Strongly desired by its creators for a long time but born almost by chance, the PJL ONE Night finally came to life last October. The perfect result of an explosive mix of art, culture, creativity and communication blended together with the world of toilet paper! A refreshingly unusual format that gave birth to an unconventional event that we would like to tell you about, in detail.
Paola Pellegrini
PJL ONE Night took place last October 12th in Lucca. The evening event was organized by the Perini Journal in conjunction with the days the city saw the affluence of a large number of visitors who were on site for the MIAC show. Taking advantage of this particular circumstance, the PJL together with Maurizio Vanni, artistic curator of the Event, organized a special evening in one of the most suggestive locations of the city's historic center: the Church of San Matteo, home of the Galleria Claudio Poleschi Arte Contemporanea Art Gallery. "Going round & round" -- this was the title given to the event -- immediately distinguished itself as a communicative format with a clear, non-conventional style typical of all the side shows taking place in conjunction with the largest world fairs (see the Fuori Salone initiatives organized for Milan's Salone del Mobile), born to enliven and challenge the main event. Certainly an ambitious base to start off with. But it wasn't the only provocation that the organizers set out to make! The PJL ONE Night event challenged one of the last remaining taboos of our society: the roll of toilet paper!
An invitation-only event that required each guest to bring along his or her favorite roll of toilet paper. For those who didn't have one, the organizers kindly made some available to serve as "entrance tickets". Fabio Perini S.p.A., publisher of Perini Journal, took advantage of the occasion to present not just any roll but the latest technological novelty in terms of tissue product that has all the cards in order to redefine the concept of traditional roll and revolutionize our bathroom environment and consumption habits: SOLID+®. The roll of toilet paper was thus promoted from a mere consumption item to an object of style, and in so doing, it became the protagonist of the evening. And so the prize for the "most photo_hygienic" just had to belong to it and it alone! Every kind of roll was there for the eyes to see: rolls wrapped in rice paper and decorated with Indian symbols, rolls turned into a portable torch, colored rolls, rolls consumed almost to the core, rolls cached in a purse to hide a "certain shyness" or rolls exhibited like trophies! PJL fans enthusiastically answered to the allusive "dictate" of the invitation, collaborating for the success of the entire evening .
At the event's entrance area, a small posing room was prepared based on the theme "Who is the most photo_hygie-nic?!", where guests, totally captivated by the suggestive power of involvement and interaction, were photographed together with their favorite toilet roll in the myriad of different poses that their imagination could fathom. The images were loaded directly on Facebook to continuously animate the PJL ONE Night page. A contest has rewarded the most daring and original poses. (See Facebook: PJL ONE Night page).
Toilet paper, queen and undisputed protagonist of the evening, was represented in a thousand forms: from the theater to poetry, from music to art, and every performance placed it at the center of the scene coherently with its own very special aesthe-tic criteria. In the course of the evening, philological and artistic moments alternated in a flow of emotions, in an almost surreal atmosphere. On a round boxing ring - an original stage - two toilets replaced the renowned boxers' seats and 8 artists-boxers "challenged" one another, telling the history of paper and of toilet paper through original performances punctuated through the beat of music, through dance and poetry, video-performances, visual arts critique, improvisation and theatrical experimentation. Dr. Maurizio Vanni, as artistic curator, moderator and arbiter of the friendly matches, skillfully conducted the evening, almost magically accompanying the audience in the discovery of a new artistic conception of the world of toilet paper!
The event was also broadcast live on radio and in streaming. A sort of minute-by-minute report in collaboration with Controradio station that described each special instant, interviewed the protagonists, collected guests' comments and emotions. Thanks to Andrea Mi's expert radio commentary, the many friends of the PJL the world over - interested listeners and lovers of art and creativity - were able to take part in the show and fully interact. As a contour to the already spectacular event, the mellow sounds of Andrea Solinas' harp music, the original artist's rolls and the installation made with toilet paper by Anthony Moman, in a melting pot of contents, messages, styles and communication objectives harmoniously mixed in one of the most original events of the year which was expertly transformed in... an all around media!
Art and enterprise. From sponsorships to partnerships, protagonist: emotional marketing.
Economy and art may seem like two apparently opposite worlds: in one, interest for numbers, competitive spirit and the desire to spur a company that must face increasing competition; in the other, the love for humanistic disciplines, the passion for creativity and the deep knowledge of everything that leads the most sensitive and enterprising persons to see the universe through constantly changing perspectives. Today, culture no longer represents a pleasant diversion and an interesting promotional medium, but rather a veritable investment instrument having great potential that leads the entrepreneur to believe in a medium-to-long-term project.
Investing money in art is a road embarked on by companies in a time when traditional reference and consumption models are starting to show their limits: on the one hand, increasingly better prepared customers-consumers, more sensitive and attentive to differences; on the other, increasingly fierce competition on an international level. In these last few years, companies have made great efforts to communicate to acquired and potential customers how their indus-triousness was aimed at building a world that is as close as possible to consumers' dreams and fantasies. In a scenario such as the present one, where tastes are constantly changing, where the desires of the collective imagination are continually being transformed and where the worldwide economic crisis makes everyone more attentive to promotional investments, those reference models that up until short time ago were gratifying, have now become limited and partial.
Today, it is no longer sufficient to attain sales objectives, and a traditional sponsorship to an event of any kind could result counterproductive. The theme cultural project, that contemplates total interaction between the company and the work plan, allows approaching the issue in an alternative way. Indeed, it acts as a veritable strategic resource to invest in, participating in the production of ideas in order to attain those objectives in a different way. The more shared and knowledgeable the investment, the greater its utility for the company and for the entire community. The service offered by the company, or the goods produced, becomes the pivot, the topic around which the entire work plan is structured.
The concept of art brings with it a universe of values that speak of imagination, of a taste for beauty, of social prestige and of the ability to seize - and sometimes anticipate - the large and small changes taking place in our society. A personalized cultural project characterizes the identity and the essence of the company: the secret lies in becoming an integral part of it and - where possible - giving rise to it and making it grow within one's company. Tying one's brand to an artistic event means evoking the concept of beauty and tradition, but also highlighting a tangible spirit capable of understanding and following modernity, transformation and renewal. The result is an operational proposal directed at a wide-ranging, diversified audience thanks to the importance of its values, to its enormous media potential and to the eclecticism of the means used to express it.
The theme project is a language capable of involving - both emotionally and physically - many people. It will be up to the ability of the curator to choose the appropriate code for company's target and needs through a special and original format that turns into a neutral zone within which it will be possible to establish original alliances with other companies and with institutions, but also to publicize the product using totally non-conventional perspectives. Also important is the fact that a cultural project can strengthen the sense of belonging within the company's personnel, allowing the attainment of "internal" and "external" (market) objectives that fall under the ethical, moral and artistic spheres. Employees will feel incited to spur their creativity.
A company that invests in art demonstrates to the world that it is a dynamic, enterprising concern, that it is abreast of the times and capable of adapting to the signs of change that society is showing. A good cultural project turns the financing into an investment, reasserting the company's tangible and intangible capital.
Maurizio Vanni