Bringing an artist into the company

At Collab Factory, we believe that it is interesting to have an artist physically intervene in the company’s premises or offices: and we encourage our partner brands to do so.

There are different forms and ways to organize this intervention depending on the company’s objectives.

We are going to present four different and complementary examples realized for ESCP: collaborative canvas, in-situ ephemeral work, artistic signage and event production. Four possible ways to bring art into your premises and share memorable artistic experiences with your employees while serving your brand image.

1. Involve the creator in the creation process

First of all, here is a project of collective paintings co-created by an internationally renowned artist and a group of fifteen involved employees.

ESCP contacted us to embellish the restaurant area. As a daily space for students, ESCP wanted to add a touch of art to it, and commissioned Collab Factory. The agency proposed to involve the students in this project in an original way.

Thus, Collab Factory selected the artist Nairone Defives, an emblematic figure of the French art scene, to design and produce paintings in collaboration with ESCP students. During four workshops spread over two weeks, the students were able to discuss with the artist, draw, elaborate the composition and paint three paintings. A true collaboration for the creation of this original work so that the story of the students is told at the end of his brush and lasts within their school!

2. Embodying a theme with an ephemeral work

For a one-day intervention: here is a second example. The creation of an ephemeral work during a specific event (CSR awareness day, forum on a societal theme…)

As part of a campus change, ESCP organized a creative forum to imagine the campus of tomorrow. Collab Factory called upon the artist Cécile Jaillard, who is sensitive to ecological issues, to create an ephemeral in-situ work of art on glass that brings vegetation to the school. A work that allows each student and collaborator to echo the ambition of the forum: together we create the school of the future. In the small ecosystem of the school, as in the large ecosystem of the living world, there is a key that allows us to live together: to make room for the singularity of each person, to weave links to communicate, to respect everything that is not us.

3. Create an artistic signage

Collab factory created an artistic in-situ signage for ESCP to distinguish the incubator’s spaces within the school. It takes over the spaces and reinforces their unity by transforming the corridors.

The artist Polar was selected by Collab to create an in-situ signage that takes over the spaces and reinforces their unity. These original works based on the oceanic imagery of the incubator allow the visitor to dive into an exploratory journey in a universe inspired by nature, both vibrant, colorful and geometric, calling for dynamism and energy. The result is an entire floor punctuated by 25m² of murals, including 9 door frames. Here, the undulating lines unfold, embodying the movement of waves that progress in the manner of the incubator’s start-ups.

4. Produce an artistic event

Involving an artist in a company can also be done on the occasion of a celebration: art then becomes a way to sublimate a federative moment.

On the occasion of the ESCP Open House Night, Collab Factory asked Lucas and Jérémy to create two works. One was a live painting, interpreting and representing the ESCP motto “It all starts here”. The second was a participative work where students were invited to take on the role of a street artist and tag white canvases. At the end of the evening, a reveal awaited visitors… The canvases were revealed, representing a world map where ESCP’s campuses and partner establishments are connected!

Art at work, and more specifically here within an educational institution, allows to reinforce the identity of the place by creating participative performances and other memorable events. Students, teachers and staff contribute to the elevation of the place through the prism of art only. This art allows us to go off the beaten path, to create a bond between individuals by becoming both a subject of conversation and an artistic practice in community.

Bringing in an artist allows you to script and sublimate your workplace thanks to a large number of creative possibilities (collaborative canvas, ephemeral in-situ work, artistic signage and event production).

The artistic collab can be part of the company’s strategy and positioning to visually reflect its commitments and values (eco-responsibility, feminism, inclusion…). Moreover, having an artist intervene in your premises means sharing the universe of your brand with him so that he can represent your values, your message in an artistic way and give them life through a made-to-measure work.

In short, art in its premises, more than an artistic marketing trend, becomes a real lever of visibility and spokesman for professional structures.

Find below some images of the frescoes realized for the offices of Bacardí Martini France by three artists selected by Collab Factory, namely Caroline Derveaux, Déborah Desmada and Polar (Olivier Kenneybrew) for Bombay Sapphire, Martini and Bacardí.