Stella Artois
Together Apart Street Art murals and activations in
London, Milan, Mexico City, Chicago, and Brussels
OBJECTIVE:SNO was commissioned by Stella Artois and Mother London during the 2020 pandemic to use art and design as a remedy to make safe socializing more enjoyable as people began to emerge from lockdown and finally get to share a drink together once again.
COLLABORATORS:Mother London
CLIENT:Stella Artois
SERVICES:Illustration, Environmental, Mural, Print
OVERVIEW:‘Together Apart Street Art‘ is a bold and artistic safe-socializing space designed by Studio Number One for Stella Artois. The 46’ x 92’ artwork was painted on the floor at the Truman Brewery in East London when pubs were allowed to reopen for the first time since lockdown was enacted in mid-March 2020.
The pandemic had carved a new norm for human interaction and our lifestyle within social gatherings. Most signage and instruction around social distancing was ugly and certainly not enjoyable to look at or use.
To evolve within this new reality, SNO was commissioned by Stella Artois and Mother London to use art and design as a remedy to make safe socializing more enjoyable as people began to emerge from lockdown and finally get to share a drink together once again.
Together we designed an experience for people to enjoy art right at their feet.
Direction
Sixties op art inspired the use of geometric shapes to create optical effects, and balance between the form and function of this street art campaign. We experimented with various grids, shapes, and sizes, finally opting for a playful and fluid, organic structure.
The image shows a minimalist portrait of a woman raising a chalice as she greets guests and invites us to a vibrant and safe get-together. The Op Art-inspired color contrasted circles form bubble-like spaces for people to stand on. These areas are accented by an outer ring and spaced within a safe distance of each other so friends and loved ones can comfortably socialize at a secure distance while being a part of the artwork.
Shepard Fairey, SNO’s creative director and co-founder commented: “With galleries and exhibitions closing their doors during lockdown, people have been unable to experience and appreciate art in the usual ways. My team collaborated with Stella Artois to create socially-distanced art to be publicly accessible, but also to facilitate safety as people reunite. I have a history at the Truman Brewery, so I’m excited that this debuts there.”
After the success of the London location, the artwork was also painted onto a barge in Milan, an outdoor space in Mexico City, a bustling city street in Chicago, and in the city center of Brussels, Belgium.
