Me, My Brain and I

While Brand Marketing Creative Lead at Parkinson’s UK

Artists including Tracey Emin and David Bailey donated artwork for auction in support of Parkinson’ UK. The auction was to take place at Christies and was entitled ‘Me, My Brain and I’ as a fundraising special event. They had been given a blank, resin cast of a brain and asked to do something with it. Nearly 20 artists had responded and the works were varied and in some cases, reflected their own experiences of Parkinson’s.

Challenge:

Promote the auction to increase interest (and bidders) and use it as a way to engage a wider audience and raise awareness of the charity and its work.

Solution:

The promotional campaign included a gifted 10 minute takeover of Piccadilly Lights (Landsec), the iconic digital billboard at Circus. I pitched the idea to them with the events team and the owners loved the creative approach so much they offered the charity an exhibition space below the iconic lights for free also.

I designed, scripted and delivered the film on the billboard itself working with my team and a production partner I commissioned (the Animation Guys). I also planned and designed the event space including talks and activities to draw in kids over the Easter Break. The organic social media campaign involved content and filmed interviews I conducted with contemporary British Artists Gavin Turk, painter Geoff Uglow, and mural artist D*face whose mum has Parkinson’s and Alex Echo – seen above – who has Parkinson’s himself. I’d worked with Alex before on other awareness projects. At the event itself I interviewed other exhibiting artist including up and coming Dion Kitson.

Results:

Thousands of people visited the exhibition in Piccadilly circus, and hundreds of kids created art and attended the workshops we ran. They were given paper brains they could decorate and we projected their artwork onto the big screen too with a second ten minute take over. It made London news and reached wide across the community channels. The auction itself raised significant funds.

Promo film of the first outing of the takeover. Including interviews with artists at the exhibition I designed, people from the Parkinson’s community, from sponsors and CEO of Parkinson’s UK.

Interview with D*Face, a leading UK Artist. I spoke to him about his mum who has Parkinson’s, and his art, the ideas behind it and why it was important to him to be involved. 

Interviews I conducted with 3 artists, D*Face, Luap and Alex Echo. Alex is an artist with Parkinson’s. They talk about the condition and their response to the brief.

Interview with Geoff Uglow, a leading British painter. I spoke to him about the ideas behind his work and feelings of connected/disconnected and living in the moment.

My interview with Brit Artist, Gavin Turk talking about his involvement and his donated sculpture