strategy and promotional ideas. To help build the credibility of East we negotiated a partnership with Rough Guides who worked with us to design and produce the festival guide. This was the first time that Rough Guides had ever produced a city sector guide.

The success of East has encouraged the Mayor of London and Visit London to continue the festival which is anticipated to keep running and build momentum up to the Olympics in 2012.

Full details here

SERPENTINE GALLERY PRESENTS CHINA POWER STATION: PART 1 AT BATTERSEA POWER STATION. A MAJOR EXHIBITION OF CHINESE CONTEMPORARY ART, ARCHITECTURE AND SOUND.

Serpentine Gallery opened Battersea Power Station to the general public for the first time in October 2006 to present China Power Station: Part 1.

The exhibition displayed the best of contemporary Chinese art including visual art, architecture and sound. Highlights were a sound installation by Ou Ning; the premiere of Yang Fudong’s film Seven Intellectuals in Bamboo Forest, Part 3; an experimental film by Jia Zhangke about different public spaces in China; an installation by Gu Dexin using nearly 100,000 apples; and video works by Cao Fei. Two leading architects in China were also included in the exhibition. Yung Ho Chang, who encouraged visitors to look at the building and surrounding space from different angles through ‘viewing frames’, and Ma Quinyun who created a plan of ‘paths’ through the Power Station grounds.

As part of the cultural experience offered by Serpentine Gallery and Battersea Power Station, visitors were able to explore the grounds by bicycle and join an architectural tour of the huge site of one of London’s most iconic landmark buildings. 150 bicycles were available at the site entrance for visitors to tour the site on two wheels. A special teahouse and dim sum restaurant by Yauatcha and an artist’s store by Pi Li and Waling Boers were housed in the pavilion. Entitled UniversalShops, a number of Chinese artists and designers were invited to contribute merchandise including fashion items, toys, T-shirts, shoes, CDs, posters, cartoons and other goods all under £10.00.

Ben Weaver’s cultural brand agency helped Serpentine Gallery to shape the China Power Station experience; created a powerful visual identity with North; developed the marketing and communications campaign and built promotional partnerships with Time Out, Visit London and Yauatcha. Our campaign helped to ensure maximum visitor numbers and an estimated media value of £3 million.

GET DRAMATIC. OPEN REHEARSAL. BE PART OF 72 THRILLINGLY FREE HOURS OF BEHIND-THE-SCENES MUSIC, THEATRE, OPERA AND DANCE.

Open Rehearsal is a Mayor of London initiative which aims to open doors, engage audiences, encourage participation and learning and promote London’s phenomenal cultural offer. Taking place across London over three days each Autumn, the annual event provides a superb opportunity for Londoners and visitors to London to get behind the scenes in London’s world class creative and cultural organisations. It encourages Londoners of all ages and backgrounds to engage in new and exciting ways with the performing arts sector in London.

Previous projects for the scheme have included ballet classes with English National Ballet, backstage tours, open rehearsals with London’s major orchestras and creative writing with the Royal Court. The campaign will showcase London’s amazing cultural activity, work with cultural organisations across London on developing new audiences by offering a huge variety of participative and non participative projects and support partners by profile raising and networking.

Ben Weaver’s cultural brand agency General Assembly created the brand identity, marketing strategy, advertising and promotional campaign for Open Rehearsal in 2006. We worked in collaboration with the GLA, Visit London, Time Out and Transport for London and major cultural partners to communicated the event and brokered a partnership with Starbucks which delivered premium visibility through 200 coffee bars and funding for 300,000 Open Rehearsal guides.

In 2008 Open Rehearsal formed the core London activity for the launch of the Cultural Olympiad.

DEBATE LONDON. THE ARCHITECTURE FOUNDATION PRESENTS FIVE MAJOR DEBATES ABOUT YOUR CHANGING CITY.

The Architecture Foundation asked cultural brand agency General Assembly to help shape a major series of debates about London. We recommended the event be named ‘Debate London’ with the descriptor ‘Five major debates about your changing city’. Our ambition for the event was to be ‘the biggest ever debate about London’ and we set about making this a reality. Our striking visual identity helped to create a strong sense of event which we carried through the venue, marketing materials, website and advertising campaign. Editorial context and coverage was provided by the Evening Standard as media partner. The events were a sell out success with nearly 3,000 participants.

CHINA DESIGN NOW. V&A EXPLORES CONTEMPORARY CHINESE DESIGN.

China Design Now was a 2008 exhibition at the V&A exploring China’s dreams and hopes over the previous two decades. The exhibition shows how the Chinese have begun to combine their own traditions with global influences.

Visitors are taken on a journey through China’s coastal cities to experience the country’s creative landscape. The journey starts in the far south, where graphic designers in Shenzhen began to explore new direction, through Shanghai where consumerism and urban culture have combined to produce astonishing fashion and lifestyles and to Beijing, where monumental architecture for the Olympics is transforming the skyline of the capital.

Ben Weaver’s cultural brand agency General Assembly worked with the V&A to develop the campaign for China Design Now. Our work included strategic positioning, research in Beijing and Shanghai, creation of the visual identity with North, collaboration with sponsors HSBC, and development of high profile partnerships with Guardian, Liberty and Ping Pong.

BE CONSUMED. SPENCER TUNICK INVITES 700 PEOPLE TO GET NAKED AT SELFRIDGES.

As part of their 2003 event, Body Craze, Selfridges hosted an installation by New York-born artist Spencer Tunick. Responding to a small advertisement in Time Out, 700 nude Londoners posed nude on escalators and in departments across the store during a Sunday morning, before the shop opened to the public.

The event was documented by the artist as part of a series of installations across the world by the artist famous for photographing nude crowds in urban landscapes. The project was managed by cultural brand agency General Assembly who developed the famous Tokyo Life and Bollywood events for Selfridges.

THIS IS MODERN ART. CHANNEL 4 ARTIST BILLBOARDS.

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This Is Modern Art was a six-part Channel 4 series written and presented by Matthew Collings. It became popular because of its wry explanations of the work and attitude of a new wave of artists, and because of its author’s witty and irreverent, though clearly highly informed, commentary style.

Channel 4 commissioned General Assembly to create a bespoke advertising campaign for This Is Modern Art which made use of outdoor media to present unique works of art by three of the artists featured in the series. General Assembly approached Gavin Turk, Martin Creed and Sarah Lucas and worked with these high profile artists to create unique billboards works which were installed in key locations around London to create conversation around the award winning series.

JAMEEL GALLERY OF ISLAMIC ART. NEW GALLERY OF ART AND DESIGN FROM THE ISLAMIC MIDDLE EAST OPENS AT V&A.

V&A asked cultural brand agency General Assembly to help promote the new Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art. As part of the campaign we turned to the brilliantly talented graphic designer Rana Salam whose work celebrates Middle Eastern popular art and culture, often influenced by vibrant Arab imagery.

General Assembly commissioned Rana Salam to create a set of limited edition postcards highlighting the enduring appeal of Islamic art and design. Drawing inspiration from the V&A archives, Salam created a series of five original artworks referencing themes and principles of Islamic design such as geometry, nature, calligraphy and mythology.

The intricate and colourful designs were reproduced using an array of fine printing techniques such as embossing, stamping and foiling. The postcards were distributed through cultural venues and given to V&A visitors prior to the opening of the gallery.

Rana Salam’s work can be seen at ranasalam.com

MODERNISM. DESIGNING A NEW WORLD.

This major exhibition at the V&A was the first to explore Modernism in the designed world from a truly international perspective and in terms of all the arts; and one of a series of major exhibitions exploring key movements in art and design, such as Art Deco, Gothic and Arts & Crafts.

Cultural brand agency General Assembly worked with the V&A team to develop a marketing campaign for the exhibition which brought together resonant brands to help amplify the exhibition theme and reach target audience. We helped broker partnerships with the furniture store Habitat who sponsored the exhibition, with the Observer who were the media partner, and with other like-minded brands who added value through offers and promotions.

General Assembly worked with Habitat to promote Modernism through their stores and marketing channels; with the Observer who ran exclusive editorial features and reader offers; and with the Guardian who published our guide to Modernist London – the top ten Modernism inspired experiences in London.

ART4. CHANNEL 4′S CONTEMPORARY ART COLLECTION.

ART4 is Channel 4’s contemporary art collection, displayed publicly throughout the channel’s buildings. Cultural brand agency General Assembly brought together a panel of professional experts to help Channel 4 choose inspiring and challenging work from emerging artists and to commission new work.

Channel 4 values its reputation for challenging programmes that explore contemporary arts across a wide range of forms. ART4 brings that spirit right to the heart of the Corporation’s daily life, helping create an inspiring working environment, while supporting new artists and, in the longer term, bringing the best of new British art to a wider public through long-term loans to regional galleries and museums.

General Assembly were consultants to Channel 4 and project managers for ART4; developing the framework, constituting the panel of experts, advising on the selection process, and providing curatorial expertise.

COLD WAR MODERN AT THE V&A

The period from the end of the Second World War to the mid 1970s was a period of great political tension and exceptional creativity which touched all aspects of life, from everyday products to the highest arenas of human achievement in science and culture. Art and design were not peripheral symptoms of politics during the Cold War: they played a central role in representing and sometimes challenging the dominant political and social ideas of the age.

INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL VISUAL ARTS. NEW IDENTITY FOR INIVA.

Iniva creates exhibitions, publications, multimedia, education and research projects, designed to bring the work of artists from culturally diverse backgrounds to the attention of the widest possible public.

In 2007 Iniva partnered with Autograph to build Rivington Place, a new kind of visual arts space dedicated to work by artists from different cultural backgrounds. Designed by architect David Adjaye, the vision is to create a centre of excellence for the presentation and dissemination of ideas and practices in the contemporary visual arts.

Cultural brand agency General Assembly worked with Iniva to develop a new visual identity which would enable a bolder  presence in the arts and culture sector and provide a stronger platform for marketing and communications. In collaboration with North we developed a powerful new identity using the universal symbolism of the circle.

HAY FESTIVAL. CARTAGENA.

TARGET ARTS SPONSORSHIP.

Target : Community : Arts.

HENRY MILLER MEMORIAL LIBRARY. BIG SUR.

V&A. BAROQUE. STYLE IN THE AGE OF MAGNIFICENCE

The Victoria & Albert Museum, the world’s greatest museum of art and design, commissioned Ben Weaver Associates to create the strategic positioning and visual identity for a major exhibition exploring Baroque as the world’s first truly global style and the dominant artistic epoch of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Briefings from the curators and marketing teams, together with extensive historical and visual research, enabled us to develop a set of key ideas and visual themes. Working with North we developed a compelling visual presentation which captured the essence of international Baroque: a kaleidoscopic world view expressed through luxurious materials, complex arrangements and theatrical effects.

The strategic and visual positioning was carried through by North to create beautiful and compelling imagery for the V&A’s marketing and communications.

LIFTING PEOPLE, LIFTING PLACES

Lifting People, Lifting Places.

CULTURAL PLAYING FIELD

DIGITAL BRITAIN

BBC NEWS | Technology | At a glance: Digital Britain.

ED VAIZEY REVEALS THE TORIES’ VISION FOR THE ARTS

Ed Vaizey reveals the Tories’ vision for the arts | Charlotte Higgins | Art and design | The Guardian.

DESIGN MUSEUM & BEEFEATER 24 PRESENT SUPER CONTEMPORARY

London thinks, designs and makes like no other city; it creates and the world follows. A magnet for mavericks and freethinkers, London has nurtured a creative community that continues to rival all other design capitals.

These creative networks have spurred each other on. Their pursuit of new, of better, of braver embraces architecture, industrial design, graphics, fashion and communications alike. Endlessly pushing at the forefront of design and constantly inventing for new worlds, London’s design output has always been Super Contemporary.

An immersion into how London has paved the way for visionary design, alongside live commissions from London’s future stars and its current elite. Super Contemporary showcases the fearlessly progressive spirit of London’s greatest creative minds, past and present.

MUSEUM FEES ‘COULD MAKE COMEBACK’

IS THE CULTURAL OLYMPIAD A RUNNER

Charlotte Higgins: Could the Cultural Olympiad be turning in to another Millennium Dome? | UK news | The Guardian.

NEW DEAL OF THE MIND

New Deal of the Mind.

THE ARTS IN SOCIETY

http://artsinsociety.com

DAVID LISTER: WE DON’T NEED A CULTURAL OLYMPIAD

David Lister: We don’t need a Cultural Olympiad – David Lister, Columnists – The Independent.