The following is a official text used at the time of the campaign:
The planned construction of an oil terminal in the Bay of Trieste with its long-term pollution of the environment and militarization the Slovenian coast (for a variety of safety reasons) poses an enormous challenge to the public. Indeed, the fact that this is a commercial project with vast international and political dimensions is the reason that we in the communications profession have decided to get involved.
Ricardo Illy, executive of the Illy coffee company (www.illy.com), is one of the principal leaders of the environmentally controversial project for the construction of an oil terminal in the Bay of Trieste. This is despite the fact that the Illy company cultivates as part of its corporate culture the public image of an environmentally-safe commercial entity.
Everything indicates that these are empty words.
The Slovenian creative elite is launching an artistic project with the intention of expressing their opposition to the terminal. It is called ANTI-TERMINAL and is a collection of protest coffee cups.
Similar initiatives have been very effective in other countries. Projects that unite artists and other creative professionals emerge spontaneously at crucial moments that call for the moral and ethical dimensions as well as communications potential that these professions have in abundant supply.
The series of six coffee cups designed by six well-known Slovenian designers and artists expose the hypocrisy of Illy’s engagement in and promotion of an anti-environmental project when the stated business policy of the company is to be environmentally responsible, if not environmentally proactive.
This is a classic example of a gross mismatch between public image and the actual facts. This is a pervasive problem in the corporate world and one that was exposed with our project.
The Project is conceived as a mixture between culture jamming and participatory communication, using a public blog platform, visual meme with Silly coffee cups and a text that encouraged people NOT to drink Illy Coffee (look in gallery), exhibition in City museum of Ljubljana. Real Coffee cups were produced. They are sold in the City museum of Ljubljana. All profit goes in to a fond for future socially responsive projects.
The ANTI-TERMINAL team is- Design: Matevž Medja (1), Radovan Jenko (2), Saša Kerkoš (3), Petja Montanez and Klemen Selan (4), Tanja Radež (5), Zora Staničič (6) and Concept: Maja Hawlina and Oliver Vodeb (Poper Studio) + Weblog: Lovro Žitnik (Poper Studio)
Comments
12 years, 4 months ago
love it!!
Uploaded by:
oliver
12 years, 8 months ago
Author(s):Concept and creative direction: Maja Hawlina, Oliver Vodeb
Year:
2006
Country:
Slovenia
Budget:
2000 eur
How does project benefit the client (if there is a client)?
There was No client. The campaign was self initiated by Poper studio (www.poper.si).
How does project benefit the people you are speaking to with your communication?
It shows them the hypocrite nature of Silly corporation and gives them the possibility to actively participate in construction of meaning, in power relations within the public sphere.
How does project benefit the wider society?
It works towards stopping a ecological harmful project enforced without a wider consensus of Slovene public.
How did/does this project benefit author (authors/makers of the project)?
We learned a lot. We had the satisfaction to do good communication work. We could show our studios expertize through it too.
Tell us something about your view on communication. What is your / your organisation's / initiative's (visual) communication philosophy?
We are responsible to our selves, to the client and to the public. Poper studio follows the ethic of social response- ability, meaning being responsive to the social, cultural and political environment we live in and responding to things we care about.
What about the process of creating this work? Please describe it.
A collaborative process, lead by Maja Hawlina and Oliver Vodeb, including a wider group of artists and designers. Research and strong concept is key for successful communication.
Anything else you would like to say about this work?
The campaign became viral generated cca 100x as much of worth in media space than the initial financial input. Pretty exceptional we think.
