The Famous Grouse - Be Part of Something Famous with the Famous Grouse

Containing more than 51,204 characters which have been laser cut, by the world’s fastest laser cutting machine, the sculpture brings to life the aspirations and ideals of fame from people around the world who were asked to answer the question: “What would you like to be famous for”.

This unique collaborative project, which was launched globally by The Famous Grouse in August, has seen over twenty countries participate, resulting in thousands of responses from the evocative to the humorous.  Entries have come from as far and wide as Taiwan, Russia, Turkey, Canada, Greece, Belgium and Great Britain, to name just a few.

From the thousands of submissions received, only 1,542 were selected to reflect the diverse range of answers about fame, which included: discovering life on another planet, becoming the first one to savour whisky on the moon and getting equal rights for all people. From secret dreams, lifelong ambitions to those that just want to be known for being good to mankind, the answers show the truly diverse realities of people’s views of fame globally.

The sculpture has been made by some of the world’s leading artists. Led by Marshmallow Laser Feast in conjunction with Studio Roso on the design of the sculpture and with Ruairi Glynn on the kinetic and lighting elements, the total team consisted of 34 engineers and digital specialists. 

The sculpture is just over 5m high and just under 5m wide at the widest point, weighs around 300 kilos and consists of more than 62 copper-plated strips forming a giant spiral. Using specialist lighting and a robotic arm, which sits at the heart of the structure, the laser cut words are projected dramatically onto all the surrounding walls and surfaces.

The vast sculpture is suspended from the ceiling allowing viewers to stand underneath and experience both the inside and outside reflections. The robotic arm, which sits at the centre, can also be controlled remotely by viewers when standing underneath the sculpture – bringing the sculpture truly to life.

According to Barney Steel from Marshmallow Laser Feast: “The whisky making process provided a rich source of inspiration for all aspects of the sculpture; the rings around whisky barrels inspired the strips of copper, the pot stills inspired the shape, size and style and the liquid vortex created when you swirl whisky in a glass for nosing and tasting inspired the lighting effect.”

Asanka De Silva, Global Brand Controller for The Famous Grouse, said: “As a brand that earned the right to be famous since 1905, now 108 years on, we wanted to discover what being famous means to people today. It’s been fascinating to see the wide range of answers from around the world and bringing them to life in such a unique way.

“This year’s sculpture is just the start of a new journey for The Famous Grouse brand as we bring to life the power of collaboration which is an everyday part of our life in making a truly famous whisky. We have many ideas about how we might do this and so who knows what we might achieve next year.”
 
The unique collaboration of artistic and technology teams has allowed for a truly inspirational sculptural concept. The invitation to ‘Be Part of Something Famous’ will continue to live on www.somethingfamous.com. After its reveal today, the sculpture will return to Scotland where we aim to share it with future generations.
For further information please contact Megan Davidson/Ruth Minto at The BIG Partnership on 0131 557 5252 or email tfgteam@bigpartnership.co.uk.

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