Today the world is experienced through a screen, including art. Paintings and photographs are reduced to occupy the dimensions of a social media feed. Fotografiska, the contemporary museum of photography, art and culture in Stockholm, rebels against this in its new promotional campaign, capitalizing on the growing desire to get away from infinite scrolling and enjoy in-person experiences.
Together with the agencies Save Our Souls and The Amazing Society, it has deployed an outdoor advertising campaign on the streets of the Swedish capital under the concept “Photographic art is best experienced at Fotografiska.” In it, he plays with the dimensions of the supports and their differences to highlight the value of size when enjoying photography and reminding users that it should be seen enlarged, and not compressed, on digital platforms.
Thus, mupis, marquees and other outdoor supports show some of Elliott Erwitt’s photographs that are part of his collection, but at the size they usually adopt on mobile phone screens. In this way, they remain tiny compared to the rest of the surface and are lost in the advertising space. The graphics are accompanied by the Fotografiska logo, its opening hours to the public and the claim “Photography deserves more than your wall.”
“This is not moral talk or nostalgic defense, it is simply a recognition that photographic art is physical. It has scale, materiality and context. It transforms and changes when you stand in front of it, in a room, next to others“, commented Robert Zillen, Marketing Director of Fotografiska, through LinkedIn. “Physical cultural spaces must be clear about their value when much of our cultural consumption has moved to other places. Photographic art is best experienced in real life, welcome to Fotografiska”.
As reported by the agency, the campaign is based on some trends that are currently transforming consumer behavior worldwide. They point, among other things, to the general purpose of reducing screen time, or the interest in so-called “dumb phones”, those that have limited functionalities regarding Internet use.
“Photography is not made for thumbs. It’s made for hearts, eyes and time” said Jenny Elisabeth Kaiser, Director of Fotografiska Stockholm. “We want to disconnect people from the network and live real experiences”he comments, highlighting not only the museum’s artistic proposal, but also other services and the atmosphere, such as the food, conversations with other art lovers or the visit to the museum itself.
As explained by the Marketing Director of Fotografiska, the campaign is complemented by the experience at the museum, where he assures that they offer mobile phone cases to help visitors experience art with fewer distractions. They also ensure that they have created a limited edition t-shirt in collaboration with the artist Jesper Waldersten.
