A design so distinctive that it could be recognized by touch alone and so unique that it could be identified when shattered on the ground. This was the brief for the creation of the Coca-Cola bottle, which is 100 years young this year.
To mark this milestone, The Coca-Cola Company began a year-long campaign in January that includes new advertising, a music anthem and, most notably, a series of art exhibits featuring works from some of the world’s leading contemporary artists.
Last weekend, the exhibit finally reached the Philippines. The Coca-Cola Bottle Art Tour: Inspiring Pop Culture for 100 Years, took consumers on a unique, multi-sensory journey featuring an array of Coca-Cola bottle themed art, historical artifacts, and interactive experiences which showcased the Coca-Cola bottle’s role in art and popular culture. The exhibition, which would travel about 62,000 miles in 15 different countries, rested in the Philippines for three days, from October 2 to October 4 at the Amphitheater, High Street South, Bonifacio Global City.
Just how special is a bottle of ice-cold Coca-Cola?
Born on November 16, 1915, the Coca-Cola bottle was the creation of the Root Glass Company in Terre Haute, Ind. With its unmistakable curves and a distinctive contour, the bottle has become a global icon, inspiring a century’s worth of signature moments in film, social history, design, and the fine arts.
“Since its creation in 1915, the Coca-Cola bottle has achieved iconic status as a symbol of refreshment and uplift and it remains an important asset for our business today,” said Marcos de Quinto, Chief Marketing Officer, The Coca-Cola Company. “The campaign, which will be executed in over 130 countries, is our invitation to consumers around the world to share in the specialness of an ice-cold Coca-Cola.”
Visiting the Philippines along with the exhibit is Ted Ryan, Director of Heritage Communications, The Coca-Cola Company. According to Ryan, the Bottle Art Tour curates 100 years’ worth of happiness in film, social history, design, and fine arts—the development of an icon, an enduring muse for artists, musicians, and designers.
“The Coca-Cola bottle is the ultimate blend of form and function. The beautiful contoured, fluid curves of the bottle are the same today as they were in 1915 and it has led to the development of the aluminum contour and varying package sizes today,” he added.
18 artists, one inspiration
The Bottle Art Tour put together 18 artists—some of them being forerunners of the Pop Art Movement—for a sweet mix of media from prints, photography, found objects, toys and, paintings.
Among these artists are Peter Blake, creator of the iconic Sgt. Peppers album cover and the ‘Coke Side of Life’ mural at Southbank, London; Andy Warhol, known for his Campbell’s Soup Cans; and Haddon Sundblom, the man behind popular depictions of the merry man from the North Pole, Santa Claus.
Other artists include: Burton Morris, Jane Wells, Jeff Schaller, Kate Brinkworth, Kim Frosin, Michael Kalish, Pakpoom Silaphan, Robert Mars, Sally Tharp, Steve Kaufman, Steve Penley, Bern Hotzel, Clive Baker, Eduardo Paolozzi, and Norman Rockwell.
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