Art in advertising

The Drum got a sneak preview of the exhibition prior to its opening, and here you too can glimpse a peak at the space created by the Manchester-based advertising agency. The exhibition – which features sound, vision and photographic installations – provides an opportunity for visitors to The Lowry to understand how an ad campaign is put together.

As well as the installations, the exhibition features an on-site workshops where BJL’s creative teams “demonstrate and demystify the process of ‘art’ or creativity and show that advertising is indeed a great work of art”.

The Lowry is currently celebrating 10 years at its Salford Quays home. Jackie Holt, a partner at BJL, said the agency wanted to mark the venue’s birthday and their long-standing collaboration “with something special”.

“What we want to do is have some fun, and hopefully inspire people about the medium of advertising, showcasing what a truly creative industry we work in.

“It’s all been about doom and gloom these past couple of years and this has given us a great opportunity to work with our clients to provide different interpretations of art.

“Creating art installations that have association with our clients’ brands will also be a key part of the journey we take visitors on.

“When [The Lowry] approached us with a blank sheet of paper and a rather large gallery space to fill, it was like receiving a handful of creative briefs all at the same time.

“This exhibition is a fantastic opportunity to collaborate with our clients to develop truly innovative interpretations of art. Household names such as Asda, Typhoo, Rustlers, as well as international giant BA, are all involved, while a powerful audio installation from the COI showcases the versatility of the advertising world”.

Co-creative director at BJL, Tom Richards, added: “We always knew we wanted to have fun with this unique opportunity, but top of our list of objectives were education and inspiration. There is an air of mystery surrounding the advertising world, and we really hope that our exhibition lifts the lid on our industry – demonstrating to people from all walks of life just how it works and showcasing what a truly creative field we work in. Also, the media landscape is changing, the TV advertisement is no longer king but what is really important is engagement – creating ideas for brands that consumers want to spend time with.”

Pete Bastiman, co-creative director, added: “By igniting the spark of creativity we are also nurturing our industry’s future talent and demonstrating the many disciplines within our industry, disciplines they might not necessarily have considered. Schools and colleges up and down the country, including The University of Salford and Leeds Metropolitan University, are keen to send their students along to bridge the gap between education and the real world, so who knows how far this exhibition could go.”

Art in Advertising runs at The Lowry until 11 April.

But is advertising art? The Drum asks a cross section of creatives what they think...