CRYING STATUE

TitleCRYING STATUE
BrandAIDSFONDS
Product/ServiceNON PROFIT ORGANISATION
Category B02. Outdoor
Entrant N=5 Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Idea Creation N=5 Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Media Placement DE MEDIA MAATSCHAP Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
PR N=CONTENT Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Production N=5 Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Production 2 DIMARCO Leiden, THE NETHERLANDS
Additional Company AIDSFONDS - SOA AIDS NEDERLAND Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Credits
Name Company Position
Carsten van Berkel N=5 Concept creator
Stefan Leendertse N=5 Concept creator
Thijs Bontje N=5 Creative Director
Daniel te Lindert N=5 Creative Director
Bastiaan Weers N=5 Strategy Director
Judith Lavalette N=5 Head of Account
Hans Dekker N=5 Agency Producer
Casper Reus N=5 Producer
Lotte de Rooij N=5 Producer
Mariska Franssen N=5 Producer
Louise Mahler N=5 Account Manager
Branda Rangel N=5 Account Manager
Sander Kruit N=5 Graphic Designer
Ronald van Vemden Toonafish Production
Daniel van der Zon Dimarco productrealisation Producer

Cultural / Context information for the jury

In the Netherlands, the battle against AIDS is steadily advancing. Medical treatments and precautionary medicines have become quite mainstream; helping prevent new infections and deaths. But this perception of positivity and control, reinforced by what is published in the media, has taken the focus off a disease that has claimed the lives of millions of people worldwide. It’s stopping the Dutch public from caring about the cause and supporting the ongoing fight against the disease and even affects government funding. By showing the harsh reality of what suffering from AIDS looks like in 2019, we can create renewed awareness for people, organisations and governments, and give new purpose to future fundraising efforts. Our brief was to make a bold statement—to reveal the horrifying truths of the AIDS epidemic. And we did this, not by using 40year old, clichéd imagery, but by stepping away from stereotypes to update the story.

Tell the jury about the art direction.

Created using a 3D printer, the statue was built with integrated tracks to allow a natural flow of tears. We chose to represent the female based on the fact that Aids is still the number 1 cause of death amongst women under 50, and the final colour choice was reached by three deciding factors. Firstly, we wanted to stay away from skin colour in order to keep the focus on the epidemic. Secondly, we wanted to create a thing of beauty with maximum 'social' impact and street visibility. Lastly, we wanted to connect the installation with the cause. AIDS awareness has a long-standing affiliation with the colour red. All in all, the design of the statue was much more than just a crying woman.