Morrisons project giant baguette onto Angel of the North – creator not best pleased
By Rich Leigh on Monday, May 5, 2014
British supermarket chain Morrisons – struggling, according to this oh-so-unexpected condemnation in The Guardian – has projected a giant image of a baguette onto the Angel of the North, along with the words ‘I’m cheaper at Morrisons’. That’s as sophisticated as the stunt is, so with relation to the actual idea, there’s little more to say*.
The 20m tall sculpture, built in 1998 by Antony Gormley, can be found in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. The sculpture’s wingspan is 54m and each wing weighs 50 tonnes. It was created as a homage to the North’s coal miners. According to the Guardian, ‘he wanted to create a work that would serve as a connection between our industrial past and the future of the information age’.
Gormley is displeased by the stunt, saying ‘I’d rather the Angel is not used for such purposes, but it’s out there.’
According to The Drum, Morrisons has now said of the campaign: ‘We’re sorry if you thought we got carried away with our latest marketing. We were trying to have some fun and didn’t mean to offend anybody.’
Whilst I can absolutely understand Gormley’s annoyance, The Guardian’s comment section reads like a gaggle of cardigan wearers wearily going through the motions of offendedness.
* Though, apparently, I SHOULD have more to say – please see the comments below if you would like to see an unexpected and detailed interview with me about this stunt.
Thanks to Helen Cheshire for tweeting me with this.