CREATIVE ART NETWORK

 

The PUMA Creative Art Network is both a live and virtual platform connecting the creative world, giving visibility to the talents working in architecture, dance, design, fashion, film, fine art, literature, music, new media, performing arts and photography.

Through the programs of PUMA.Safe (focusing on environmental and social issues), PUMA.Peace (supporting global peace) and PUMA.Creative (supporting artists and creative organizations), the network successfully fuses the worlds of PUMA with the worlds of creative expression and social responsibility.

GAMES FOR CHANGE

 

Games for Change is a community and movement dedicated to using digital games for social change. Founded in 2004, the network which now represents hundreds of non-profit directors, game developers, artists and academics aims to leverage entertainment and engagement for social good.

Half the Sky Movement, is a game which was launched on FACEBOOK, has already reached more than 1.3 million players and received nearly $500,000 in donations. This is another great project which supports our view that user experience and interaction is one of the most important ingredients in communicating your message.

GOING NATIVE

LIKE A GIRL

The makers of the brand ALWAYS wanted to shed light on how attitudes about what it means to be a girl have a huge impact on a girl's self confidence. So along with it's agency, the brand developed a creative project called 'RUN LIKE A GIRL'. 

A short film and an interactive website was created and so far the brand's innovative ways of connecting itself to this  global movement are both helping to create brand loyalty and are empowering girls around the world.

I believe that the secret to the success of this project is the creative use of interviews all done with people the audience can relate to as well as being part of the educational process itself.

PAPER

The link between creative expression and social responsibility was used with great success by a small town newspaper in the middle of South Carolina. A local paper, The Fayetteville Observer, produced a series of creative profiles of young people from the area in order to help create a more positive image of their city. 

 

One of these creative profiles was about a young man who shares his passion for music with people throughout the city during his free time. The newspaper posted this short video on their website - it went viral in a couple of days and exposed this little independent newspaper to the world.

DON'T WALK

To help reduce accidents by getting more people to wait for the red light to change, SMART CAR in Portugal utilized the power of creative expression.

The DANCING TRAFFIC LIGHT which was created by BBDO Germany resulted in getting over 80% more of the normally impatient pedestrians to enjoy stopping at the crosswalk and turn boring waiting periods which tempt people to cross the street although the lights are red into a fun experience.

CREATIVE EXCHANGES

Operating out of Cologne, Germany, the RED BULL MUSIC ACADEMY is a music initiative which gives creative participants from all over the world the chance to meet and collaborate.

This series of free music workshops travels the globe from Berlin to Cape Town, São Paulo, Barcelona, London, Toronto, New York, Tokyo and beyond bringing together innovative producers, vocalists, DJs, instrumentalists and musical mavericks for an inspiring 2 weeks of creative cultural collaborations. The result are unique exchanges of creativity that are always unpredictable.

STRIKE DANCE RISE

Every year on February 14th over one billion people dance and perform in thousands of events all over the world to demand an end to violence against women and girls.

100 BILLION RISING is a global movement which uses the power of creative expression to expose both the stories of violence and the victories in overcoming violence. Their shared creative energy loudly calls on women and men everywhere to rise and demand justice for women and girls once and for all.

HUMANS.

 The beautiful and innovative HUMANS-project which is supported by Panasonic is based on a simple yet deep concept that allows the viewer to get close to people and the circumstances they live in. These short films which are produced by FLOW MEDIA, a production house based in Copenhagen, are using engaging web-based interactive storytelling-techniques that simply combine powerful images with personal stories which connect the world.

GET OLD

'Get Old' is a series of short films which showcase 'creative profiles' of people who break the negative images of getting old. Part of a social marketing campaign sponsored by the multinational pharmaceutical company Pfizer, these personal stories hope to promote the benefits of a healthy and creative lifestyle while growing old.

Pfizer hopes that the films and campaign will also spread goodwill to its own image. And the research has shown that people who visited www.getold.com went away with a 55% improvement in their perceptions of the company.

No matter what we may think of Pfizer's products, these engaging creative profiles are excellent examples of how to get an intended audience talking about an issue which they are connected to - presented by like-minded people who share their values and experiences.

WEAPONS OF CHOICE

Our approach of combining powerful images with personal stories that connect the world is used by some of the most talented visual artists of our time. The American photographer Gordon Parks once claimed that "I chose my camera as a weapon against all the things I dislike about America - poverty, racism, discrimination."

Creating images that combine creative expression with social responsibility can comment on society and give a face to an issue in ways that can change the world.

GENESIS

 The global movement that injects the emotional power of creative expression into social responsibility can be seen in a project from the photographer named Sebastião Salgado. The project is called Genesis, he calls it a 'love poem to our planet'.

Together with his wife Lélia, Sebastião has worked on the restoration of a small part of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil. In 1998 they succeeded in turning this land into a nature reserve and created the Instituto Terra. The Instituto is dedicated to a mission of reforestation, conservation and environmental education.

They raised money from foundations and the government to plant over two million trees, including 170 different species of trees. "Genesis is about inspiring action for this preservation.  We have to make people aware of the damage. Then they will change." - Sebastião Salgado

CREATIVE EXPRESSION

living in a world where more and more social issues are left more and more unattended we feel the responsibility to utilize our knowledge to develop new ways helping to address and resolve those global issues - by using creative expression.

we believe that art and creativity is the most powerful tool to help make the world a better place, and redmango studios stands for sharing thoughts and ideas as well as sharing, creating and fostering social projects that are based on the creative powers everyone is born with. redmango wants to inspire people to welcome the spark that is needed to set aside indifference and get involved. personally.

Die lange Nacht der Fotografie

Last week Susanne and I were invited to take part in a show on photography at the leinehertz studios in Hannover.  It was another opportunity to share our thoughts on using the power of photography in bringing awareness to important issues in our society. Thanks again to everyone who took part in this informative and fun night.

INSIDE/OUT

 

One of the best examples of using art to create change around the world is a project called INSIDE OUT. Inspired by JR’s large‐format street "pastings", INSIDE OUT is a global platform for people to share their untold stories and transform messages of personal identity into works of public art. 

When Susanne and I were asked to create a mural for the kumpanai community gardens in Hannover, we decided to produce our version of the INSIDE OUT project.  We pasted several extra-large black and white prints from our mukucity photo project on the walls of the old brick building.  

Then we added color with words and images to help communicate our message that the garden as well as our city draw their strength from the diversity.

CREATIVE PROFILES

At the heart of each issue of our magazine was our approach of letting real people share their own stories.

We quickly discovered that combining powerful images with personal stories was a successful recipe to connect people and address social issues. A good creative profile is a personal statement of what someone stands for and an opportunity to share experiences with an audience. It allows people to connect and creates cultural comparisons at the same time. And when presented with a bold visual language which is appropriate for the intended audience, profiles are always powerful.

COLORS

Similar to Tibor Kalman, the influential art director of the Benetton-sponsored Colors magazine, Susanne and I decided our first project in the world of social marketing would be to produce a magazine of our own which brought attention to important educational and multicultural issues.

Living in the Caribbean at the time, our magazine showcased contemporary local art, innovative photography and creative storytelling to educate and fuel a discussion about our community.

Producing an ongoing publication like a magazine is one way to address social issues that connect, grow and inspire a community through knowledge and collaboration.

ART CAN CHANGE THE WORLD

Probably all creative professionals come to the point in their career that forces them to ask: What's next? The point where we notice the signs of being 'burnt-out' or feeling that our work is unimportant - or worse - the sense that our creative expression is being exploited. A point that often leads to self-examination and rediscovery.

We begin to ask ourselves: do we really want to die with the most toys or is there something more we can do with our creative skills?

OUR answer to this question was to create red mango studios and search for projects and clients that give us the opportunity to turn our vast experience in product marketing into what we now call social marketing.

And..... it led us to the idea that ART CAN CHANGE THE WORLD!