So, I'm about to make the trek to Burton-upon-trent, a place I haven't been to since I was a boy, to be at the unveiling of the Monumite. As such, I don't have time to do my usual critical appraisal of the Monumite press release, so here it is in it's full gushing detail :-)
Nicknamed 'Monumite', the sculpture is positioned in the heart of Burton on Trent, overlooking the river, which is both Marmite's spiritual home and a town that has been closely associated with the brewing industry for many centuries. The sculpture incorporates an innovative digital element, was created by Spark and has been developed in partnership with, JAM, East Staffordshire Borough Council and Unilever.
Having conceived the project, Creative agency Spark commissioned JAM to design the sculpture. Spark's aim was to produce a sustainable and long-term piece of public art to celebrate Marmite's relationship with Burton and for the local community and Marmite lovers across the UK to enjoy. JAM's design references the shape of the iconic Marmite jar, has been carved from Portland stone limestone and will provide seating for children as well as being a platform for adults at public events.
Those visitors who make the 'pilgrimage' to the shrine will also be able to download a host of unique content to their mobile phone via Bluetooth transmitter. The content celebrates Marmite and Burton's history and heritage and includes: a beautiful digital flythrough of pictures from the Marmite archive, this will later incorporate Marmite love notes from fans; a quirky animation illustrating how Marmite is made; a podcast telling the story of Marmite and Burton from Marmite's Master Blender, St John Skelton; -wider tourism information about the local area. The digital rendering and animation have been produced by local Digital artist Mark Yorke with support from Staffordshire County Council.
Visitors will also be able to use their mobile phones to tell friends when they 'check-in' to the Marmite shrine, using location-based social networking website Foursquare and the new Facebook 'Places' function.
Tom Denyard, Marketing Manager at Unilever commented: "We were delighted to have joined forces with East Staffordshire Council, Spark and JAM on this unique and exciting project. We think the final sculpture perfectly represents and celebrates our long-standing relationship with Burton and the local area. We hope Marmite fans up and down the county enjoy this new addition to the British cultural landscape."
Jamie Anley, Director of JAM commented: "We intended to keep the design of the piece very simple. The form of the Marmite jar is so instantly recognisable; we wanted to celebrate this iconicity by producing a schematic representation of it."
Mark Prescott, Director of Spark added: "We thought the idea of creating a long term artistic project would prove a compelling finale to Marmite's campaign. Spark have thoroughly enjoyed delivering the project with our partners. The sculpture forms an elegant end to the award-winning Love/Hate election campaign. The aim of the shrine was to provide Burton and Marmite fans with an authentic and innovative piece of public art and we hope it will drive new visitors to the area and be treasured for many years to come."
=========================================
So there you have it, a lasting edifice to Marmite.
