A 130-foot flying cucumber, part of the Hendrick's Air campaign for Hendrick's Gin, traveled across 13 cities at 35 miles per hour. The tour ended on July 29 with a viewing party held at Galleria Marchetti in Chicago.
At the MPI World Education Congress, which took place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco from August 1 to 4, Visit Anaheim partnered with 3-D pavement artist Joe Hill to create interactive illustrations. Created with chalk and paint, the installations represented aspects of Anaheim, including Orange County beaches, city landmarks, and theme parks. Guests were encouraged to pose "inside" the artwork and share photos on social media.
During the rock music festival, which took place in Chicago's Grant Park from July 31 to August 2, many festival perks were found at sponsor activations on festival grounds. Bud Light brought its traveling House of Whatever activation to the event, and in a V.I.P. area, guests could have their photos snapped inside the "Bud Light Lolla-Scope." The machine took rotating, 360-degree photos of guests, who then posted the images to their social media accounts. The images were automatically populated with the phrase: "And this happened at Lolla 2015," along with the #UpForWhatever hashtag.
At a bar at the Samsung Galaxy Owner's Lounge, guests could order frozen treats using the GS6 Edge device. The flavors were designed to represent different musical tastes. The "R&B" treat had a raspberry-rose flavor, for example, while "Rock" was honeydew-ginger.
Choosing a "Christmas in July" theme, the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago hosted "Zoo Ball: Arctic Blast" on July 10. Nadeau's Ice Sculptures created an eight-foot-tall polar bear for the occasion.
For the fifth and final installment of the Icon 50 program, which celebrated the Mustang’s 50th anniversary, Ford Motor Company asked designer Jonathan Adler to create a cultural road trip in July, complete with a detailed driving route. The design-centric course featured destinations spanning both coasts. For a New York event, attendees drove their own Mustangs for the weekend, along with an itinerary of Shelter Island hot spots, Adler's recommended design destinations, and his must-have road trip accessories, which he curated in honor of the car’s anniversary.
GoGo Squeez partnered with MKG for the launch of the "Goodness Machine," a custom, interactive vending machine resembling the health-focused on-the-go snack brand's applesauce packets. The vending machine debuted in New York's Madison Square Park on July 23. Kids could push a button that activated a launching mechanism that shot out applesauce packets attached to parachutes with the brand's label from the top of the machine.
The Watermill Center's summer benefit in East End took place on July 25, showcasing 24 art installations. Once past the main entrance steps and right before the pathway to the Africa House sat two installations as part of Mette Sterre's "Sweet Beans Constrictors" artwork. Atop the landing, the Dutch artist created a pair of headpieces from coiled and tied tubing, representing dramatic forms of negative space in which performances sat and gazed at guests. Piles of fruit, in keeping with the theme, were featured as a complement.
Puerto Rican artist Radames (Juni) Figueroa's "Bed Paintings" installation featured a row of young men asleep in beds along the path of the forest, the artist's figure draped over their bodies (a tropical canvas as bed sheet). Piles of tropical fruit, meanwhile, studded the forest floor.
To allow guests to roam the grounds while indulging in the food prepared by Great Performances, all the self-serve dishes were designed to be hand-held and didn't even necessarily require plates. "We kept it fun and playful, as noted by the fried chicken served in savory waffle cones," said Shaun Roberts, event director at Great Performances. "It was approachable food done in a different way."
